"He's Good" - July 5, 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.
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Bob cruise director
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#161

Post by Bob cruise director »

Al Sisti wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:00 pm Well crap in a bucket. I completely forgot to do the puzzle this week!! I got up from my sick bed and did the grid, but went back to bed where I spent the next three days. Aw man, that ends a 78 puzzle streak (since the PAGEANT one in Dec 2017). Looks like I missed a fun one too.
I was wondering where you were. Hopefully all that resulted from being sick was showing the rest of us that you are mortal.
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Al Sisti
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#162

Post by Al Sisti »

Bob cruise director wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:09 pm
Al Sisti wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:00 pm Well crap in a bucket. I completely forgot to do the puzzle this week!! I got up from my sick bed and did the grid, but went back to bed where I spent the next three days. Aw man, that ends a 78 puzzle streak (since the PAGEANT one in Dec 2017). Looks like I missed a fun one too.
I was wondering where you were. Hopefully all that resulted from being sick was showing the rest of us that you are mortal.
Oh I sure am that!
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Bird Lives
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#163

Post by Bird Lives »

Al Sisti wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:00 pm Aw man, that ends a 78 puzzle streak (since the PAGEANT one in Dec 2017).
This one was pretty much a gimme. Any reasonable judge would rule that the streak still continues.
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Richard
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#164

Post by Richard »

I thought this was a very good puzzle and one Al would have gotten easily.

For me Jelly Donuts and Salinger got me started and the rest came quickly.

It was probably too easy to be called great but I did marvel at the construction.

Richard
CandyB
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#165

Post by CandyB »

Any word on who won the mug???
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Al Sisti
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#166

Post by Al Sisti »

Bird Lives wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 2:15 pm
Al Sisti wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:00 pm Aw man, that ends a 78 puzzle streak (since the PAGEANT one in Dec 2017).
This one was pretty much a gimme. Any reasonable judge would rule that the streak still continues.
Hey, I've been through two divorces. I'm predisposed to believing that there is no such thing as a reasonable judge. But thanks...
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Joe Ross
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#167

Post by Joe Ross »

I was happy to solve this one quickly-ish, while still in a travel stupor, Thursday night. Spent some time in a rabbit hole with Ann Landers & Abagail Van Buren (TWINSISTERS), but the initials of JD & TS in mind soon gave me the aha moment. I admit having to look too long for the last "L" (Lewis), but it confirmed everything 100%.

After reading Al's post, just now, I felt that ugly feeling. Sure enough, I checked & verified that I hadn't emailed my answer, despite having an alarm set at 11:30 PM, Sundays, to serve as a reminder.

Kudos to those seeing the author initials in the two-word answers. That is a standard deviation or two beyond my ken. Then, so is submitting an answer. :roll:

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Janet
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#168

Post by Janet »

Joe Ross wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 4:07 pm I was happy to solve this one quickly-ish, while still in a travel stupor, Thursday night. Spent some time in a rabbit hole with Ann Landers & Abagail Van Buren (TWINSISTERS), but the initials of JD & TS in mind soon gave me the aha moment. I admit having to look too long for the last "L" (Lewis), but it confirmed everything 100%.

After reading Al's post, just now, I felt that ugly feeling. Sure enough, I checked & verified that I hadn't emailed my answer, despite having an alarm set at 11:30 PM, Sundays, to serve as a reminder.

Kudos to those seeing the author initials in the two-word answers. That is a standard deviation or two beyond my ken. Then, so is submitting an answer. :roll:

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MikeMillerwsj
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#169

Post by MikeMillerwsj »

Greetings--we had quite a big turnout for this elegant contest: 1456 entries, about 85% correct. 20 of you submitted A.A. Milne (no doubt inspired by AIR ACE, the answer to 3 down). All the 5 theme authors showed up among the wrong answer, for some reason weighted towards LEWIS (23), SALINGER (20) and ELIOT (19). WHITE had 4 and poor LAWRENCE had only 3.

Congrats to this week's winner: Christina Jarrett of Grove City, Ohio!
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ImOnToo
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#170

Post by ImOnToo »

Al Sisti wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 3:41 pm
Bird Lives wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 2:15 pm
Al Sisti wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:00 pm Aw man, that ends a 78 puzzle streak (since the PAGEANT one in Dec 2017).
This one was pretty much a gimme. Any reasonable judge would rule that the streak still continues.
Hey, I've been through two divorces. I'm predisposed to believing that there is no such thing as a reasonable judge. But thanks...
I agree with Bird Lives.
An illness is a “pass”.
Your streak still lives! You’re 100% for 78 that you attempted in the past 79 weeks. I’m counting it!
LesY
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#171

Post by LesY »

ImOnToo wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 9:34 pm
Al Sisti wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 3:41 pm
Bird Lives wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 2:15 pm

This one was pretty much a gimme. Any reasonable judge would rule that the streak still continues.
Hey, I've been through two divorces. I'm predisposed to believing that there is no such thing as a reasonable judge. But thanks...
I agree with Bird Lives.
An illness is a “pass”.
Your streak still lives! You’re 100% for 78 that you attempted in the past 79 weeks. I’m counting it!
Completely agree. Al deserves a free pass, as would anyone else in his shoes. It’s like a walk - no at bat. Or maybe a “sacrifice” would be more appropriate.
MaineMarge
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#172

Post by MaineMarge »

Before latching onto the authors’s initials method, my most unproductive rabbit hole involved the triple “s” smack dab in the middle of the grid. Almost had me going for Dr. Seuss...E. B. White is my guy! Every word a gem. And he was a partial Mainiac too, like our illustrious cruise director. One of our garden beds is actually named the E B White bed ( toward the east). Kudos to Commodore for the Stuart Little summertime reprint. Great meta with great writers.
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ImOnToo
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#173

Post by ImOnToo »

MaineMarge wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:28 pm Before latching onto the authors’s initials method, my most unproductive rabbit hole involved the triple “s” smack dab in the middle of the grid. Almost had me going for Dr. Seuss...E. B. White is my guy! Every word a gem. And he was a partial Mainiac too, like our illustrious cruise director. One of our garden beds is actually named the E B White bed ( toward the east). Kudos to Commodore for the Stuart Little summertime reprint. Great meta with great writers.
I explored that same rabbit hole for a bit!
Oh, The Places You’ll Go when you try to find the meta!
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BarbaraK
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#174

Post by BarbaraK »

Just heard that Pete Muller, of MMMM, wrote the WSJ contest for this week, along with co-author Milo Beckman (who I don’t know anything about.)

Those of you who don’t do MMMM are in for a treat!

Is it Thursday afternoon yet?!
Inca
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#175

Post by Inca »

BarbaraK wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:10 pm Just heard that Pete Muller, of MMMM, wrote the WSJ contest for this week, along with co-author Milo Beckman (who I don’t know anything about.)

Those of you who don’t do MMMM are in for a treat!

Is it Thursday afternoon yet?!
hope it's not about music..........
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Jacksull
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#176

Post by Jacksull »

BarbaraK wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:10 pm Just heard that Pete Muller, of MMMM, wrote the WSJ contest for this week, along with co-author Milo Beckman (who I don’t know anything about.)

Those of you who don’t do MMMM are in for a treat!

Is it Thursday afternoon yet?!
Milo Beckman has published nine crosswords in the NYT over the last eight years. Some of them are meta-like, although the Times doesn’t do metas. He and Pete are likely to come up with something very creative.
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FrankieHeck
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#177

Post by FrankieHeck »

BarbaraK wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:10 pm Just heard that Pete Muller, of MMMM, wrote the WSJ contest for this week, along with co-author Milo Beckman (who I don’t know anything about.)

Those of you who don’t do MMMM are in for a treat!

Is it Thursday afternoon yet?!
Can't wait! Even though Pete DID ruin my 4th of July weekend :D

Also, when is someone going to put out a weekly meta on a Wednesday? Anyone?
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Cindy
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#178

Post by Cindy »

Fireball is a meta today I think. But it’s only a meta a few times a year.
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Al Sisti
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#179

Post by Al Sisti »

Cindy wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 1:08 pm Fireball is a meta today I think. But it’s only a meta a few times a year.
That was a fun one...
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