"Short Stories" - August 30, 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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Geoduck
Posts: 156
Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:40 pm
Location: Somewhere Nawth of Bangaw, or on The Other Cape

#121

Post by Geoduck »

Oh, Dear.

I am just now getting around to solving this, and nothing is jumping out at me. I've had a pretty good streak going, but I might not have the time to ponder this much more before the deadline.

So it goes.
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Deb F
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Location: Hilton Head Island

#122

Post by Deb F »

Bob cruise director wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 11:40 am Happy September fellow muggles

The bingo games on the ship were a huge success and Isaac thanks everyone for their generosity as his tip jar has been empty the past few weeks.

We have 16 on the ship and 78 on the shore reflecting a harder contest this week (hope, hope and hope for the mug with better odds)

Joining the ship's party for the bingo game are
Brian
streroto
SewYoung
Gwyneth
Jim and Anita
Les
the Commodore
Frances
sharkicicles

and getting to the shore are
jeoquavis
Tom Wilson
jimmyjam
phofer
our Limerick Savant (and we thank him for this week's limerick
Peter L
and Maine Marge

Good luck to all in getting to shore and winning the mug
Just getting to the puzzle and, after several good weeks, think I’ll be spending time with Isaac. I have fallen down the world’s largest rabbit hole and doubt I’ll be able to climb out. A Dewar’s please, Isaac.
JimmyJam
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Joined: Fri May 03, 2019 6:38 pm

#123

Post by JimmyJam »

31 Down wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:33 am
JimmyJam wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 12:32 am On shore. Oddly, although I’m 100% sure of the meta answer, I currently fully understand only 50% of the mechanism.
I find the mechanism a bit less obvious this week but consistent nonetheless.
Having looked at it again this morning, I agree with you!
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pookie
Posts: 137
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 5:46 pm

#124

Post by pookie »

Off and on staring at the puzzle since Friday morning. Have an idea about the answer, but absolutely nothing to back it up.
Looks like two in a row that I didn't get. (sigh)
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Kris Zacharias
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Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 2:05 pm
Location: Reading, PA

#125

Post by Kris Zacharias »

On shore--after a lot of staring blankly at the puzzle.
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CPJohnson
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#126

Post by CPJohnson »

I have a question for those of you who always see the meta mechanism right away. I'll use the previous puzzle as an example: Two by Two. How did you know that TBT meant "look for 2-letter combos that occur two times in a single grid answer"? Why not "all grid letters in boxes with numbers that are powers of 2"? Or "....powers of 4"? Or "all double letter occurrences"? Or "strings of the same letters that cross each other"? I spent a long time looking at 31D AHS and AHS and trying to find other groupings like that one. Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.
Cynthia
Susan Goldberg
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Location: Wellesley, MA

#127

Post by Susan Goldberg »

Well I am hopeful that by posting my visit with Isaac enlightenment will come. In the meantime, loving the bingo.
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Bob cruise director
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#128

Post by Bob cruise director »

CPJohnson wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:21 pm I have a question for those of you who always see the meta mechanism right away. I'll use the previous puzzle as an example: Two by Two. How did you know that TBT meant "look for 2-letter combos that occur two times in a single grid answer"? Why not "all grid letters in boxes with numbers that are powers of 2"? Or "....powers of 4"? Or "all double letter occurrences"? Or "strings of the same letters that cross each other"? I spent a long time looking at 31D AHS and AHS and trying to find other groupings like that one. Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.
Cynthia
I am not one of the pros but I look at every possible meaning for the title. Last week I had the long horizontal and vertical answers highlighted but it got me no where. Then I started looking at 2X2 squares of letters which got me no where. Finally I looked at the long answers and saw that there were two sets of 2 letters in each of the four long across answers and the meta fell out.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
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MarkL
Posts: 385
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:44 am
Location: Tampa Bay, FL

#129

Post by MarkL »

CPJohnson wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:21 pm I have a question for those of you who always see the meta mechanism right away. I'll use the previous puzzle as an example: Two by Two. How did you know that TBT meant "look for 2-letter combos that occur two times in a single grid answer"? Why not "all grid letters in boxes with numbers that are powers of 2"? Or "....powers of 4"? Or "all double letter occurrences"? Or "strings of the same letters that cross each other"? I spent a long time looking at 31D AHS and AHS and trying to find other groupings like that one. Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.
As CD Bob noted above, it's not likely that the solution reveals itself immediately, There is some trial and error (or scientific method!) involved until you narrow in on/get to the one that clicks :idea: - thus "rabbit holes" and "glimpses of the rascal rabbit." TIme and experience help winnow out the non-starters (most of the time) as you build up a 'track record' on these. Last week's solution came slowly (after being convinced it has something to do with Chinese Zodiac!!) until the light went on. This week was a lot of staring at the obvious before enlightenment. Best advice is to try real hard to stop when you feel you are dong the round peg/square hole routine!
'tis... A lovely day for a Guinness!
steveb
Posts: 379
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Location: Silicon Valley, CA

#130

Post by steveb »

CPJohnson wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:21 pm I have a question for those of you who always see the meta mechanism right away. I'll use the previous puzzle as an example: Two by Two. How did you know that TBT meant "look for 2-letter combos that occur two times in a single grid answer"? Why not "all grid letters in boxes with numbers that are powers of 2"? Or "....powers of 4"? Or "all double letter occurrences"? Or "strings of the same letters that cross each other"? I spent a long time looking at 31D AHS and AHS and trying to find other groupings like that one. Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.
As someone who doesn't *always* see the meta mechanism right away (my solve rate is about 80%), I'll take a stab at answering your question. In that particular puzzle, I started with the 6 obvious theme answers. They weren't related to each other, so I looked at them with no strategy in mind but just to see if I could find anything peculiar about them, keeping the puzzle's title in mind. It didn't take long to notice that each one had a repeating pair of letters, and that led to the answer.

So I guess my answer to your question is to be like a good detective - don't assume anything, but go where the evidence takes you. I didn't know what TBT meant until I saw the repeating letter pairs. Then it became clear.
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jenirvin
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Location: Alexandria, VA

#131

Post by jenirvin »

Think I'm stuck with Isaac this week. Kinda forgot today was Sunday, with the holiday tomorrow and have the grid done, but so many thoughts, so little time. I have a feeling I'll be kicking myself on this one.
~ Jennifer/jenirvin
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Doug C
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat May 04, 2019 3:03 pm

#132

Post by Doug C »

aLAS, my streak ends here. The Gaffney metas are always challenging for me. Nothing like spending a holiday weekend with Issac!
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Bob cruise director
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#133

Post by Bob cruise director »

Our final count is 22 muggles on the ship keeping Isaac company for the week and 81 on the shore for the holiday week.

Good luck to all in winning the mug

Have a good holiday tomorrow and for those in Dorian's path, be safe and evacuate if told.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
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BarbaraK
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
Location: Virginia

#134

Post by BarbaraK »

CPJohnson wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:21 pm I have a question for those of you who always see the meta mechanism right away. I'll use the previous puzzle as an example: Two by Two. How did you know that TBT meant "look for 2-letter combos that occur two times in a single grid answer"? Why not "all grid letters in boxes with numbers that are powers of 2"? Or "....powers of 4"? Or "all double letter occurrences"? Or "strings of the same letters that cross each other"? I spent a long time looking at 31D AHS and AHS and trying to find other groupings like that one. Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.
That's an interesting question. I think all those mechanisms you mention have been used in metas, and part of the trick is having lots of ideas and trying them to see what works any given week. Those that regularly solve quickly may be those who can most quickly recognize and abandon the ideas that aren't working and move on to the next one. I sometimes think that's the hardest obstacle to overcome. It certainly was for me with this week's WSJ.

(It's also worth considering that if there are 10 reasonably possible mechanisms, then one tenth of the solvers will find that it's the first thing they try - and they're often the first ones to post here, giving a not necessarily accurate impression that it was easy.)

More specifically in last week's puzzle, I always first look for theme answers. I highlight them, to see them in context, and write them out separately. That was enough for me to notice the double pairs. If I hadn't found anything there, of if something in the puzzle had pointed toward another approach, then I'd have moved on to other things in the grid or the clues.
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Bob cruise director
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#135

Post by Bob cruise director »

The answer I have for the contest is CHAT ROOM
The answer derived from the missing letters in the four long across answers. Look for a grid answer starting with the missing letters and use the two letters that are left.
In 17A, U should be YOU so 12D starts with YO and you have CH
29A, B should be BE so 20A starts with E and you have AT
45A, R should be ARE so 57D starts with AE and you have RO
60A, Y should be WHY so 52D starts with WH and you have OM
Put them together and what have you got (besides Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo) is CHAT ROOM where people use abbreviations so they get “short with each other”.
Bob Stevens
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BethA
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:44 pm
Location: Beaver, PA

#136

Post by BethA »

Bob cruise director wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 12:04 am The answer I have for the contest is CHAT ROOM
The answer derived from the missing letters in the four long across answers. Look for a grid answer starting with the missing letters and use the two letters that are left.
In 17A, U should be YOU so 12D starts with YO and you have CH
29A, B should be BE so 20A starts with E and you have AT
45A, R should be ARE so 57D starts with AE and you have RO
60A, Y should be WHY so 52D starts with WH and you have OM
Put them together and what have you got (besides Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo) is CHAT ROOM where people use abbreviations so they get “short with each other”.
There may not be a Monday puzzle, right? Glad you posted! That’s the answer I got, too!
Inca
Posts: 828
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:55 pm

#137

Post by Inca »

My first thought was chat room....but then I thought that it might be whatapp. I kinda liked chat room better because you would be short IN a chat room but ON whatsapp (or I think that's the lingo anyway). Besides, with webapp as part of the grid, I didn't like whatsapp for the answer.

BUT, since I could not find the confirmation path (although I knew to look for other words in the grid I used different versions of that path that led nowhere, of course), I did not submit and gave all my fellow muggles better odds.
Dow Jones
Posts: 472
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: Yakima, WA

#138

Post by Dow Jones »

Seeing the word Yoch (12 Down) in the grid, I knew that it was part of the solution, but I couldn't see the connection. Oh well, next week !
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Joe Ross
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#139

Post by Joe Ross »

Something online had to be the answer, of course, but it wasn't obvious to me through several rabbit holes, including the correct one.

At one point I'd convinced myself that the meta was The URBY (the four short words in the theme answers in left to right order versus top/down, or clue order). That AHA! moment was realized after a few dozen nauseating attempts at trying to make something of UBRY.

The Urby(s) are large, multi-storied apartment buildings with shared amenities and teamed with Air BnB to encourage short-term rentals by tenants, previously verboten in east coast, mega-city apartment buildings.

The tidy use of the four letters seemed in line with the quick solving by resident muggle genii. However, I remembered only reading about The Urby in the WSJ, but didn't think so many muggles would have, unless they resided nearby. There are only a few buildings, not exactly known across the country.

Twitter, texts (or IMs, as a dinosaur like me might say), Instagram, Facetime, Skype, etc., were square pegs. Then another relic, chatting, presented itself. Chat rooms. Didn't they die a slow death with AOL?

You muggles who consistently solve within the first hour or two of publishing are truly gifted and amazing!

Here's to a great holiday to everyone and safety & best wishes to all in the possible paths of Dorian.
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darthdriessen
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#140

Post by darthdriessen »

Bob cruise director wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:37 pm
CPJohnson wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 7:21 pm I have a question for those of you who always see the meta mechanism right away. I'll use the previous puzzle as an example: Two by Two. How did you know that TBT meant "look for 2-letter combos that occur two times in a single grid answer"? Why not "all grid letters in boxes with numbers that are powers of 2"? Or "....powers of 4"? Or "all double letter occurrences"? Or "strings of the same letters that cross each other"? I spent a long time looking at 31D AHS and AHS and trying to find other groupings like that one. Thanks for any enlightenment you can provide.
Cynthia
I am not one of the pros but I look at every possible meaning for the title. Last week I had the long horizontal and vertical answers highlighted but it got me no where. Then I started looking at 2X2 squares of letters which got me no where. Finally I looked at the long answers and saw that there were two sets of 2 letters in each of the four long across answers and the meta fell out.
I would go through the many prior contest puzzles, try them out, and see the methods used to answer them. This constitutes my
" toolbox of failure". How I skated by engineering calculus.
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