Back

Solution to Opposites Are Not Downbeats

Authors: Aaron Bader and Karen Chu

Each clue is clearly broken into two parts, and the answers to these parts are two words. The first word begins with letters usually indicating an opposition or negation. The prefixes used are, "A," "AB," "DE," "DIS," "IN," "IR," "MIS," "NON," and "UN." Although in most cases these prefixes are not actually used in the context of negation, and often aren't prefixes at all. The second word is clued by "not X" and these are the words that result when those prefixes are stripped. For example, the first clue: "A Pokémon is not an Egyptian god", "A Pokémon" clues "abra" and "not an Egyptian god" clues "ab-ra." The letter extracted from these answers is the R that begins "ra".

Taking all the first letters yields a final clue phrase. "RENOUNCES OR DENIES PLEASURE IS NOT THE ANSWER." Googling the first part of the clue phrase should make it clear that the answer you're going for is ABNEGATES. Removing the ab prefix gives the answer NEGATES.

The title is a bonus clue, giving the words antitheses and anti-theses, with theses being a straight synonym for downbeats. This clue was formulated given the stipulation that DOWN must appear in the title, and the creation of which is credited to Chieu Nguyen, who testsolved the proto-puzzle.

Full solutions are below

A Pokémon is not an Egyptian godab-raR
A name associated with tractors is not a poetic prepositionde-ereE
Natural is not a shortened masculine namein-nateN
A paraplegic detective chief is not like some kickoffsir-onsideO
To mistreat is not to employab-useU
A chess world champion is not a universal gatea-nandN
A rejected item is not something to play games withdis-cardC
An affliction is not comfortdis-easeE
To sit out is not to tarnish ab-stainS
Around is not taggedab-outO
To shorten is not a bumpab-ridgeR
Some usually unseen clothes are not things to cut withun-diesD
A country is not an antelopeir-elandE
A battery part is not a pointa-nodeN
Helpers are not a Roman daya-idesI
An animal home is not a lakea-erieE
A separation is not a subgroupdis-sectionS
An exhibit is not to have fun withdis-playP
To land is not to make glowa-lightL
A murder victim is not a rail typeab-elE
A snail is not by itselfab-aloneA
To make a countering opinion is not in the maildis-sentS
A neighbor is not to speakab-utterU
A Yankee is not a sticka-rodR
A musical ensemble is not an '80s classic filmnon-etE
A snail (for example) is not something that plays musicun-ipodI
To break up is not what you just did to this cluedis-solveS
A sturdy fabric is not a children's gamede-nimN
A home is not a lyrical creationab-odeO
To swell up is not to take care ofdis-tendT
To work in the brewery is not to work on the farmdis-tillT
To live in is not a uniformin-habitH
Scrooge is not a place you find in the hospitalmis-erE
To let down is not to hiredis-appointA
Whichever is not a state abbreviationa-nyN
Forgiveness is not a mixtureab-solutionS
A prize is not a building parta-wardW
A property title is not a shortened masculine namede-edE
An odor is not a tomatoa-romaR