A Sticky Situation

YEGwords No. 018

Author

Brandon Cathcart
June 13, 2025

Today’s puzzle is a special one - it marks what I’ve decided is the threshold where YEGWords turns from a project into a publication. That’s because today’s puzzle is by a guest constructor! That’s right, there’s more than one crossword constructor in Edmonton - when Glenn Cook reached out to me, I immediately became Tobias in Arrested Development.

It was a treat to work with Glenn this week, trading my constructor’s hat for an editor’s hat and giving his fun, creative crossword a place to shine. If you’re like “but I like Brandon’s crosswords!” - thank you, but don’t worry! Glenn has constructed quite the treat for you (and my fingerprints are still in there). And if you’re like “wait, I could be a crossword constructor?” - the answer is absolutely. Shoot me an email and I’ll help get you started - you could be featured in a future issue of YEGwords!

Discussion (and spoilers!) below the break.

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A Sticky Situation by Glenn Cook (edited by Brandon Cathcart)

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Puzzle Solution

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Discussion

I loved Glenn’s theme when he sent it to me - it was creative, a fun revealer… and a little sneaky, just how we like it here. Add a dash of summertime fun from Barbie and we’ve got the makings of a good puzzle on our hands.

Thanks to Brandon for letting me tag in! I first saw YEGwords in a coffee shop on 104 Street a while ago and I was thrilled to know there was at least one other cruciverbalist in the city. What he's done in terms of building a community and getting his work out there is amazing! Myself, I've had puzzles published in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, along with Andrews McMeel Syndicate, which provides a daily puzzle to newspapers across North America, including the Edmonton Journal. Happy solving!

Glenn Cook

Today’s Theme

The answers in the centre row and column probably feel incomplete until you read the revealer 30A [Purported favourite snack of Queen Elizabeth II... and what you can find in the centre row and column of this puzzle!], which is a JAM SANDWICH. So, if we put JAM in the black square in the middle, we can make the 4 themed answers work - SPACE (JAM), (JAM) PACKS, PEARL (JAM), and (JAM) DONUT.

Tricky Clues

7A. This is such a fun wordplay clue. Rather than evoking an emotional response, [Take the wrong way?] solves to ROB.

16A. Unless you’re a geography nerd, a crossword nerd, or you have Portuguese/Spanish roots, you might not have gotten this one, but it’s an interesting geography tidbit to hold on to for your next game of Geoguessr. Iberia is the westernmost part of the European continent, which includes Portugal, Spain, and a few smaller places like Gibraltar. Together they are known as the IBERIAN peninsula.

24A. I got excited when I saw this iconic movie making an appearance. In what is probably the highlight of Michael Jordan’s career (even better than his very real baseball stint), he got to be a child and shoot hoops while "Fly Like an Eagle” by the Steve Miller Band played in the background for the movie SPACE JAM. Okay, he probably wasn’t the child in that scene, but I think my point still stands.

4D. We love a Canadian Heritage Minute. Were you paying attention in 2016 when the story of Sam STEELE interrupted your cartoon or daytime soap? It’s not too late to get a little Canadiana in your brain now.

23D. Another bit of wordplay from Glenn here. I’m not above treating folks to a coffee sometimes, but a [Tab you might not want to pick up?] has a different drug than caffeine. It’s everyone’s favourite psychedelic, LSD.

30D. Who are the biggest liars? Let’s say it together in 3… 2… 1… Runners! That’s right. Most “runners” I see going through my neighbourhood are doing a JOG at most. But hey, I guess I’m not out there, so who am I to judge.

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle!

Until next Friday,

Brandon

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