"Third Time's The Charm" - January 10, 2020

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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DrTom
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

#81

Post by DrTom »

Well this is not good, 4 pages of "dones" and "ashores" and I can't even see the rabbit ears. I had some hunches but they left me on my haunches. I guess I'll have to approach this like was killing a vampire with a baguette - how's that you ask, well painstaking of course!

Hoping to see the lighthouse and avoid the rocks.

Oh, and visit to the Ophthalmologist today and got a clean bill so the patch is off, Avatar parrot now returned to jungle.
Last edited by DrTom on Fri Jan 10, 2020 12:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
Jeff S
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:18 pm

#82

Post by Jeff S »

On shore. Saw the first hints right away, and then it was just a matter of following them to the final answer.
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EdStrong
Posts: 155
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#83

Post by EdStrong »

Ashore
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MaryCC
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:16 am

#84

Post by MaryCC »

I agree—love Patrick Berrys puzzles! Happy to be on shore.
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DrTom
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

#85

Post by DrTom »

OK, apparently committing to "Can't seem to find it" in print did the trick again because right after saying I saw nothing, I saw something. Must have been a boost from the splash of "V" I received upon offing the vampire - True Blood fans you know what I mean! That along with my now indispensable EXCELlent solving tool led me to the promised land. My problem however is that I think I have a dilemma (something other solvers must have realized). I will hold off but I am guessing that if I follow the usual rules the horns of my dilemma become less sharp.

So "solved" but not yet submitted, Isaac Buffalo Trace! Oh and I'll take those rocks now.
clipart-pirate-parrot-3eb8.png
Parrot - recently unemployed
Looking for another Lubber
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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oldjudge
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Location: Pasadena, CA

#86

Post by oldjudge »

For those who have not done the Thursday crossword by Tracy Gray—do it. I think it is an incredible construction, one of the best I have seen in a while.
jmorgie7
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:59 am

#87

Post by jmorgie7 »

Ashore two minutes after deciding i couldnt see the gimmick .. and then there it was. hot toddy for a cold winters day
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DrTom
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#88

Post by DrTom »

oldjudge wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 2:02 am For those who have not done the Thursday crossword by Tracy Gray—do it. I think it is an incredible construction, one of the best I have seen in a while.
Indeed fun construction when you finally realize what is going on. Ta dah dah dah dah....

I kept going "What?" Then it hit me. This is quite like any number of NYT crosswords (I have a book of them I keep in the "reading room") that throw similar curves from time to time. I do think they are the most clever, though of course WSJ doesn't have a Sunday one so I can't actually compare. It often takes me a few days to complete the NYT one because I'll get stuck and go back to it then get a word and that helps me get others. My one rule for the puzzle is NO GOOGLING. I do that sometimes with mid-week ones because I don't feel the same compulsion, but the book of Sunday NYT puzzles is sacrosanct.
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
Guy
Posts: 173
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:26 pm
Location: M87*

#89

Post by Guy »

Ashore!
ALS
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 7:59 pm

#90

Post by ALS »

Ashore, with only one false rabbit hole en route.

ALS
mflaminio
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#91

Post by mflaminio »

On shore. Loved this one!
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Toby
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#92

Post by Toby »

Solved. Patrick Berry's puzzles are always particularly charming.
SeanS
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Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 2:11 pm
Location: York, PA

#93

Post by SeanS »

Ahoy, polloi. Haven't yet managed to connect the dots.
Dplass
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#94

Post by Dplass »

Ashore.
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anjhinz
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Location: Dallas, TX

#95

Post by anjhinz »

Got it, took as long as one beer to drink...
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lacangah
Posts: 184
Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 12:58 am
Location: Claremont, CA

#96

Post by lacangah »

High and dry - nice puzzle.

Good luck to all in the quest for the "cruciverbian chalice" - have a good weekend :-)
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pddigi
Posts: 154
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2019 5:57 pm

#97

Post by pddigi »

Dom beat me to shore, but in fairness, yesterday was a getaway day for me, and although I did the grid then, I didn’t try the meta until this morning at my parents’ house. First cup of coffee: step 1. Second cup of coffee: ashore!

Kudos to the construction! While the solve wasn’t that difficult, that was a pretty slick mechanism to pull off within the constraints of a crossword puzzle.
Geoduck
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Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:40 pm
Location: Somewhere Nawth of Bangaw, or on The Other Cape

#98

Post by Geoduck »

Done! And a nice puzzle all around.

I'm glad I got this done before my power goes out. Snowing here, about 150 miles NE of 4D. (The smaller of the two.)
Dennis
Posts: 102
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 4:58 pm

#99

Post by Dennis »

Ashore! In terms of difficulty, I didn't doggie paddle and I sure didn't take a jet ski, so maybe it was a sailboat. It was one of those,"I know what I am looking for...let's see...oh, yeah!"
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MarkL
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Location: Tampa Bay, FL

#100

Post by MarkL »

Bob cruise director wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 9:06 pm
MarkL wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:43 pm Bagged and tagged. Ashore! This puzzle was a welcome respite from the dual threat of a near-dead laptop and Quicken acting up!

Funny that I happened to be listening to Ella Fitzgerald while approaching the middle third of the puzzle.

Have a great weekend, all!!
I am ripping at Quicken. I have used them for 15 years and while I am not thrilled I have upgraded every three years for $45. The only reason I upgraded was to be able to download data from banks and credit cards into Quicken. Now they have gone to this subscription system for $45 a year which is triple the cost. :oops:
Sadly, a) the SW subscription model is taking root,and b) the product isn't what it once was. Even worse, there seems to be little in the way of options. I'll leave it that - feel a rant building!! Cheers!
'tis... A lovely day for a Guinness!
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