#625 - "Sit Down For This"

An excellent puzzle written by one of the innovators of the meta crossword format. It comes out every Friday at noon and increases in difficulty throughout the month. Available for modest subscription (worth every cent) here: www.xwordcontest.com
Djquimby
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#21

Post by Djquimby »

Well I haven’t figured it out yet but I’m now fully convinced that every song by this group, and probably all other bands in music history, are about meta puzzles
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Jacksull
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#22

Post by Jacksull »

Any puzzle that involves music is a challenge for me but I got this one somehow.
Jack Sullivan
damefox
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#23

Post by damefox »

Got it. Stared at this for so long just getting gibberish. Series of small realizations that inconveniently came many hours apart finally got me there.
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Bird Lives
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#24

Post by Bird Lives »

I'm not just staring. I'm saying the gibberish out loud, thinking that the sound may somehow reveal the key. So far, nothin'.
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Meg
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#25

Post by Meg »

Bird Lives wrote: Sat May 23, 2020 10:51 pm I'm not just staring. I'm saying the gibberish out loud, thinking that the sound may somehow reveal the key. So far, nothin'.
Sometimes that really works!
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camandsampowercouple
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#26

Post by camandsampowercouple »

Sam and I took until this evening to finish the grid. Got a few small inklings of ideas on the direction this puzzle could be headed but I don't quite have it yet. Intimidated by the week 4
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Streroto
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#27

Post by Streroto »

Beam me up. Very cool construction.
Orsys
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#28

Post by Orsys »

Nothing. Anyone have a nudge?
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hcbirker
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#29

Post by hcbirker »

Finally! Beam me up!
Heidi
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Thurman8er
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#30

Post by Thurman8er »

I've got a pretty nice streak going. Unfortunately, the longer my streak, the more I stress out about solving the meta. The more I stress out, the lower my chances become.

Meta-anxiety is real.
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BarbaraK
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#31

Post by BarbaraK »

Last night I looked at this puzzle before I went to sleep, hoping for an answer in my dreams. (That's never worked for me, but hope springs eternal.) I did dream about the meta. In my dream, someone gave me a hint, and I was happy to know the answer til I realized that since it wasn't a solo solve, my solo streak was over as surely as if I'd never solved it at all. So when I woke up, I was relieved to realize that I hadn't really talked to anyone about it and still had two days to figure it out on my own. But the dream solving method did not work at all. Oh well, maybe if the dream the answer method didn't work, the post enlightenment will.

Speaking of solo solve streaks, did Matt ever announce the annual prize winners for last year? I don't remember seeing them. If he did, could someone point me at the post? If not - any muggles win and want to brag?!
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hcbirker
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#32

Post by hcbirker »

BarbaraK wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 4:47 pm Last night I looked at this puzzle before I went to sleep, hoping for an answer in my dreams. (That's never worked for me, but hope springs eternal.) I did dream about the meta. In my dream, someone gave me a hint, and I was happy to know the answer til I realized that since it wasn't a solo solve, my solo streak was over as surely as if I'd never solved it at all. So when I woke up, I was relieved to realize that I hadn't really talked to anyone about it and still had two days to figure it out on my own. But the dream solving method did not work at all. Oh well, maybe if the dream the answer method didn't work, the post enlightenment will.

Speaking of solo solve streaks, did Matt ever announce the annual prize winners for last year? I don't remember seeing them. If he did, could someone point me at the post? If not - any muggles win and want to brag?!
Keep trying Barbara. I really had to wrestle this one to the ground.

Don't know about the prizes - wasn't Matt in the process of going to Patreon then?
Heidi
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TMart
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#33

Post by TMart »

I explored an incredible number of rabbit holes on this one. And they all made sense, and couldn’t be coincidences, and had to lead somewhere.....and they didn’t. Then I saw something I hadn’t tried and it led to an answer that made sense, but I wasn’t sure why. And then I got it. Lots of fun wrestling with this one all weekend. Week 5 is coming! :shock:
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Al Sisti
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#34

Post by Al Sisti »

TMart wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 5:30 pm I explored an incredible number of rabbit holes on this one. And they all made sense, and couldn’t be coincidences, and had to lead somewhere.....and they didn’t. Then I saw something I hadn’t tried and it led to an answer that made sense, but I wasn’t sure why. And then I got it. Lots of fun wrestling with this one all weekend. Week 5 is coming! :shock:
Well I'm successfully at the "incredible number of rabbit holes" stage... waiting for the next phase.
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KayW
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#35

Post by KayW »

Beam me up - finally.

As always, I marvel at the constructor's genius!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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Joe Ross
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#36

Post by Joe Ross »

Excellent puzzle. Solved after too much staring. Knew the meta's... erm... ah... (" 'Idiom', sir?") IDIOM, but still took unnecessary hours to bring home.
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Geoduck
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#37

Post by Geoduck »

Al Sisti wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 5:56 pm
TMart wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 5:30 pm I explored an incredible number of rabbit holes on this one. And they all made sense, and couldn’t be coincidences, and had to lead somewhere.....and they didn’t. Then I saw something I hadn’t tried and it led to an answer that made sense, but I wasn’t sure why. And then I got it. Lots of fun wrestling with this one all weekend. Week 5 is coming! :shock:
Well I'm successfully at the "incredible number of rabbit holes" stage... waiting for the next phase.
Same here. I did the grid yesterday and have been very busy -- too busy to do more than look at the filled grid twoice yesterday and scratch my head. I fonally got back to it just now.

I was hoping being away from the puzzle would allow a subconscious meta-cognition thingy to happen, but no go.

I'm still staring at the grid.

Hmmm..
burak
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#38

Post by burak »

When I figured out the duo in question, I said to myself "huh, I don't think they have that many albums so if I end up stuck I can probably backsolve it by looking at all the lyrics". Well, I am stuck and they have more albums than I thought they would have, so...

Tomorrow is another day.
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FrankieHeck
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#39

Post by FrankieHeck »

burak wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 6:13 pm When I figured out the duo in question, I said to myself "huh, I don't think they have that many albums so if I end up stuck I can probably backsolve it by looking at all the lyrics". Well, I am stuck and they have more albums than I thought they would have, so...

Tomorrow is another day.
I only looked at a few songs, but I've already found some very appropriate lyrics that made me smile. I have no clue about the meta, but I'm having a hard time getting too concerned about it. I was one of the small minority of Matt's subscribers who were highly motivated by pens and notepads. :D
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Hector
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#40

Post by Hector »

Al Sisti wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 5:56 pm Well I'm successfully at the "incredible number of rabbit holes" stage... waiting for the next phase.
We've all been there (looking at you, Jangler), and will be again. Keep at it! Often when I'm in that phase, it turned out that the mechanism was something I'd thought I'd already tried.
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