A place to discuss the WSJ Weekly Crossword Contest and other "meta"-style crosswords
https://www.xword-muggles.com/
Let me hasten to add that my R Johnson is not the muggle; mine is one of the eye-rolling spouses.I knew it was R from the WSJ comments. R L is even better. Maybe you can get Matt to put you in a special version of the meta. I took the names from when we were commenting on the WSJ page and they had the subscriber's name. With the blog, I have so many that I don't know their real names.CPJohnson wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 3:02 pmI’m actually married to R Johnson..R L, in fact.Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 1:52 pm What amazed me was that the constructors could find anyone of note's name where the two initials and a five letter last name did not contain any of A/B/C/D/E/F/G
So I was wondering how many muggles would qualify. I limited the count to those who had a WSJ account because I knew the first and last names and counted first initial and last name with five or more letters. Out of 417 who qualified we have 18. (Hey, it is cold and overcast here in southern Maine, there are no sports on TV and I am tired of watching old movies/documentaries or doing jig saw puzzles)
T Wilson
T Murphy
T Roszkowski
R Winski (sorry George)
T (or M) Runnion
R Otis
J Irvin
L Simon
R Johnson (sorry Cynthia)
W or S Horning
J Horton
S Timmons
R Wilkinson
W Koslosky
J Rising
S Smith
K Quinn
M Wolff
Here in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.Bird Lives wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 2:36 pmWikipedia: A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey.[1] The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step.boharr wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 10:17 amWhile I'm sure there may be regional variations, these definitions applied back in my bartender days in New York. Still do in most places I might patronize.Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 2:21 am Clever puzzle but the nit I had (and it may be a regional definition) was 34 A
When we were in college and the drinking age was 18
If you ordered a depth charge, the bartender would bring the shot and the beer and drop the shot glass into the beer
if you ordered a boilermaker, the bartender would bring the shot and the beer and pour the shot into the beer
and if you ordered a shot and a chaser he would bring the shot and the beer and leave both of them for you
So technically with the boilermaker there was no chaser.
Did someone say Utica Club?Al Sisti wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 4:05 pmHere in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.Bird Lives wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 2:36 pmWikipedia: A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey.[1] The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step.
Shades of growing up with Schultz and DooleyTom Shea wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 5:50 pmDid someone say Utica Club?Al Sisti wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 4:05 pmHere in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.Bird Lives wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 2:36 pm
Wikipedia: A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey.[1] The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn7b2djfMKY
...and the guy who voiced them so many years ago? Jonathan Winters...Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 6:44 pmShades of growing up with Schultz and DooleyTom Shea wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 5:50 pmDid someone say Utica Club?Al Sisti wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 4:05 pm
Here in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn7b2djfMKY
After writing down the theme answers and noticing all the letters that appeared many times, I read the title to be we were looking for ONE of something. So luckily, first I looked for letters that appeared only once in all the theme answers. And KTOSLIN appeared, in order. Googling that brought her up. 
LadyBird, I'm right there with you. I am saving "'Y' Is for Yesterday" until tomorrow, at least. On the other hand, I finally read (Sunday was a week ago) the last of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee mysteries, "The Lonely Silver Rain." (Hmm, wonder if that rain was a lonely as I am!)LadyBird wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 2:14 pmI have read them all--through X. I haven't been able to bring myself to read Y, because I'm so sad that we won't learn how things wrap up for Kinsey.flyingMoose wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 1:32 pmAll but Z (is for Zero). From a quote from her daughter, "... as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."
I never noticed that bit with the client's name! Maybe if I had been doing metas then....
Awesome, yes, but then you got me trying to decipher ILOSZHNINXHYRTYNMYYK!
...and here's my semi-regular plug for crossword-friendly Utica. Yep, that's where John D. MacDonald grew up. But I would've loved Travis McGee and his philosophical musings no matter where the author came from. My favorite, from "The Scarlet Ruse," goes like this: "Today, my friends, we each have one day less, every one of us. And joy is the only thing that slows the clock." So true...sanmilton wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 2:22 pmLadyBird, I'm right there with you. I am saving "'Y' Is for Yesterday" until tomorrow, at least. On the other hand, I finally read (Sunday was a week ago) the last of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee mysteries, "The Lonely Silver Rain." (Hmm, wonder if that rain was a lonely as I am!)LadyBird wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 2:14 pmI have read them all--through X. I haven't been able to bring myself to read Y, because I'm so sad that we won't learn how things wrap up for Kinsey.flyingMoose wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 1:32 pm
All but Z (is for Zero). From a quote from her daughter, "... as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."
I never noticed that bit with the client's name! Maybe if I had been doing metas then....
this was a typical Matt Gaffney contest. The title led you to a music solution (titles are always leading). However you had to know that the notes of a scale were A/B/C/D/E/F/G. The other option was to notice the commonality of those seven letters throughout the seven long answers/Texcellent wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 6:42 pm I was very frustrated all weekend (my birthday weekend, no less) because I could not figure out what so many people were calling a very easy meta. I didn’t figure it out or submit an answer.
I opened the solution today expecting to be disappointed with myself... quite the opposite. I could have stared at this for ages and it never would have come to me. I’ve never played an instrument and I am not musically inclined. Checking for “do, re, mi, etc.” was as far as I got.
I’ll take the Build Your Brand puzzle from two weeks ago over this one any day.