This puzzle is a fusion of traditional dropquotes and the popular game 7 Little Words.
Here, the solvers have to complete the crossword clues using available n–grams. However, the letter bank needs to be generated by solving the dropquotes. Once each dropquote is complete, solvers can break the quote into n–grams and complete the clues.
Doing so, solvers will notice that certain letters are not used in the clues—these left over letters are the “discarded” bits and provide the letters for the final dropquote (and are left uncolored below). The numbers provided in each dropquote cell indicate the placement for the unused letters into the final dropquote columns.
As solvers complete the dropquotes they may notice that all of the slightly paraphrased quotes are from noted authors of the Progressive Era, specifically ‘muckrakers’ (as suggested by “sift through discarded” in the
flavor text).
The numbered spaces in the final dropquote provide a clue phrase reading SUBMIT THIS CITATIONS AUTHOR.
The author of the final quote is arguably the most famous muckraker, IDA TARBELL.
M | O | S | T | | O | F | | U | S | | H | A | V | E | | C | O | L | L | E | C | T | I | O |
N | S | | O | F | | S | A | Y | I | N | G | S | | W | E | | L | I | V | E | | B | Y | . |
| W | H | E | N | E | V | E | R | | W | O | R | D | S | | F | L | Y | | U | P | | A | T |
| M | E | | F | R | O | M | | T | H | E | | P | R | I | N | T | E | D | | P | A | G | E |
| I | | I | N | T | E | R | C | E | P | T | | T | H | E | M | . | | | | | | | |
Unabridged quote:
Most of us have collections of sayings we live by. Whenever words fly up at me from the printed page as I read, I intercept them instantly, knowing they are for me.
Ray Stannard Baker
Robot’s mouthful? | B | Y | T | E |
Ends of days | E | V | E | N | I | N | G | S |
Horse-drawn taxi | H | A | N | S | O | M |
Blood-red pigment | H | E | M | E |
Encroach or bother, with “upon” | I | N | F | R | I | N | G | E |
Like a dancer’s body | L | I | T | H | E |
Capable of independent movement | M | O | T | I | L | E |
Lioness’s interspecies partner, to Pliny | P | A | R | D |
Person w/ class | P | R | O | F |
No longer hungry | S | A | T | E | D |
____ symbol, like a Porsche | S | T | A | T | U | S |
HBO comedy | V | E | E | P |
Entirely | W | H | O | L | L | Y |
Bark | W | O | O | F |
| | T | H | E | | O | P | E | N | | M | I | N | D | | H | A | S | | M | O | R | E | |
T | O | | D | O | | W | I | T | H | | R | E | A | L | | D | E | T | E | C | T | I | V | E |
| W | O | R | K | | T | H | A | N | | A | L | L | | T | H | E | | D | E | D | U | C | T |
I | O | N | | A | N | D | | I | N | D | U | C | T | I | O | N | | E | V | E | R | | D | E |
V | I | S | E | D | . | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Unabridged quote:
The open eye of the open mind—that has more to do with real detective work than all the deduction and induction and analysis ever devised.
Samuel Hopkins Adams
Lit. compendium | A | N | T | H |
Campus authority | D | E | A | N |
Deafened by loud noise (var.) | D | E | E | V | E | D |
Performs, to the Bard | D | O | T | H |
Coil around | E | N | W | I | N | D |
Belch, scientifically | E | R | U | C | T |
Heraldry having convex semicircular projections | I | N | V | E | C | T | E | D |
Ready-made wooden building materials made en masse | M | I | L | L | W | O | R | K |
Units of measure in quantitative verse | M | O | R | A | S |
Unpopular thermometer type | R | E | C | T | A | L |
Contains sulfur: Prefix | T | H | I | O |
Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck, e.g. | T | O | O | N |
| A | N | | E | V | E | N | T | | O | F | | S | I | G | N | I | F | I | C | A | N | C | E |
| M | A | Y | | H | A | P | P | E | N | | A | L | L | | A | T | | O | N | C | E | , | |
B | U | T | | T | H | E | | W | O | R | D | S | | W | H | I | C | H | | D | E | S | C | R |
I | B | E | | I | T | | C | O | M | E | | O | N | E | | B | Y | | O | N | E | | I | N |
| A | | L | O | N | G | | C | H | A | I | N | . | | | | | | | | | | | |
Unabridged quote:
An event of colossal and overwhelming significance may happen all at once, but the words which describe it have to come one by one in a long chain.
Upton Sinclair
Merrily We Roll ____ | A | L | O | N | G |
He played Heymann in The Old Fox | A | N | D | E |
Hebrew letter | A | Y | I | N |
Word for claptrap named for a North Carolina county | B | U | N | C | O | M | B | E |
Maryland Stadium, previously | B | Y | R | D |
French knight (abbr.) | C | H | E | V |
Old hag | C | R | O | N | E |
Annoying insect | G | N | A | T |
LOL | H | A | H | A |
Surname of polymath who invented the soma cube | H | E | I | N |
There’s a famous oval one | O | F | F | I | C | E |
Retirement income | P | E | N | S | I | O | N |
“No more, please” | W | H | E | N |
Surname of Assistant Manager for Burnley Clarets | W | O | A | N |
| S | C | H | O | O | L | | I | S | | N | O | T | | A | | L | E | C | T | U | R | E | |
H | A | L | L | | O | R | | A | | L | I | B | R | A | R | Y | . | | I | T | | C | O | N |
S | I | S | T | S | | C | H | I | E | F | L | Y | | I | N | | C | O | L | L | E | C | T | I |
V | E | | A | C | T | I | O | N | | A | I | M | E | D | | A | T | | A | | C | O | L | L |
E | C | T | I | V | E | | P | U | R | P | O | S | E | . | | | | | | | | | | |
Unabridged quote:
The national school is not a lecture hall or library. Its schooling consists chiefly in experimental collective action aimed at the realization of a collective purpose.
Herbert Croly
Shakespeare’s works commonly had five of these | A | C | T | S |
Like a good soufflé | A | I | R | Y |
Cat Cora, e.g. | C | H | E | F |
____ Tower, in San Francisco | C | O | I | T |
Besoot, in Britain | C | O | L | L | Y |
Dolphin on Genesis | E | C | C | O |
Fox hunter’s cry | H | A | L | L | O | O |
Peruvian monetary unit, formerly | I | N | T | I |
Namesake fitness app from Lars von Saldern’s company | I | V | E | C | T | I | V | E |
Celestial balance | L | I | B | R | A |
Officially recognized for the record, such as an absence | N | O | T | E | D |
Floor seating area in a Broadway theater (abbr.) | O | R | C | H |
Pepé Le Pew, for one (colloq.) | P | O | L | E | C | A | T |
Fried breads from Odisha | P | U | R | I | S |
2018’s “You Know What’s Missing” suggestion | U | R | E | S | I | S |
| N | O | T | H | I | N | G | | I | S | | D | O | N | E | . | | E | V | E | R | Y | T | H |
I | N | G | | I | N | | T | H | E | | W | O | R | L | D | | R | E | M | A | I | N | S | |
T | O | | B | E | | D | O | N | E | | O | R | | D | O | N | E | | O | V | E | R | . | |
T | H | E | | M | O | S | T | | E | X | A | C | T | | O | F | | T | H | E | | S | C | I |
E | N | C | E | S | | I | S | | B | E | I | N | G | | R | E | V | I | S | E | D | . | | |
Unabridged quote:
Nothing is done. Everything in the world remains to be done or done over. [. . .] Physics, mathematics, and especially the most advanced and exact of the sciences are being fundamentally revised.
Lincoln Steffens
Keyboard modifier (abbr.) | C | T | R | L |
“You’re ____ it wrong!” | D | O | I | N | G |
Dermal redness caused by inflammation | E | R | Y | T | H | E | M | A |
Smoothed, with “out” | E | V | E | N | E | D |
Borough of Dortmund east of Mengede | E | V | I | N | G |
Divorced duo | E | X | E | S |
Under a roof, like some pools | I | N | D | O | O | R |
Brick of precious metal | I | N | G | O | T |
Chant with little variation in pitch | I | N | T | O | N | E |
Sister of Set | I | S | I | S |
Draco, to the Malfoys | S | C | I | O | N |
Legalese adverb | T | H | E | R | E | O | F |
Italian operas by Puccini, Cilea or Mascagni? | V | E | R | I | S | M | O | S |
Dwell (arch.) or Akron radio station | W | O | N | E |
| Y | O | U | R | | I | M | P | R | E | S | S | I | O | N | | O | F | | M | A | N | Y | |
C | O | N | F | L | I | C | T | I | N | G | | I | N | T | E | R | E | S | T | S | | H | A | S |
| D | I | S | A | P | P | E | A | R | E | D | . | | Y | O | U | | N | O | W | | S | E | E |
| A | | S | I | N | G | L | E | | I | N | T | E | R | E | S | T | | W | I | T | H | | A |
| S | I | N | G | L | E | | A | G | E | N | T | | T | O | | E | X | E | C | U | T | E | |
I | T | S | | P | U | R | P | O | S | E | . | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Unabridged quote:
Your first impression of many and conflicting interests has disappeared. You now see a single interest, with a single agent-in-chief to execute its single purpose.
David Graham Phillips
Premium for money exchange | A | G | I | O |
Placating | A | P | P | E | A | S | I | N | G |
Trickster of Navajo myth | C | O | Y | O | T | E |
Voice an objection | D | I | S | S | E | N | T |
“There are liars and swearers ____ to beat the honest men” | E | N | O | W |
Leaves, stage left perhaps? | E | X | I | T | S |
Prepared a cake | I | C | E | D |
To ascribe (something unpleasant) | I | M | P | U | T | E |
Slender (arch.) | L | E | A | N | Y |
Vanish magically, perhaps? | P | O | O | F |
Wobble around a secondary axis | P | R | E | C | E | S | S |
Observe again | R | E | S | E | E |
Some trigonometric functions | S | I | N | E | S |
Ropes to secure a boat to a dock, from behind (2 wds) | S | T | E | R | N | F | A | S | T | S |
Japanese straw with shellacked rice paper, for a hat | T | O | Y | O |
Done with full knowledge | W | I | T | T | I | N | G |
Discarded letters from | dropquote 1 | dropquote 2 | dropquote 3 | dropquote 4 | dropquote 5 | dropquote 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | H | | | | A | | | H | E | | | D | | | |
| A | E | C | C | H | A | E | E | | I | A | C | | A | B | | I | E | | A | H | D | D | |
E | E | E | E | I | N | D | I | E | | M | E | D | C | A | N | | O | H | B | C | I | E | N | C |
E | L | H | I | R | N | F | I | L | L | R | L | S | E | A | S | L | R | I | E | E | O | I | P | E |
L | T | I | M | T | S | O | L | T | P | S | O | T | H | C | T | S | T | R | P | R | O | M | T | G |
N | W | V | N | U | U | T | M | T | R | U | T | Y | I | S | U | T | T | S | V | T | T | N | U | L |
| A | | M | I | N | D | | T | R | U | L | Y | | C | U | L | T | I | V | A | T | E | D | |
N | E | V | E | R | | F | E | E | L | S | | T | H | A | T | | T | H | E | | I | N | T | E |
L | L | E | C | T | U | A | L | | P | R | O | C | E | S | S | | I | S | | C | O | M | P | L |
E | T | E | | U | N | T | I | L | | I | T | | C | A | N | | R | E | P | R | O | D | U | C |
E | | I | N | | S | O | M | E | | M | E | D | I | A | | T | H | E | | T | H | I | N | G |
| W | H | I | C | H | | I | T | | H | A | S | | A | B | S | O | R | B | E | D | . | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
S | U | B | M | I | T | T | H | I | S | C | I | T | A | T | I | O | N | S | A | U | T | H | O | R |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
A mind truly cultivated never feels that the intellectual process is complete until it can reproduce in some media the thing which it has absorbed.
Ida Tarbell