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The Star Rewards Crossword Puzzle 2004

Puzzle 1

Across

1) Amiable, affable
3) Balls, bowls, bails
5) Caterer, cabaret
6) Trades, grades?
8) Safe, soft?
11) Finance
13) Started, stirred??
14) Team, ream
15) Scraps, scrape
19) Promise?? idolise
20) Clubs, clans?
21) Tunnels, bunkers

Down

1) Accuses, accosts
2) Bark, bird
3) Boor
4) Lyre, lute
7) Decree, decide
9) Faster, fitter
10) Sides, lines
12) Bumpers, numbers
16) Cowl, cell
17) Pods, peas
18) Worn, torn

Comments

15 first choice, 6 second choice, 2 misses.
I am mortified to have two misses! Rejecting 'ream' as a possible answer is bad enough, but I always knew that 'promise' was wrong and should have searched further.

Puzzle 2

Across

1) Treasure, pleasure
4) Face, fact
7) Taste, sauce?
9) Casino, gaming???
10) Scalded
12) Marry, mourn?
14) Try, irk
15) Brief, gruff
18) Swelter, shelter
19) Shrine, throne
22) Putty, paste?
23) Help, heal, heed, hear???
24) Entrance, intrigue

Down

2) Speedy, steady
3) Raw, red
5) Corn, coin
6) Alarm, qualm
8) Anchor, archer
11) Dirks, darts
13) Resent, reject
16) Fancy, funny
17) Helper, temper
20) Hope, home
21) Tin, can, pan?? urn???

Comments

15 first choice, 8 second choice, 1 miss.
I am mortified again, archer is clearly a better answer and I should have thought of it.

Puzzle 3

Across

1) Tirade, pirate
4) Graphs, shapes????
7) Devious, tedious
9) Haste, taste?
10) Blow, claw
14) Danger, hunger
15) Horror, sorrow
18) Lure, lurk
21) Grape, grain
22) Magical, medical
23) Theory, trendy
24) Bitchy

Down

2) Ideas, ideal
3) Amiss, alien
5) Password, passport
6) Spend, speak
8) Salt, sole
11) Wool, wood
12) Indicate, intimate
13) Cell, hell
16) Tram, pram??
17) Fight, sight
19) Point, drift
20) Crash, smash, clash

Comments

15 first choice, 7 second choice, 1 third choice, 1 miss.
Should have thought of trendy which is clearly better than theory.

Puzzle 4

Across

1) Divorce, diverge
7) Ague, ache, acne??
8) Extend, exceed?
9) Leg, law, let? lot??
10) Tone, tune
13) Felon, demon
16) Port, fort
17) Tie, use
20) Insect, insult
21) Dash, dish
22) Created, exerted

Down

1) Despotic, detested, demented, defeated? departed??
2) Violent, valiant
3) Roles, rules
4) Paddle, handle
5) Felt, held
6) Treason, freedom
11) Revised, devised
12) Deterred, detected, detained
14) Conduct, contact
15) Height, weight
18) Stone, style
19) Suds, soda

Comments

11 first choice, 12 second choice, zero misses.
Well, it's pleasing to have no misses and all first or second choices, but this is the first time I've had less first choices than second choices!

Puzzle 5

Across

1) Replant, replace
7) Aria, Aida
8) Racing, riding
9) Era, eon
10) Turn, term
13) Shale, chalk
16) Boss, jobs
17) Bet, put
20) Revoke, revise, review, revamp?
21) Sink, seek
22) Created, erected

Down

1) Repeated, reported
2) Picture, pattern, pottery? posters?
3) Alert, aware
4) Danger, ranges?
5) Balk, halt
6) Dribble, trickle
11) Shelves, wharves
12) Disowned, deserted, disliked, despised
14) Consent, comment
15) Strike, stroke
18) Terse, tense?
19) Best, most

Comments

16 first choice, 7 second choice, zero misses.
Now that's more like it!

Puzzle 6

Across

1) Suspend, suspect
7) Plot, pact
8) Devide, define
9) Ask, aim
10) Item, idea
13) Seine, Berne, Verne??
16) Real, well
17) Sea, spa
20) Strain, sprain
21) Fire, fore, ware??
22) Respect, dissent?

Down

1) Stopping, steering, starting? stalling??
2) Spanked, smacked, slapped
3) Evade, elude
4) Spread, appeal
5) Stop, stem, stay??
6) Sailing, driving
11) Reverse, reserve
12) Militant, diligent
14) Require, receive
15) Wastes, passes
18) Snubs, snobs
19) Cuff, muff

Comments

16 first choice, 7 second choice, zero misses.
Identical result to puzzle 5! However, to be honest, without a huge amount of luck, I doubt that I'm going to manage significantly better than I have for these last two puzzles.

Puzzle 7

Across

1) Artiste, artisan
7) Rage, race, rave?
8) Reward, regard
9) Gas, gun?
10) Bank, rand?, band??
13) Money, power, women? votes??
16) Heat, test
17) Rye, ale
20) Cruise, course
21) Slur, scar?
22) Elected, ejected, created? averted???

Down

1) Amenable, amicable
2) Turbine, torrent
3) Story, score
4) Bridge, dredge
5) Weak, lean, peak, mean???
6) Smacked, spanked, whacked
11) Corrupt, confute? pullute?? confuse???
12) Deterred, bothered, fettered?
14) Deficit, demerit
15) Record, secure
18) Fence, hedge
19) Rush, fuss, push?

Comments

12 first choice, 9 second choice, 2 third choices, zero misses.
I remember having particular difficulty choosing answers for this puzzle. I wonder if there is some subtle cultural difference between Malasia and England that is throwing me off, or maybe it's just that the compiler likes making perverse choices to make guessing the right answer harder, or maybe I'm just disgruntled that I didn't do better!

Puzzle 8

Across

1) Decision, delusion
4) Gift, lift
7) Minor, finer
9) Balked, barred, banned
10) Upbraid, applaud
12) March, match
14) Set, let
15) Atoms, stars
18) Swaying, shaking
19) Chafed, chided, chased?
22) Taken, tried
23) Bore, boor
24) Detected, deterred, defeated, deceived??

Down

2) Spread, stream, streak???
3) Off, out
5) Fare, fade, fail?
6) Charm, claim
8) Impact, import? impart???
11) Deeds, diets
13) Chance, change
16) Sheer, steep
17) Battle, castle
20) Hero, Hugo
21) Age, use

Comments

16 first choice, 8 second choice, zero misses.
I console myself that I have no misses since the first three puzzles.

Puzzle 9

Across

1) Dental, mental
4) Ponder, wonder
7) Marrows, carrots
9) Pests, wasps, nests???
10) Quit, hunt, lust???
14) Forged, worked, formed? forced???
15) Infest, infect
18) Draw, deal
21) Grief, guilt
22) Tempted, trapped, toppled???
23) Rights, regard
24) Prying, spying

Down

2) Elate, exalt, evade??
3) Tired, terse
5) Disorder, disquiet, disputes? dislikes? diseases?? disaster??
6) Rusty, risky
8) Spur, slur
11) Tank, tent
12) Breaking, creating
13) Lead, tend, head
16) Fact, part
17) Anger, eager?
19) Reply, imply?
20) Sheen, clean

Comments

18 first choice, 6 second choice, zero misses.
Best yet, but still not winning any prizes!

Puzzle 10

Across

1) Sermons, serious
7) Life, love
8) Ending, ebbing, easing??
9) Hat, hut
10) Bull, ball
13) Faith, party, caste
16) Slot, slit
17) Eve, ewe
20) Chance, change
21) Thin, torn
22) Cleared, cheered

Down

1) Scramble, squabble, scrabble?
2) Readily, rapidly, rightly???
3) Older, other
4) Slight, blight? plight?
5) Hear, read, bear, reap??
6) Ability, utility, agility??
11) Valiant, gallant?
12) Battered, tattered
14) Slimmer, slender, sleeker
15) Recent, decent
18) Verve, nerve
19) Pity, duty

Comments

18 first choice, 5 second choice, zero misses.
Another pretty good result. As usual, I can't fault the answers given that were my second choice.

Puzzle 11

Across

1) Crafty, artful
4) Lumber, timber
7) Takings, savings, ratings??
9) Coins, gains
10) Post, fort, port?
14) Cooked, chosen
15) Sullen, guilty
18) Loan, lead?
21) Thief, trick
22) Discern, discard
23) Dispel, disarm, disown??
24) Pisces, fishes

Down

2) Rearm, react
3) Feint, feign, foist
5) Blithely, brightly
6) Ruses, risks, rests
8) Shot, show
11) Thud, thug
12) Policies, politics
13) Real, zeal
16) Card, hand
17) Cited, noted, voted, rated, feted, acted?
19) Decks, packs
20) Force, surge

Comments

15 first choice, 8 second choice, 1 fourth choice, zero misses.
A much more average result for me. Maybe I can finish with a good one!

Puzzle 12

Across

1) Mashing, melting, mincing?
3) Sharp, stern, stark??? smart???
5) Sailors, seaport
6) Reader, sender, vender???
8) Arms, aims
11) Decency, secrecy
13) Diarist, pianist
14) Feat, test
15) Sledge, sleigh
19) Gainful, skilful
20) Storm, steam
21) Loyalty, royalty

Down

1) Message, mistake? miscast? mishaps?? massage???!
2) Idol, icon, ikon
3) Safe, sane
4) Rise, rate
7) Decode, decide?
9) Mobile, marine
10) Dense, tense
12) Vitally, totally
16) Lent, lost
17) Glum, grim
18) Oily, wily

Comments

11 first choice, 12 second choice, zero misses.
Would have been nice to finish with a good result. Oh well, it's been fun, see you all next year!

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