The More Things Change

Puzzles created by members of Xword-Muggles.com. Here you can post links to puzzles of any kind that you created - crosswords (meta or non-meta), cryptic, variety, word search, number puzzles, riddles, brainteasers and anything else.
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Abide
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#21

Post by Abide »

The cluing here seems far superior to your other efforts (not that those others were bad, just saying)

After two days I have made no traction. Can you use your spoiler button to provide an alternate title or instruction? I'm sure I'm not the only one.
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BrianMac
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#22

Post by BrianMac »

Abide wrote: Wed May 06, 2020 7:00 pm The cluing here seems far superior to your other efforts (not that those others were bad, just saying)

After two days I have made no traction. Can you use your spoiler button to provide an alternate title or instruction? I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Start here: The first step is found in the clues.

On the cluing, I would love to hear more specificity about what you liked, just in the interest of improving. I think I used fewer "out-of-the-can" clues on this one, but do you mean you found them harder, easier, fewer spelling errors?
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Abide
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#23

Post by Abide »

Overall just VERY original and fresh.

Some examples:
Clues that evoke imagery - Superman/Clark Kent for that routine three letter word
Subtle misdirection - Bookend valuable pieces
Home run on the Cavalier Pacer Maverick. There’s a puzzle theme right there.
Variety- musical references from multiple decades.

Ok now I will look at the spoiler....
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
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BrianMac
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#24

Post by BrianMac »

Thanks, Abide, that is helpful. I can't claim credit for all of the clues...more on that after the reveal! :)
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MajordomoTom
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#25

Post by MajordomoTom »

Abide wrote: Wed May 06, 2020 9:47 pm Overall just VERY original and fresh.

Some examples:
Clues that evoke imagery - Superman/Clark Kent for that routine three letter word
Subtle misdirection - Bookend valuable pieces
Home run on the Cavalier Pacer Maverick. There’s a puzzle theme right there.
Variety- musical references from multiple decades.

Ok now I will look at the spoiler....
that one had me going for quite a while - very nice clue.

I'm still working too much on tax returns that I've not been able to solve this one ... which is frustrating me. No nudges, I've already figured out more than the spoiler, but still haven't solved it.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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boharr
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#26

Post by boharr »

MajordomoTom wrote: Thu May 07, 2020 12:14 am
Abide wrote: Wed May 06, 2020 9:47 pm
Home run on the Cavalier Pacer Maverick. There’s a puzzle theme right there.
that one had me going for quite a while - very nice clue.

I concur.
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boharr
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#27

Post by boharr »

I'm wondering if for the sake of those newbies who struggle with these, the prompts could say a bit more in addition to the answer is a x-number of words.

Something like, "The answer to the meta is a six-letter word for an idiot who can never solve these things."

Maybe that would seem to make the puzzle too easy?
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BrianMac
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#28

Post by BrianMac »

Beetle.png

Solution and explanation in the spoiler box.

Six theme entries are placed symmetrically around the grid. These six entries are identifiable by the use of the word "change" in their respective clues:

1-Across: "____ can't change me" (lyric from a Chris Cornell song): SHE
9-Across: Walker whose most famous character hasn't changed his uniform in over 70 years: MORT (Stamford, Connecticut native :))
34-Across: "Take _____ Train," jazz standard whose chord changes were "borrowed" from "Girl From Ipanema": THEA
40-Across: Places to change trains (abbr.): STAS
65-Across: Something Clark Kent removes to change into Superman: TIE
67-Across: Encl. that may be ineffective in the event of a change in postal rates: SASE

[Special, special thanks to solver-extraordinaire Al Sisti, who wrote or improved most of these clues (but graciously declined co-authorship). The original version relied only on the symmetry to identify the theme entries, which made the meta like Week 7 difficulty.]

Taking these six theme entries, we (hopefully) realize that they would complete the title, except that one letter in each word has been changed:

SHE - THE
MORT - MORE
THEA - THEY
STAS - STAY
TIE - THE
SASE - SAME

Taking the changed letters, we get the meta solution, which is STASIS - a state of non-change (the more things change, the more they stay the same).

I had a lot of fun with this one. My only regret was that I had STAS as part of the meta solution, when that was the first 4 letters of the answer. I thought one fix to this would be to change the answer to STATIC, which would have been easy enough, but the only way to do that was to change STAY to STAT, which leaves you in the same place.


Thanks to everyone who solved this one. I hope you liked it.
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boharr
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#29

Post by boharr »

Very clever. Thank you.
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Al Sisti
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#30

Post by Al Sisti »

This was a great meta, and with each one, you're setting yourself apart as a gifted constructor. Turns out you're a pretty swell mentor as well. Yeah, I said "swell." It's one of the many vocabules in my vocabulary.
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TMart
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#31

Post by TMart »

Finally got around to doing this one - it was awesome! Thanks, Brian!
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MajordomoTom
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#32

Post by MajordomoTom »

didn't solve it, but very elegant construction.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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