PUZZLING The Other Half

How the other half lives and sometimes even who they are has been for years a source of wonderment and fascination to me. Starstruck in my youth by rich perfumed ladies with long fur coats, I nurtured my morbid curiosity with Photoplay. Then when 1 found out movie stars weren’t all they were cracked up to be, I graduated to Women’s Wear Daily, that greatest of all rag game rags. Now that I’m a Modern Woman, it’s the Wall Street Journal, and it isn’t as much fun as it used to be (no pictures). But the distinctions between the two halves are just as clear as ever. When 1 hear that Bunker Hunt is reputed to have said, “A billion doesn’t mean what it used to any more,” I know which half 1 am in and it’s the wrong one. I wonder if they ever wonder what I’m thinking. . . or if they even see me on the other side of their windows.



Instructions:

To solve the puzzle, first fill in the numbered blanks of any clues you can decipher. As an aid to the solver, the clue answers are in alphabetical order so that, for instance, the answer “Dallas” would precede the answer “Dalliance.” Each time you fill a clue blank, transfer the letters to the correspondingly numbered blanks in the message.

Each message blank is characterized by a letter as well as a number – the letter indicates which clue the blank is to be filled from. Even with a very few clues filled in, you will begin to see words and phrases taking shape in the message. Use word lengths, arrangement, and punctuation to help in deciphering the message. Work back and forth, from clues to message and from message to clues, until the puzzle is completed.

Each clue indicates the answer in more than one way. In addition to straightforward definitions, clues may also contain puns, plays on words, anagrams (“The ability to lead people in confusion is a charm” – CHARISMA), or embedded spellings (“How it zeroes in distinguishes a cannon”). Another common type of clue is word construction, where the answer is built of component parts. Example: “American leader required identification in gift” (PRESIDENT = I.D. inside PRESENT).

All abbreviations are acceptable as long as they are in current usage (e.g., TV, p.d.q., etc.). Isolated letters may be indicated in a variety of ways – as compass points, Roman numerals, grades or scores (A,F, “zero” = O, “love” as in tennis = O), musical notations (P,F for soft or loud respectively). Parts of words may be used (IVE or just V might be indicated by “Mid-wIVEs”).

The one paramount rule is that the clue sentence, with a little repunctuation, will tell exactly how to get the answer.

Send the completed puzzle (or reasonable facsimile) to Puzzling, D Magazine, 1925 San Jacinto, Dallas, Texas 75201. All correct solutions will be held for one week after receipt of the first entry, at which time a drawing will take place to determine the winners. First winner will receive a $25 cash prize. Runner-up will receive a free one-year subscription to D. Winners and completed puzzle will appear in the April issue.