Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:00 am
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A place to discuss the WSJ Weekly Crossword Contest and other "meta"-style crosswords
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"Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Page 15 of 18
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:06 am
this one was fun, thanks for posting the solution ... I agree 100%.
spent a fair amoutn (ok, about an hour) looking at the various double letters in the puzzle, but was getting gibberish.
then looked at 1A and the "BETWEEN JOBS" and thought ... ok, there has to be something there. And then it fell out.
spent a fair amoutn (ok, about an hour) looking at the various double letters in the puzzle, but was getting gibberish.
then looked at 1A and the "BETWEEN JOBS" and thought ... ok, there has to be something there. And then it fell out.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:06 am
It was so hard not to mention how this week's path to the answer was to last week's. Especially the central across answer being the vital clue.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:08 am
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:14 am
BeST meta EVEr?
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:16 am
Looking at the double letters was an appealing rabbit hole for me, as you do find PEEL twice!
I kept thinking in my search that this puzzle was All About EVE. No actually it was All About STEVE!
I kept thinking in my search that this puzzle was All About EVE. No actually it was All About STEVE!
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:08 am
Onshore, reporting in late. I ended up submitting the correct answer less than half an hour before the deadline, but only because it was sitting in plain view.
All weekend I had been looking at APPLE and thinking that APP was a line of work for that company, but instead of figuring out the correct mechanism, I kept looking in the grid for other companies and their associated "work" (with no success, obviously). Giving it one last try, I noticed APP DEV in a vertical "line", and following the same "line" I found ELO and PER - which seemed like too much of a coincidence, so I submitted the answer, all without having decoded the BETWEEN JOBS clue. It wasn't until I looked at Crossword Fiends after the close of the contest that I saw how literally "clueless" I had been.
Tl; dr: sometimes it's better to be lucky than smart!
All weekend I had been looking at APPLE and thinking that APP was a line of work for that company, but instead of figuring out the correct mechanism, I kept looking in the grid for other companies and their associated "work" (with no success, obviously). Giving it one last try, I noticed APP DEV in a vertical "line", and following the same "line" I found ELO and PER - which seemed like too much of a coincidence, so I submitted the answer, all without having decoded the BETWEEN JOBS clue. It wasn't until I looked at Crossword Fiends after the close of the contest that I saw how literally "clueless" I had been.
Tl; dr: sometimes it's better to be lucky than smart!
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:45 am
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:59 am
Nearly the same for me. I picked up the hint about Steve Jobs / Between Jobs and just figured the answer would have something to do with Apple or tech in general. During a rabbit hole in which I wondered if the meta lay with short one-word answers that sounded phonetically like letters (VEE, ELL, ARE...), I had made a list of all 3-letter grid words. And I remained convinced that the answer would most likely end in -ER. Saw PER, happened to notice DEV-ELO- and thought "hey that makes a word", tacked on APP for good measure so it was more "techy" sounding. Never saw the actual gimmick.Jeff S wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:08 am Onshore, reporting in late. I ended up submitting the correct answer less than half an hour before the deadline, but only because it was sitting in plain view.
All weekend I had been looking at APPLE and thinking that APP was a line of work for that company, but instead of figuring out the correct mechanism, I kept looking in the grid for other companies and their associated "work" (with no success, obviously). Giving it one last try, I noticed APP DEV in a vertical "line", and following the same "line" I found ELO and PER - which seemed like too much of a coincidence, so I submitted the answer, all without having decoded the BETWEEN JOBS clue. It wasn't until I looked at Crossword Fiends after the close of the contest that I saw how literally "clueless" I had been.
Tl; dr: sometimes it's better to be lucky than smart!
tl;dr: Sometimes a blind squirrel still finds a nut.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 5:58 am
stuck, so took a nAP
post enlightenment aha
PLEasant warm sand beach
post enlightenment aha
PLEasant warm sand beach
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 6:15 am
I thought this meta was harder than many of my fellow muggles did.
If unfamiliar with the name Steve Jobs, and perhaps his association with Apple, this would have been a KAS3 or, more likely, KAS5 for me.
Having spent the bulk of my career in the computer industry, I was familiar with the history of Steve and The Woz. If all I had to go on was my initial suspicion of the over abundance of "VE" and "EVE", it would have been a tough row to hoe. How tough? Kudzu-smothered garden tough.
If unfamiliar with the name Steve Jobs, and perhaps his association with Apple, this would have been a KAS3 or, more likely, KAS5 for me.
Having spent the bulk of my career in the computer industry, I was familiar with the history of Steve and The Woz. If all I had to go on was my initial suspicion of the over abundance of "VE" and "EVE", it would have been a tough row to hoe. How tough? Kudzu-smothered garden tough.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:04 am
The general lesson I learned here is that when a clue is convoluted, roundabout, or oblique when A simple clue would suffice, pay attention.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:29 am
I went down that exact same hole!tigerfly222 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:59 am During a rabbit hole in which I wondered if the meta lay with short one-word answers that sounded phonetically like letters (VEE, ELL, ARE...)
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:45 am
Did not see the STEVES in the grid. No surprise, I usually look straight at the thing I can’t find without seeing it! Also, spent too much time researching the execs at Apple between Jobs leaving and his return. But the true crux of my downfall was the many hours I spent as a PRUNER tackling a row of out of control shrubs this weekend. Subliminally, this must have focused me in the wrong rabbit hole.
Excuses, excuses...
Excuses, excuses...
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:49 am
Interesting to note that last week and this week we had multi word answers where you could leave out words and get an answer which fit the title and contest requirement e.g. Grilled Cheese or Developer. I wonder if this will become a trend
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:02 am
That's the fate that befell me last weekend. I congratulated myself once I found HAM AND CHEESE and went no further. Alas.Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:49 am Interesting to note that last week and this week we had multi word answers where you could leave out words and get an answer which fit the title and contest requirement e.g. Grilled Cheese or Developer. I wonder if this will become a trend
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:12 am
GREK Meta.
Besides APPLE, some computer-y red herrings to investigate before finding answer: BORG, APP, CRUNCH, DEMO, RAM, DEV, CRTS, STEP, NEST, RAY
Presently enjoying an old John Updike novel, Villages. Protaganist works in IT industry in the 50s & 60s. Many references to old IT terminology. Terminal-ology?
GROK JOBS.
Besides APPLE, some computer-y red herrings to investigate before finding answer: BORG, APP, CRUNCH, DEMO, RAM, DEV, CRTS, STEP, NEST, RAY
Presently enjoying an old John Updike novel, Villages. Protaganist works in IT industry in the 50s & 60s. Many references to old IT terminology. Terminal-ology?
GROK JOBS.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:27 am
Saw many replicated letters (ver, vee, app, ell, run, uso) and never got out of that rabbit hole.
Should have instantly seen that Apple and Jobs in the grid were significant, but didn't.
I blame it on having an android phone.
Should have instantly seen that Apple and Jobs in the grid were significant, but didn't.
I blame it on having an android phone.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:48 am
Same here for the puzzle. Now I need to look for the John Updike book! Thanks!Commodore wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:12 am GREK Meta.
Besides APPLE, some computer-y red herrings to investigate before finding answer: BORG, APP, CRUNCH, DEMO, RAM, DEV, CRTS, STEP, NEST, RAY
Presently enjoying an old John Updike novel, Villages. Protaganist works in IT industry in the 50s & 60s. Many references to old IT terminology. Terminal-ology?
GROK JOBS.
Re: "Line of Work" - April 17, 2020
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:57 am
Hooray. Wasn't pageanted after all. Stuck for a long time, as were many others, on ELL, VEE, APP, PER, USO, etc. and was working toward some kind of apparel job but couldn't get there. Then APP and DEV jumped out and, with the ELO and PER, I had what I figured was the solution. I must admit--never saw the STEVE's. Oh well. Good luck all.
Had a nice anniversary. No projects but looking forward to our new refrigerator delivery.
Had a nice anniversary. No projects but looking forward to our new refrigerator delivery.
