Nudge requests

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FrankieHeck
Posts: 839
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:57 pm
Location: West Virginia

#21

Post by FrankieHeck »

Can I just say that I saw this discussion topic on my phone just now, and for a brief, horrifying couple of seconds, I thought it was labelled "nude requests." :lol:
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MajordomoTom
Posts: 1400
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

#22

Post by MajordomoTom »

you can start that as another thread, if you so desire.

Brian - is there any widget on the website to block threads?

:)
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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TPS
Posts: 721
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:19 pm
Location: Florida

#23

Post by TPS »

FrankieHeck wrote: Sat May 02, 2020 1:53 pm Can I just say that I saw this discussion topic on my phone just now, and for a brief, horrifying couple of seconds, I thought it was labelled "nude requests." :lol:
We have added a lot of new members to the "lifestyle" recently.
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MajordomoTom
Posts: 1400
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

#24

Post by MajordomoTom »

playing X-words with X'd-legs?
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
Nlobb
Posts: 296
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:46 pm

#25

Post by Nlobb »

Help! So many ideas but stuck in the mud? Can anyone give me a nudge?
Thanks in advance!!!
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DBMiller
Posts: 537
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:59 pm
Location: New Hampshire

#26

Post by DBMiller »

Post removed.

Edit: Let's try to limit the publicly posted hints until after the deadline.
Last edited by DBMiller on Sat May 09, 2020 6:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If I'm around, I am willing to join the Muggle Zoom room at other times to lend a hand to those in need.
RhymesWithPrius
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 4:57 pm

#27

Post by RhymesWithPrius »

Nudge please. :)
UTHfan
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 9:13 pm

#28

Post by UTHfan »

yeah, I'll take one too. I think I see something but my crossword motor is off this week.
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MajordomoTom
Posts: 1400
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

#29

Post by MajordomoTom »

that's odd ...

and that's a nudge.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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Bob cruise director
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#30

Post by Bob cruise director »

I posted this here and on the FAQ-Community page just so contributors, especially newbies understand nudges/hints.

Help on the grid or the meta is what we call a nudge or hint. Everyone has an opinion on nudges from the purist who won’t look up anything in the grid on Google, to those who want to learn and succeed with any and all assistance. How you complete the grid and the contest is a personal decision and whether you submit your solution to the WSJ after getting a nudge is also a personal decision. The consensus is that completing the grid with the use of Google is generally accepted but submitting the meta solution to the WSJ after receiving more than a gentle nudge is not. Again, it is a personal decision.

For new people, let me differentiate between being “on shore” and submitting to the WSJ. The blog is here for all of our enjoyment and is not official. When you say you are on shore, it gets recorded as such. Whether you got there with a nudge or your ultimately find that you are on the shore of a deserted island, we don’t care. It is all for fun. However don’t forget to submit your solution to the WSJ.

Nudges have become a sensitive issue for three reasons I can think of:
• We have a lot of new muggles over the last two months.
• We have had three of the hardest metas in the past four years over the past six weeks so there have been a lot of public requests
• We are all a little bit cranky after being sequestered for the past 10 weeks or so

People take a lot of pride in solving the contest but at the same time are more than willing to help others increase their success rate.

The only hard and fast rule both here and on the WSJ page is that no “spoilers” are allowed. A spoiler is a direct giveaway of the answer to the meta or something that would easily lead to a direct giveaway. It is possible, and many of us have done it, to not have the solution and make a casual comment which is interpreted as a spoiler to someone who has the answer. It happens infrequently but if it does, just delete or edit your comment. Someone will let you know by PM or a comment. Sometimes Brian Mac will take down your comment. Do not take offense, it happens.

A few thoughts on the process of requesting a nudge.

• Rather than asking for a nudge in a public forum find someone who has posted that they are on shore and that they have posted a lot (as viewed under their avatar). Send them a Private Message with a request. A couple of issues with a public request is that the rest of us do not know if no one responds or if you have gotten 25 responses.
• Nudges come in a variety of types depending on the style of the person giving you a nudge. Some will give you a little hint first and if that does not work and you want it, give more hints
• When you make a request for a nudge through a PM, there are several things that I like to see, quickly summarized, that you have given it your best shot and are still stuck, but want to learn
o Don’t make a request for a nudge Thursday night or Friday. Sometimes sleeping on it or trying different things makes the solution come to you
o Explain all the paths that you have explored (we call them rabbit holes). You may get a response that you are really warm or that you are cold in which case I usually print out a new grid, fill it in and start from scratch. Or in explaining what you did, you may have that AHA moment and don’t need that nudge.
o Try to establish a longer term friendship with some muggles
• Do not expect that you are going to have a high success rate from day 1. Work the puzzle, study the past metas by each creator and above all, have fun.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
Nlobb
Posts: 296
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:46 pm

#31

Post by Nlobb »

I would love a nudge for sound off if anyone can help!
Thanks in advance!!
N lobb
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802puzzler
Posts: 178
Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 7:21 pm

#32

Post by 802puzzler »

I've tried about 15 mechanisms for "SUMMER WEAR" and none of them have gone any "WEAR." Can I discuss what I've tried so far? Or maybe just a first step nudge? TIA
KFB
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:36 pm
Location: Rockford, IL

#33

Post by KFB »

New to nudge negotiation. I've had a few ideas. I think a number clue works here somehow. Any help welcome.
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