Crack Some Crypts

by Holly Sipek, Ivan Wang, and Liam Thomas

Answer:
TWITCH

We are presented with clues formatted in the shape of “locks”. From the capitalization, we can read these clues going upwards. The title suggests they are “crypt”ic clues, and solving a few in each lock confirms that they are all the same length.

Clue	Answer	Explanation
Extinct animal is discovered in mediocre ole pigeonholes	CREOLEPIG	_cre ole pig_
Gut parasites swap heads with basic voracious readers	BOOKWORMS	(H->B)OOKWORMS
Plot follows conservative with Labour leader in wave	STORYLINE	S(TORY+L)INE
Saint, and so forth, in back of tram	STREETCAR	ST + RE(ETC)AR
Doctors read shift recklessly	HEADFIRST	<READSHIFT>
Legislator and felon trade Tiesi for maiden	LAWMAKER	LAW(BRE->M)AKER
Suitable to Don's smartwatch, e.g.	WEARABLE	double def
Pole from a prow is found among rainbow sprites	BOWSPRIT	_bow sprit_
Offer a measure, it's said, for freebie	GIVEAWAY	GIVE+A+hom(WEIGH)
Sparse, as in to grasp, read, think	SPREADTHIN	_sp read thin_
Computer shortcut hears a wharf and agreement preceder	KEYBINDING	hom(QUAY)+ BINDING
Wet English is entangled longitudinally	LENGTHWISE	<WETENGLISH>
According to Spooner, saltwater pond starts new paragraph	LINEBREAK	Spooner(BRINE LAKE)
Disco trades France for new Fincher film	FIGHTCLUB	(N->F)IGHTCLUB
Goods are kept in this brewing Oreo storm	STOREROOM	<OREOSTORM>
Puts a lid on rings for final pieces	CAPSTONES	CAPS+TONES
Painting life's beginning, Randy escapes without limits	LANDSCAPE	L_+_and_+_scape_
Airfoils Lick Surface: feature films on water	OILSLICKS	_oils lick s_
Hooligan flanks headless zombies at bedtime	LIGHTSOUT	L(wIGHTS)OUT
Vital pulsation could possibly be a threat	HEARTBEAT	<BEATHREAT>
Ladyfinger ends and centipede heart make appendage edge	FINGERTIP	_finger + _tIp_
Grade every period with pen	BALLPOINT	B+ALL+POINT
Lofty chandelier's best part	HIGHLIGHT	HIGH+LIGHT
Mass earth movement led island to erupt	LANDSLIDE	<LEDISLAND>
Make a landing feel feathers	TOUCHDOWN	TOUCH+DOWN
Garment flaps and winds around wheat flour	COATTAILS	CO(ATTA)ILS
Nearby pro ductworkers conceal unintentional manufacturing output	BYPRODUCT	_by pro duct_

Once we’ve solved these clues, the next step is to line them up in the same way the clues are presented. A pattern in all the answers is that each word can be split into two. These resemble the pins in a pin tumbler lock, with the first and second halves mapping to the key (red) and driver (blue) pins in this diagram, respectively.

As a lockpick might do, we must use our picks to push the pins up such that they line up at the breaks in the words (as in the first example lock). Helpfully, we are given a clue and a tallest pick length, which gives an enumeration for the longest pick.

Each clue helps us fill in the missing “pick” words semantically:

For CinemaLock, we are looking for prefixes of movies, when combined with the key pins (e.g. KING CREOLE).
For Lock & Key, we are looking for words that form phrases of the format “X and Y”, where “X” is each of the key pin words (e.g. LAW AND ORDER).
For Open X Lock, we must find words such that “Open X” and “X Lock” are both valid phrases, when replacing Lock with a key pin word (e.g. OPEN SESAME, SESAME OIL).

The “lock” in the pick always gives the position of the key pins, while the underline indicates the part we should solve for.

Using these picks, we can fill in the grids as follows (the yellow background indicates pick):

	S			T
	M	E		S
G	R	N	R	R
I	O	I	A	I
P	W	L	C	F
E	K	Y	T	D
L	O	R	E	A
O	O	O	E	E
E	B	T	R	H
R	E	S	T	R
C	L	O	S	E
G	G	Y	Y	S
N	N	K	S	A
I	U	O	A	R
K	J	T	E	E

CinemaLock

R		T
E	E	I	Y
K	L	R	A
A	B	P	W
M	A	S	A
W	R	W	E
A	A	O	V
L	E	B	I
R	W	W	G
E	R	O	E
D	A	R	K
R	E	R	A
O	T	A	T

Lock & Key

	G
	N
	I
N	D	E
I	N	S
H	I	I
T	B	W
D	Y	H
A	E	T
E	K	G
R	Y	N
P	R	E
S	A	L
E	M	S
D	I	M
I	R	R
W	P	A

Open X Lock

			S		S
K			E	E	K
A	B	M	N	P	C
E	U	O	O	A	I
R	L	O	T	C	L
B	C	R	S	S	S
E	T	E	P	D	L
N	H	R	A	N	I
I	G	O	C	A	O
L	I	T	T	L	E
R	F	S	E	T	M
E	E	K	K	R	A
T	R	O	R	A	S
A	I	O	A	E	E
W	F	B	M	H	S

Open X Lock

			T
	T		N
T	A	P	I
U	E	I	O
O	B	T	P
S	T	R	L
T	R	E	L
H	A	G	A
G	E	N	B
I	H	I	R
L	E	F	E
Y	V	D	L
T	A	L	L
I	R	O	O
C	B	G	R

CinemaLock

				T
				C
T	E		S	U
H	D	N	L	D
G	I	W	I	O
I	L	O	A	R
L	S	D	T	P
H	D	H	T	Y
G	N	C	A	B
I	A	U	O	E
H	L	O	C	G
W	A	T	E	R
O	E	O	I	A
L	S	G	T	L

Lock & Key

Reading across, we can find one word in each lock. These are the key pins in the final lock. We can match them to the redacted cryptic clues by again looking for compound words; the final cryptic word always clues the second half by wordplay.

TALLTALES	...stories
WATERFALL	...stumble
LITTLETOE	...digit
DARKHORSE	...stallion
CLOSECALL	...phone
DIMWITTED	...clever

Taking this final lock, we can do-it-again using the Anti-Lock, a clue for antonyms as our pins. Reading across gives our final answer, TWITCH.

					D
S			E		E
E	L		S	L	T
L	L	E	R	L	T
A	A	O	O	A	I
T	F	T	H	C	W
L	R	E	K	E	M
L	E	L	R	S	I
A	T	T	A	O	D
T	A	T	D	L	T
T	W	I	T	C	H
R	E	L	H	N	G
O	R	G	G	E	I
H	I	I	I	P	R
S	F	B	L	O	B

	S			T
	M	E		S
G	R	N	R	R
I	O	I	A	I
P	W	L	C	F
E	K	Y	T	D
L	O	R	E	A
O	O	O	E	E
E	B	T	R	H
R	E	S	T	R
C	L	O	S	E
G	G	Y	Y	S
N	N	K	S	A
I	U	O	A	R
K	J	T	E	E

			S		S
K			E	E	K
A	B	M	N	P	C
E	U	O	O	A	I
R	L	O	T	C	L
B	C	R	S	S	S
E	T	E	P	D	L
N	H	R	A	N	I
I	G	O	C	A	O
L	I	T	T	L	E
R	F	S	E	T	M
E	E	K	K	R	A
T	R	O	R	A	S
A	I	O	A	E	E
W	F	B	M	H	S

				T
				C
T	E		S	U
H	D	N	L	D
G	I	W	I	O
I	L	O	A	R
L	S	D	T	P
H	D	H	T	Y
G	N	C	A	B
I	A	U	O	E
H	L	O	C	G
W	A	T	E	R
O	E	O	I	A
L	S	G	T	L

					D
S			E		E
E	L		S	L	T
L	L	E	R	L	T
A	A	O	O	A	I
T	F	T	H	C	W
L	R	E	K	E	M
L	E	L	R	S	I
A	T	T	A	O	D
T	A	T	D	L	T
T	W	I	T	C	H
R	E	L	H	N	G
O	R	G	G	E	I
H	I	I	I	P	R
S	F	B	L	O	B

	S			T
	M	E		S
G	R	N	R	R
I	O	I	A	I
P	W	L	C	F
E	K	Y	T	D
L	O	R	E	A
O	O	O	E	E
E	B	T	R	H
R	E	S	T	R
C	L	O	S	E
G	G	Y	Y	S
N	N	K	S	A
I	U	O	A	R
K	J	T	E	E

			S		S
K			E	E	K
A	B	M	N	P	C
E	U	O	O	A	I
R	L	O	T	C	L
B	C	R	S	S	S
E	T	E	P	D	L
N	H	R	A	N	I
I	G	O	C	A	O
L	I	T	T	L	E
R	F	S	E	T	M
E	E	K	K	R	A
T	R	O	R	A	S
A	I	O	A	E	E
W	F	B	M	H	S

				T
				C
T	E		S	U
H	D	N	L	D
G	I	W	I	O
I	L	O	A	R
L	S	D	T	P
H	D	H	T	Y
G	N	C	A	B
I	A	U	O	E
H	L	O	C	G
W	A	T	E	R
O	E	O	I	A
L	S	G	T	L

					D
S			E		E
E	L		S	L	T
L	L	E	R	L	T
A	A	O	O	A	I
T	F	T	H	C	W
L	R	E	K	E	M
L	E	L	R	S	I
A	T	T	A	O	D
T	A	T	D	L	T
T	W	I	T	C	H
R	E	L	H	N	G
O	R	G	G	E	I
H	I	I	I	P	R
S	F	B	L	O	B

Crack Some Crypts

by Holly Sipek, Ivan Wang, and Liam Thomas

Answer: TWITCH

Answer:
TWITCH

	S			T
	M	E		S
G	R	N	R	R
I	O	I	A	I
P	W	L	C	F
E	K	Y	T	D
L	O	R	E	A
O	O	O	E	E
E	B	T	R	H
R	E	S	T	R
C	L	O	S	E
G	G	Y	Y	S
N	N	K	S	A
I	U	O	A	R
K	J	T	E	E

			S		S
K			E	E	K
A	B	M	N	P	C
E	U	O	O	A	I
R	L	O	T	C	L
B	C	R	S	S	S
E	T	E	P	D	L
N	H	R	A	N	I
I	G	O	C	A	O
L	I	T	T	L	E
R	F	S	E	T	M
E	E	K	K	R	A
T	R	O	R	A	S
A	I	O	A	E	E
W	F	B	M	H	S

				T
				C
T	E		S	U
H	D	N	L	D
G	I	W	I	O
I	L	O	A	R
L	S	D	T	P
H	D	H	T	Y
G	N	C	A	B
I	A	U	O	E
H	L	O	C	G
W	A	T	E	R
O	E	O	I	A
L	S	G	T	L

					D
S			E		E
E	L		S	L	T
L	L	E	R	L	T
A	A	O	O	A	I
T	F	T	H	C	W
L	R	E	K	E	M
L	E	L	R	S	I
A	T	T	A	O	D
T	A	T	D	L	T
T	W	I	T	C	H
R	E	L	H	N	G
O	R	G	G	E	I
H	I	I	I	P	R
S	F	B	L	O	B