I Was Rick Rolled by A Master

I enjoy doing the Sunday crossword puzzle in the Washington Post Magazine. The puzzle was created each week by the brilliant Merl Reagle from 2008 until his death in 2015, and is now produced by Evan Birnholz, at least as clever and funny as Mr. Reagle, but more devious.

The April 1, 2018 puzzle is a masterwork in creativity and was like peeling the layers of an onion.

Five of the 21 X 21 square puzzle’s clues asked for the name of an historical personality: Cold War leader (Harry Truman), “Rebecca” producer (David Selznick).

Answers to six other clues helped you piece together a website URL, which got you to www.devilcross.com/. But that wasn’t enough information. You had to go back and determine the missing middle initial of each of the five personalities. They spelled out S-O-L-V-E.

The puzzle’s directions explained that once you had the correct link, go there and enter your name and email address for a chance to win a prize.

I did. I entered www.devilcross.com/solve, which took me to Rick Astley's “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video – I’d been Rick-rolled!

Below the video was this message:

Oh, were you expecting a contest that you could enter to win a special prize? Sorry, but there is no contest. I did what Mr. Astley said I shouldn’t do: I told a lie. Hopefully I didn’t hurt you.

But to make it up to you, I hid two other features in the puzzle:

1. The first letters of the clues to the 11 thematic Across answers, in clue order, spell out what just happened.

2. There’s a familiar two-word phrase hidden diagonally in the puzzle that explains why I did it.

Sure enough, the first letter of the five historical figures clues and the six website clues spelled out R-I-C-K-R-O-L-L-I-N-G.

And yes, diagonally from the top left corner to the center cell, the letters spell: APRIL FOOLS.

Well played, Mr. Birnholz!

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