Solvers are presented with a list of cryptic crossword clues, all of which are missing the
definition component. When they start to solve a few of the clues, they’ll realize that all
of the answers are the names of Presidential pets (America’s Best Friends). If they solve
all of the clues, sort by the order in which the pets’ owners were president, and index
into the pet names using the given index, they arrive at the cluephrase “Name of Teddy’s
bear”. This clues the answer JONATHAN EDWARDS.
| Letter | Clue | Answer | President # | Index | Annotated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Company nurse took back adage about sick | CORNWALLIS | 1 | 4 | CO (company) + RN (nurse) + WA(LLI)S (adage = SAW; sick = ILL) |
| A | Two consecutive elements stuck into succulent | CARACTACUS | 3 | 7 | CAraCTacUS (CACTUS + Radium + Actinium) |
| M | End of Federer’s current match is not commencing | SAM PATCH | 7 | 3 | S (end of FEDERER’S) + AMP (current) + ATCH (MATCH is not commencing) |
| E | Gray and snowy yard | OLD WHITEY | 12 | 8 | OLD (gray) + WHITE (snowy) + Y (yard) |
| O | Short flute note bearing piece of Idomeneo | PICCOLOMINI | 19 | 5 | PICCOLO (short flute) + MI (note) + N (bearing) + I (piece of Idomeneo) |
| F | Row trendy disheveled vegans around Robert | FIGHTING BOB EVANS | 26 | 1 | FIGHT (row) + IN (trendy) + G(BOB)EVANS (disheveled VEGANS around Robert = BOB) |
| T | Oman unit transformed young man | MOUNTAIN BOY | 28 | 5 | MOUNTAIN (OMAN UNIT anagram) + BOY (young man) |
| E | Dissident loses a pound but gains one hundred, about | REBECCA | 30 | 2 | REBEL (dissident) - L (a pound) + C (one hundred) + CA (about) |
| D | Producers start to hire to hold position | PRESIDENT | 32 | 6 | P + RE(SIDE)NT (hire = RENT; position = SIDE) |
| D | Greeting circled around cast | HEIDI | 34 | 4 | H(EID)I (around cast = DIE backward; greeting = HI) |
| Y | Bravo. Sheer speed | BUTTERFLY | 35 | 9 | B (Bravo in NATO) + UTTER (sheer) + FLY (speed) |
| S | Cook taking out the stuffing is received in praise | CHECKERS | 37 | 8 | CHEERS (praise) + CooK (COOK with middle removed) |
| B | Backs of ideal Iraqi hijab drape pretty evenly | LIBERTY | 38 | 3 | LIBE (backs of ideaL IraqI hijaB drapE) + RTY (pReTtY evenly) |
| E | Drunken bowlers win | LEWIS BROWN | 39 | 2 | (BOWLERS WIN anagram) |
| A | Hermione loses weight | RANGER | 41 | 2 | GRANGER (Hermione) - G (weight) |
| R | Common type of owl, I heard, doesn’t have a tail | BARNEY | 43 | 3 | BARN (Common type of owl) + EYe (I heard, doesn’t have a tail) |