"Just A Step More" - October 23, 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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cherikee
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:45 am
Location: Washington, DC

#381

Post by cherikee »

Since no one has posted about the specific rabbit hole I spent two days in, I'll share. I noticed that OREM and OREO share all letters but 1, and the differences (M & O) are one letter apart alphabetically. Maybe going from M-N-O is an extra "step"? OREM felt like a deliberate addition to the grid, so I thought I was onto something. When I also noticed that USA/USC, INN/NIL, HPS/SPF also fit this pattern, I was SURE it could not be a coincidence. I figured the next step would emerge later. Well after a long time searching for more (or a pattern out of what I had) I came up empty. It was a coincidence after all...

Like others, TPS (Todd) gave me a push down the right path. It didn't take me long from there - I had already spent some time on Earth, Heart, Chin, Lust, Doc, Eerie, Erie, etc. I had even seen MARS in REAMS, but I thought Matt had posted that he was moving away from that mechanism, so I dismissed it. In any case I thought it was a dead end because I didn't see much that fit the pattern in the PENN answer until I knew there needed to be something there.

Another DNF for me, but looking forward to Thursday!
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TPS
Posts: 721
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:19 pm
Location: Florida

#382

Post by TPS »

Bob cruise director wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 4:56 pm
I did not realize that we had so many muggles well versed in the Seven Deadly Sins
I might be a little too well versed in some of them!
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MajordomoTom
Posts: 1401
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

#383

Post by MajordomoTom »

never made it off the boat for this one.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#384

Post by Al Sisti »

TPS wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:50 pm
Bob cruise director wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2020 4:56 pm
I did not realize that we had so many muggles well versed in the Seven Deadly Sins
I might be a little too well versed in some of them!
Yeah, me too. Just like when I go to a Mexican restaurant and I always order a combo plate because I don't know what the individual items are, I commit all the sins because I can't remember the all individually.
Tom Wilson
Posts: 390
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:07 pm
Location: South Williamsport, PA

#385

Post by Tom Wilson »

I hear ya, Al. I know that pride goeth before a fall, but I get confused whether gluttony outranks wrath.
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sanmilton
Posts: 178
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 11:44 pm
Location: New York, New York

#386

Post by sanmilton »

For the record, I was had by this one. I didn't go the extra step. I stopped at TASTE without looking for the anagrams +1. I don't feel PAGEANTed, just inadequate to Matt's challenge. Resetting my streak.
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