#604 - "See You Next Year!"

[Hector]

This week's contest answer is a six-letter word.

[Hector]

Fun solve.

[Al Sisti]

Yep. And we cracked the top 10 of a week 4!

[RPardoe]

Submitted my answer - awaiting confirmation

Edit - confirmed.

[Laura M]

Fun solve.

If it's a "fun solve" then I'm on completely the wrong track! No surprise though :-)

[Toby]

There should be a special award for anyone who gets this without Google.

[ChrisKochmanski]

I believe I have the first step. But then ... ?????

(Maybe I don't have the first step.)

[BarbaraK]

Another wonderful puzzle to finish up the year!

[tonyrobots]

Well, I think I know the first step. And have what I think is a pretty good guess at an answer. But connecting the two eludes me, so far...

[ky-mike]

Well, I think I know the first step. And have what I think is a pretty good guess at an answer. But connecting the two eludes me, so far...

Same here. However, backsolving quite often causes me to force things to get to what I want the answer to be.

[Cindy]

Solved

[tonyrobots]

Same here. However, backsolving quite often causes me to force things to get to what I want the answer to be.

Got it! Though FWIW it was not the answer I had first thought it was.

See you next year, everyone! Here's to a happy, healthy 2020.

[Anita]

Hurray! First week 4 we've solved in months and months. Must have been relatively easy or we never would have.

[ChrisKochmanski]

Got it. (Wait, isn't this where we used to say, "Beam me up"?)

Earlier I noted that I believed I had the first step, but then ... ????? As it turns out, I had gotten there, but somehow I wasn't recognizing the destination. It was an aha moment in super slow motion, accomplished only with intermittent returns to the puzzle all through the day. Strange!

[LesY]

Ha ha - I’ll say it - Beam Me Up!

Happily ending the year with a perfect MGWCC month - it’s been a while!

[FrankieHeck]

I guess this isn't a good week for ovens. I was preheating our 16-month old oven today when the glass in the door shattered. Glad it didn't happen during Christmas cooking, but I would have preferred not for it to happen at all. Also would have preferred not to have a leak in the kitchen right before Christmas, but hey.

Oh, and I haven't figured out this meta yet, or PW's, but that's quickly becoming the least of my concerns. At least our fridge works, and I'm hoping there is a beer in there somewhere.

[Orsys]

Yay, got it! Was down what I thought was the definite rabbit hole for a while. Walking away for awhile always a good strategy.

[TMart]

Finally got it. I found the first step quickly, tried a million or so different tricks with it, guessed the answer, and then backsolved to prove it. Not one of my favorites.

[Leslie]

Got what I assume is the first step quickly. Then saw what I thought was definitely the right path, but it was a dead end. Came back to it and saw what I was absolutely 100 percent sure was the right path . . . and got gibberish. I don’t think I’m going to have time for any more flashes of inspiration on this one, but a new year and a fresh start are only a couple of days away!

[Meg]

Got what I assume is the first step quickly. Then saw what I thought was definitely the right path, but it was a dead end. Came back to it and saw what I was absolutely 100 percent sure was the right path . . . and got gibberish. I don’t think I’m going to have time for any more flashes of inspiration on this one, but a new year and a fresh start are only a couple of days away!

Leslie, try your 100% sure right path again. Just tweak it.