"Backup Plan"

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
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Bird Lives
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#21

Post by Bird Lives »

A man, a meta, Al Sisti.
Was I able
to solve it?
I'll know when he PMs back.
Jay
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whimsy
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#22

Post by whimsy »

Still with the 5 Little Monkeys, jumping on the couch. ( :P Hey, poetic license.)
LaceyK
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#23

Post by LaceyK »

I'm a jumping monkey. Doing the 14A dance and the 6 letter other famed 80s dance. But listening to the hit from 26A band.
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Abide
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#24

Post by Abide »

Finally got to this one---(sore ribs from eating too many ribs in Memphis). Yes, nice cluing. Have not figured out how to apply the mechanism (yet). But if others can----
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
Dplass
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#25

Post by Dplass »

I'm so close! (To figuring out part 1... not sure how to apply what I've found yet.)
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boharr
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#26

Post by boharr »

Dplass wrote: Tue Sep 08, 2020 8:41 pm I'm so close! (To figuring out part 1... not sure how to apply what I've found yet.)
You'll get it.
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FrankH
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#27

Post by FrankH »

I have problem finding that last piece. I did a search on one possibility, and it returned something obscure. And even if I assume that is the one, I am not able to take the next step with it like the others.
Dplass
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#28

Post by Dplass »

Confirmed off the couch. Still can't find the last piece but backsolved successfully. Wow, very Gaffneyian.
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Al Sisti
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#29

Post by Al Sisti »

Mid-week leaderboard:
Cindy
Meg
FrankieHeck
TMart
Boharr
Old Judge
Chris Kochmanski
Tom Wilson
LesY
Anita
C=64
Beth Tyrpin
MarkL
BirdLives
RPardoe
Abide
Hector
DowJones
DPlass

Most of you got the idea and 75% of the answer with fairly straightforward ease. That last part? Well, that's what makes it a Week 3 (i.e., Mr. G. probably needs to be invoked...except for one Muggle who got it from memory). In retrospect, I probably should have tried to find something more in the Lingua Franca, but...well, I didn't. I thought it would have been accepted (reluctantly) once Mr. G. presented it. Anyway. So you probably don't need the first nudge, but here it is:

If you don't know where to begin, the title and 52A tell you to return to the clues and try to read them in a different way.
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boharr
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#30

Post by boharr »

Who was the Muggle who got it from memory? Fess up. After the close of the puzzle.
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Al Sisti
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#31

Post by Al Sisti »

boharr wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 11:33 am Who was the Muggle who got it from memory? Fess up. After the close of the puzzle.
I think SHE will...
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Al Sisti
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#32

Post by Al Sisti »

Totally forgot I need two more nudges, so here's the first:

If you've got the three "easy" parts and even have the answer but won't be satisfied until you get the fourth letter, it's... well, the answer is in grid order...
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Al Sisti
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#33

Post by Al Sisti »

...and here's the third:

Parse the reverse of the clue at 1A a little differently than you did the first time, when you probably dismissed it as gibberish. Think, for example, Latin.
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Richard B.
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#34

Post by Richard B. »

Ok, got it. Needed the nudges for the final.
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hcbirker
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#35

Post by hcbirker »

I have it. Got 3/4 of it and finally looked at the spoiler. Jeesh! Love the puzzle!
Heidi
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whimsy
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#36

Post by whimsy »

Well, finally tossed 3 of those monkeys off the couch (with every nudge I could get) and expect to follow too. I'm 99.9% sure of the answer but will explore 3 possibilities regarding the last bit, just to finish things off.
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TMart
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#37

Post by TMart »

Aha! The last nudge got me the last piece. Now I'm completely off the couch.
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Abide
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#38

Post by Abide »

Always some innovative wordplay from Alex. I got to the 75% point before the needed nudge.

For some reason that Choppa answer cracks me up.
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
Schmeel
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Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 2:38 pm

#39

Post by Schmeel »

The final nudge (and google) got me fully off the couch too.
Thanks for the puzzle!
Laura M
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am

#40

Post by Laura M »

I'm off the couch, but I needed so much help I can't claim to have solved this one! Another excellent outing by Al, but just a little over my head and/or not on my wavelength :-)
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