"Counting Calories" - December 20, 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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Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

"Counting Calories" - December 20, 2019

#1

Post by Bob cruise director »

This week's contest is Counting Calories by Matt Gaffney

The answer to this week's contest crossword is something you can buy at 34-Across

Good luck in the grid and the meta
Bob Stevens
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tim1217
Posts: 299
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:58 pm
Location: Small Town America

#2

Post by tim1217 »

‘Twas the week before Christmas, the meta a struggle
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Muggle;
The grid was completed with the utmost care,
In hopes that an AHA would soon be there.

The Muggles were nestled all sung in their beds,
While visions of coffee mugs danced in their heads;
And mamma with her pencil, and I with my Google,
Had just settled down, our brains to noodle.

When over on the Forum there arose such chatter,
I sprang from my La-Z-Boy to read the matter;
Away to my desk I flew like a sprite,
Tore open the laptop and logged onto the site.

The blue light emanating from my MacBook screen,
Gave the hope of insights yet to be seen;
When what did I see with all my brain’s deductor’s,
But a miniature puzzle, and eight tiny constructors.

With a little old editor, so lively and frank,
I knew in a moment it must be Mike Shenk;
More rapid than rabbits his constructors they came,
And he sorted, and rearranged, and called them by name.

‘Now Berry! Now, Gordon! Now, Shenk and Gaffney!
On, (TBA)! on Muller! on Kelly and McClary!
From within cyberspace we yelled out the call,
Now puzzle us! puzzle us! puzzle us all!

Go frustrated Muggles to Isaac’s bar with resolve,
When they meet with tough metas they cannot solve;
And then in a twinkling we think we see the beach,
But the rabbits and their holes keep it well out of reach.

As I was about to give up and post the fact,
A lightbulb went off and my hope was intact;
Then up to the grid-top the constructors they flew,
With a bag full of metas - and Mike Shenk too!

He leapt from the screen within the hue of blues,
And his clothes were all tarnished with letters and clues;
A bundle of metas he had flung on his back,
And he looked a bit devilish waiting to attack.

His eyes how they sparkled, but I a bit leery,
His metas I knew, often made me weary;
His droll sense of humor, was apparent at first,
And the sly grin on his face made me fear the worst.

The stump of a pencil was held tight by his ear,
And the scribblings, erasures and worksheets were near;
He had broad knowledge and skills that can’t be denied,
That made me nervous and dreadful, to that I will not lie.

He was clever and sneaky - the most dangerous constructor alive,
And I said ‘Oh no what’s this, don’t tell me a KAS5?’;
Though a wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And gave us new puzzles; then turned with a jerk;
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up to the laptop he rose.

Once again on the screen, to his constructors gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like rockets or missiles;
But I heard him exclaim, ere he pixilated out of sight,
‘Happy Meta-Solving to all, and to all Muggles a good-night!’

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays my fellow Muggles!
Last edited by tim1217 on Thu Dec 19, 2019 4:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bob cruise director
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#3

Post by Bob cruise director »

As a side note, this week I was wondering if we have muggles from all 50 states (and DC). In looking through what I have, I could confirm muggles in all states except: Alaska, Arizona, Alabama, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Washington state.

I am sure that I have missed muggles from these states but let me know.

As a side note, we have muggles in Ontario and Switzerland. Not sure if there are any other countries that people live in.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
damefox
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Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2019 2:18 pm

#4

Post by damefox »

Ashore! Clever construction.
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Scott M
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:10 pm
Location: Charlottesville, VA

#5

Post by Scott M »

Got it! Tough grid, required a confirmation on Google. Found the path to shore right away.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
Laura M
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am

#6

Post by Laura M »

On shore! (After one detour.) Happy Holidays to all!
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Beth Tyrpin
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:11 pm

#7

Post by Beth Tyrpin »

Cute one!
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Wendy Walker
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:44 pm
Location: Unionville, PA

#8

Post by Wendy Walker »

Those of you who have done the WSJ meta from the beginning may recall why I am pretty much speechless over this one. Merry Christmas and all best wishes for 2020!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
docison
Posts: 404
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:18 pm
Location: Brookline, MA

#9

Post by docison »

Ashore!

This was cute and clever.

Happy holidays to all!
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ChrisKochmanski
Posts: 2157
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
Location: Saline, Michigan

#10

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Can't say I was 20-A for even a few minutes on this one. The solution jumped out quickly. Happy holidays to all!
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sharkicicles
Posts: 798
Joined: Fri May 10, 2019 12:03 pm
Location: Chicago

#11

Post by sharkicicles »

Impressive... went down a couple rabbit holes already but nothings working so far.
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Joe Ross
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
Location: Cincinnati

#12

Post by Joe Ross »

Mind is deeply into an incorrect rabbit hole, so I'll walk away and listen to It's a Small World After All for a few hours to dislodge the thought & come back to it.
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!
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KayW
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Posts: 3124
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#13

Post by KayW »

29A, 20A. But it's early in the weekend.

And thank you SO MUCH for that earworm Joe Ross :roll: :lol: Now my brain has no choice but to follow your example...
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.
mflaminio
Posts: 101
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 5:05 pm

#14

Post by mflaminio »

Bob cruise director wrote: Thu Dec 19, 2019 4:11 pm As a side note, this week I was wondering if we have muggles from all 50 states (and DC). In looking through what I have, I could confirm muggles in all states except: Alaska, Arizona, Alabama, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Washington state.

I am sure that I have missed muggles from these states but let me know.

As a side note, we have muggles in Ontario and Switzerland. Not sure if there are any other countries that people live in.
I am Ohio/Florida!
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Janet
Posts: 385
Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:22 pm

#15

Post by Janet »

Finished the grid, currently inspecting rabbit holes.
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Janet
Posts: 385
Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:22 pm

#16

Post by Janet »

Joe Ross wrote: Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:00 pm Mind is deeply into an incorrect rabbit hole, so I'll walk away and listen to It's a Small World After All for a few hours to dislodge the thought & come back to it.
Oh no.... I used to live near Disneyland, and went often. One time we got delayed for a while on It's a Small World. That 10 minutes felt like 10 hours.
ErikThor
Posts: 70
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2019 6:35 pm

#17

Post by ErikThor »

Still new to this stuff. Took a couple weeks off. Grid complete. Still searching.
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joequavis
Posts: 500
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:29 pm
Location: Windsor, Colorado

#18

Post by joequavis »

Ashore! Merry Christmas, Muggledom!! For those traveling, stay safe!
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BarbaraK
Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
Location: Virginia

#19

Post by BarbaraK »

No longer 20A. Count me ashore, please.
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BarbaraK
Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
Location: Virginia

#20

Post by BarbaraK »

This is fabulous! Wish there was a way to give more than one thumbs up.
tim1217 wrote: Thu Dec 19, 2019 4:06 pm ‘Twas the week before Christmas, the meta a struggle
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Muggle;
The grid was completed with the utmost care,
In hopes that an AHA would soon be there.

The Muggles were nestled all sung in their beds,
While visions of coffee mugs danced in their heads;
And mamma with her pencil, and I with my Google,
Had just settled down, our brains to noodle.

When over on the Forum there arose such chatter,
I sprang from my La-Z-Boy to read the matter;
Away to my desk I flew like a sprite,
Tore open the laptop and logged onto the site.

The blue light emanating from my MacBook screen,
Gave the hope of insights yet to be seen;
When what did I see with all my brain’s deductor’s,
But a miniature puzzle, and eight tiny constructors.

With a little old editor, so lively and frank,
I knew in a moment it must be Mike Shenk;
More rapid than rabbits his constructors they came,
And he sorted, and rearranged, and called them by name.

‘Now Berry! Now, Gordon! Now, Shenk and Gaffney!
On, (TBA)! on Muller! on Kelly and McClary!
From within cyberspace we yelled out the call,
Now puzzle us! puzzle us! puzzle us all!

Go frustrated Muggles to Isaac’s bar with resolve,
When they meet with tough metas they cannot solve;
And then in a twinkling we think we see the beach,
But the rabbits and their holes keep it well out of reach.

As I was about to give up and post the fact,
A lightbulb went off and my hope was intact;
Then up to the grid-top the constructors they flew,
With a bag full of metas - and Mike Shenk too!

He leapt from the screen within the hue of blues,
And his clothes were all tarnished with letters and clues;
A bundle of metas he had flung on his back,
And he looked a bit devilish waiting to attack.

His eyes how they sparkled, but I a bit leery,
His metas I knew, often made me weary;
His droll sense of humor, was apparent at first,
And the sly grin on his face made me fear the worst.

The stump of a pencil was held tight by his ear,
And the scribblings, erasures and worksheets were near;
He had broad knowledge and skills that can’t be denied,
That made me nervous and dreadful, to that I will not lie.

He was clever and sneaky - the most dangerous constructor alive,
And I said ‘Oh no what’s this, don’t tell me a KAS5?’;
Though a wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And gave us new puzzles; then turned with a jerk;
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up to the laptop he rose.

Once again on the screen, to his constructors gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like rockets or missiles;
But I heard him exclaim, ere he pixilated out of sight,
‘Happy Meta-Solving to all, and to all Muggles a good-night!’

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays my fellow Muggles!
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