Ink Well has been a great addition to the Reader, and I always have a good chuckle when I finally figure out the solution to the puzzle. But there are weeks when I’ve got every square filled in correctly, but I still don’t get it. I see that all the Bs and Ws have been substituted for each other in the clues [Ink Well, May 11], but what does that have to do with “Developing Negatives”? I know that having to explain a joke kills the humor, but sometimes Ben Tausig is just too clever for me. Any chance of the Reader expanding the solution by including an explanation each week?
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Thanks for the kind words and my apologies for the opacity of “Developing Negatives.” I realize that this was a tough one, so I’ll explain: The letters B and W were switched throughout, in both the answers and the clues. Thus, for example, the clue for QUARREL was “Wicker” rather than “Bicker.” This is a pun on B&W, an abbreviation for black and white, as in photographic negatives.
