"The Fourth Man" - June 28, 2019

A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
Locked
User avatar
Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
Posts: 4511
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#121

Post by Bob cruise director »

Our final status and final listing of the ship and shore because the dog ate my homework

We have 26 on the ship so Isaac has opened the lido deck bar for the week. And there are 39 on the shore with Al crawling up for a Guinness at the last minute

Keeping Isaac company for a week are
Jimmyjam
Joe R

Barry
Guy L
scooby
Jeffrey
Peter L
Tony
Josh
Stuart
Richard
Moi - although I am going to throw a Hail Mary after I finish this
Jack
Tom S
Beth A
Beth C
Susan G
Jim and Anita
Frank
31 Down
Brian M
Barbara K
Inca
Patty
and Ed S

On the ship are
geeteebee
Wendy
Laura
Heidi
Brian
Beth T
Cindy
Andrew B
Toby
Leslie
Paul
Julie O
Cynthia J
Jennifer
Eric P
Fred
Janet
Frankie
Les
Bill
Bird Lives
Burak
Kay
Tmart
ImOnToo
Mark L
tim1217
Hector
meg
ky-mike
Steve B
Chris
Gerry
markhr
Paul D
Tina
Domenic
David Wa
and last but not least Al
and as I wrote this Maine Marge came on shore

so we have 25 on the ship and 40 on the shore


I want some honest confessions tomorrow from those who had a 100% solution that was wrong. And what the "hint" was.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
User avatar
Cindy
Posts: 1247
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 5:39 pm
Location: Matthews

#122

Post by Cindy »

CPJohnson wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2019 8:20 pm And Cindy in North Carolina; I don't recall that she has missed any.
Scott Medvetz wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2019 4:44 pm
Bob cruise director wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2019 8:46 am

All of this is in good fun and none of us get all the answers all the time.

Except for Al Sisti
I did miss pageant along with lots of other folks.
User avatar
Doug C
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat May 04, 2019 3:03 pm

#123

Post by Doug C »

Stumped on this one. Spent the day at the beach - for real - but never made it to shore.
User avatar
Joe Ross
Moderator
Posts: 4998
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
Location: Cincinnati

#124

Post by Joe Ross »

An hour ago, I arrived in New England (in the Berkshires) too late for the lightning show, on way along moving daughter from MI to Boston. My original unsatisfactory choice from Friday withered over the miles. My second choice has come to the fore, with much better credentials. We'll gno in an hour & a half..

I'll not list myself as ashore, rather as still clinging to last week's bough in the briny. I did toast all of you muggles with a double Glenfiddich about this time, last night. Hoping all are well.
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024

PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
User avatar
EdStrong
Posts: 155
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:37 pm

#125

Post by EdStrong »

Ashore just under the gun - finally saw the forest for the trees!
User avatar
FrankH
Posts: 242
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:15 am

#126

Post by FrankH »

Finally on shore with only minutes to spare! I also have been looking for that clue hiding in plain sight since Thursday, and finally figured out that the one I thought could be pointing to something indeed was the one. Then together with another thing that could be signaling me to go in a certain direction panned out and that pushed me across the line.
User avatar
BethA
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:44 pm
Location: Beaver, PA

#127

Post by BethA »

I think I used “fourth” in every possible way except what I just read in crossword fiend. At least I got PAGEANT. Oh, well!
User avatar
hcbirker
Posts: 1985
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#128

Post by hcbirker »

59 down helped me to shore. Nice one Mike! (Heidi)
Heidi
DaveWa
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:43 pm
Location: Lincoln, NE

#129

Post by DaveWa »

59D was the key for me as well, it just took me three days to figure out how to use it!
Laura M
Posts: 1384
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am

#130

Post by Laura M »

My backwards path to the solution (after the initial rabbit holes didn't pan out):
1) "Fourth" in the title + a famous American + this time of year = probably somebody linked to the Fourth of July.
2) Like... Well, O.K., who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
3) *Google* Thomas Jefferson.
4) And the fact that his name has 15 letters ties in nicely with what looks like a hint at 59D, which suggests something to do with each row.
5) But I can't get the letters in "Thomas Jefferson" in order from each row of the grid.
6) Maybe it's some other mechanism, but first I'll see if there are other famous Americans associated with the Declaration of Independence.
7) *Google* Benjamin Franklin, whose name also has 15 letters. And Richard Henry Lee, ditto, though he's not very well known.
8) (Huh, there are a lot of famous Americans with 15-letter names.)
9) Anyway, these don't work either, and it seems significant the "son" part of Jefferson is in the right place at 58D.
10) Hey, but "key" is also in those rows at 45D, and that reminds me of Francis Scott Key.
11) He's certainly a famous American strongly associated with the Fourth, and his name also has 15 letters.
12) And each of those letters appears at least once, in order, in the associated row! That has to be the answer!
13) But... but there must be a reason to pick those particular letters...
14) *Stare at the puzzle for far too long*
15) Oh my heck, it's the fourth letter in each line. Because of course it is. *headdesk*

As convoluted as my thinking was, I don't think I could have gotten this one going forward! I wonder if Mike is surprised that such a simple mechanism proved so hard to figure out!

Edited to add: I just noticed that I wrote 15 steps. If I were very clever, I would have hidden a message in the 4th letter of each step. (But I'm not, and I didn't, so don't waste time looking!)
User avatar
EdStrong
Posts: 155
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:37 pm

#131

Post by EdStrong »

FSTOP was the “key” for me, coupled with 59D. Great one this week.
Inca
Posts: 828
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:55 pm

#132

Post by Inca »

For anyone wondering whether I felt I should have seen it or whether I felt I shouldn't have let it niggle at me all day: it's both.

It is such a "Mike" puzzle, with no googling necessary, just like I love...so I should have seen it.
So why do I feel I spent too much time chipping at it? Because I just never solve these metas by "working" at them. I either see it or I don't. No point in trying too hard...for me.

Anyway, great puzzle, Mike, and good look to all my fellow muggles. I hope one of you wins the mug.
User avatar
billkatz
Posts: 315
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:46 pm

#133

Post by billkatz »

Joe Ross wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2019 10:48 pm An hour ago, I arrived in New England (in the Berkshires) too late for the lightning show, on way along moving daughter from MI to Boston. My original unsatisfactory choice from Friday withered over the miles. My second choice has come to the fore, with much better credentials. We'll gno in an hour & a half..

I'll not list myself as ashore, rather as still clinging to last week's bough in the briny. I did toast all of you muggles with a double Glenfiddich about this time, last night. Hoping all are well.
Say "Hi" to my old stomping grounds - I grew up in Pittsfield
User avatar
Eric Porter
Posts: 466
Joined: Sun May 05, 2019 2:19 am
Location: Nashville, TN

#134

Post by Eric Porter »

My path to shore was slowed by these rabbit holes.
1) I initially thought it had something to do with Adam & Eve. CAIN is inside of 17A and EVE is in 42A, but that was a dead end.
2) The center of the puzzle contains is the beginning of the word 'son', which also appears below it. I thought it may be related. Nope.
3) I turn to this forum and see people saying not to overthink it. I read the title out loud, and think, of course - the 4th of July.
4) How can you get an answer from the 4th of July?
5) I see 'KEY' and think well, Francis Scott Key would make sense.
6) I see 59D again and think that more of his name could be in the puzzle.
7) I realize that it's the 4th letter in every row.

I wonder if having one, two and three in the puzzle was a hint.
These last 2 have been more difficult than usual. Maybe they'll go easy on us for the holiday weekend?
User avatar
MarkL
Posts: 385
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:44 am
Location: Tampa Bay, FL

#135

Post by MarkL »

True confession... got the FS(top) and (off)Key but missed the fourth letter in each row - very nice! Along the way Cain showed up but no John or Mc or Seth or Abel. And, JP Sousa was nowhere in sight or possible by any means resembling last week's machinations. Great puzzle, 'partila solve. Here's to a safe and enjoyable 4th for all!
'tis... A lovely day for a Guinness!
User avatar
Jim and Anita
Posts: 215
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 2:56 pm
Location: State College, PA

#136

Post by Jim and Anita »

The six letters on the crossings of the long horizontal and vertical answers anagram to "fasten" so we thought that was a construction clue of fastening parts of words or letters together. And our interesting but false rabbit was finding "tonite" stringing from tivo and "carson" "paar" and "allen" elsewhere pointing to "leno" who was the 4th host of the tonight show which gave us good memories at least. But that never seemed 100%. We thought 59D was significant but only did a letter analysis, finding 15 a's and 15 s's. (if we could have found 15 m's we might have thought uncle sam.) And seeing "tri" at 6 down crossing "tri" at 15 across led us to exploring words on a triangle. In the end our efforts were more like clue 32 across "pathetically inadequate" and we commend our more insightful shipmates.
User avatar
Bird Lives
Posts: 2605
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:43 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

#137

Post by Bird Lives »

1. The Fourth Man – it should have been Jefferson. The Fourth celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Jefferson was its author. As Sam Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Rush and the others said as they slapped Tom a high five on that warm day, “This is the Fourth, and you da man.” Plus, his name has fifteen letters.

Francis Scott Key is the guy wrote the Star Spangled Banner, but he did so on September 14, 1814, a date not widely celebrated. Hey, in NYC, they don’t even suspend alternate side parking for it.

2. F. Scott Key had a famous namesake, and like others, I couldn’t help wondering if 4A (F STOP) was a hint – a reference to his alter ego F Stop Fitzgerald, who wrote the photography instruction book “Tender is the Nikon.” (In Orlando, he’s known as Epcot Fitzgerald.)

3. The location of the key letters only four squares from the right edge gave Mike great latitude in selecting the long entries. But I am totally stumped trying to come up with an explanation for the ones he chose. I spent far too long thinking about how EM Forster might be connected to Ike.
Jay
User avatar
CPJohnson
Posts: 1078
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:38 pm
Location: Kingsport, TN

#138

Post by CPJohnson »

Cindy wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2019 9:47 pm
CPJohnson wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2019 8:20 pm And Cindy in North Carolina; I don't recall that she has missed any.
Scott Medvetz wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2019 4:44 pm

Except for Al Sisti
I did miss pageant along with lots of other folks.
I missed pageant, too....it's made me suspicious of "obvious" answers ever since.
Cynthia
User avatar
JPMalone
Posts: 118
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:38 am
Location: New Jersey

#139

Post by JPMalone »

Ahh! I was close to the correct path. I kept thinking every fourth letter in a row would spell something. Quickly abandoned that though and didn't think to check each fourth letter in each row. I was also looking at every letter in the grid that corresponded to a clue # with 4 in it, but of course when I got to the 40's I knew this wasn't working haha
User avatar
KayW
Moderator
Posts: 3123
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#140

Post by KayW »

The name that came to me at first was John Philip Sousa since his music is commonly played on the 4th of July. I was looking at the four long across answers for some sort of meta mechanism and that J from Jamaica Inn kept staring at me. The next morning I started looking for the usual "hint hidden in plain sight" and spotted 59D. Hmmm. 15 letters in JPS. But I still couldn't make that work. Then I started thinking about the title and .... bingo! It also helped that KEY was intact within 45D.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
Locked