#627 - "Big Deals"

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
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BrianMac
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#21

Post by BrianMac »

DrTom wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:37 pm ARE YOU KIDDING ME - someone submitted for a correct answer at 12:00!!!!! So it came out, they hit the download button they printed it out and with the remaining 5 seconds before it ticked over to 12:01 solved it.
That's Eric Agard - prolific constructor, American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion, multiple-day Jeopardy! Champion and USA Today Crossword editor. I assume he submitted based on the title and the first theme entry, but you never know. He is a scary-fast solver (and almost certainly did not solve on paper).
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oldjudge
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#22

Post by oldjudge »

And, assuming he does every puzzle, has also missed ten times this year. Of course, his solving goals may be different than some of ours.
Last edited by oldjudge on Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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oldjudge
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#23

Post by oldjudge »

I just tried timing myself opening the email and then opening the puzzle PDF. It only took seven seconds. If e.a. got the puzzle at a few seconds after noon, took seven seconds to open it, read the title and the meta instructions and immediately solved the first contest answer and from that deduced the meta answer, he still would have had to input his answer. I guess it is physically possible to do all those things, but still hard to comprehend. I’d be interested to know when others received their email. Like I said previously, mine clocked in at 12:01.
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Bird Lives
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#24

Post by Bird Lives »

oldjudge wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:34 pm Yah, it looks like at least one really experienced solver got it wrong. I guess I can kinda see what direction he or she may have taken, kinda sorta.
How can you tell? I mean, tell that the old hand got it wrong, and also what the wrong direction was.
Last edited by Bird Lives on Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jay
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BarbaraK
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#25

Post by BarbaraK »

With week 1s, especially when there is a small set of possible answers, I suspect some people submit a guess before solving at all. I've been tempted on occasion but have so far never actually done it.

With this one, I can see how a person could have a very good guess after solving only a small part of the puzzle and be willing to risk it for the chance at the top of the leaderboard.

I can also see how someone in a rush could get it wrong. Be careful out there.
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oldjudge
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#26

Post by oldjudge »

Bird Lives wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:19 pm
oldjudge wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:34 pm Yah, it looks like at least one really experienced solver got it wrong. I guess I can kinda see what direction he or she may have taken, kinda sorta.
How can you tell? I mean, tell that the old hand got it wrong, and also what the wrong direction was.
Compare the number of overall solves to the number of solves this week.
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KayW
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#27

Post by KayW »

Solved and on the board. Now back to my (so far futile) EXECUTIVE SEARCH...
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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Thurman8er
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#28

Post by Thurman8er »

Beam me up.
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Streroto
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#29

Post by Streroto »

I’ll take a week 0.5 any day after last week’s biff. Had this one before I was half done the grid. Beam me up. Back to WSJ
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Joe
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#30

Post by Joe »

Definitely easy. After I submitted, I thought "Wait, I bet I missed something!" But, nah, it's easy. I'm sure Erik opened the file on AcrossLite or some other software, solved one of the themers, and submitted. Not that I'd ever be so foolhardy.
Happy to give nudges. If you notice I've solved, please tell me about avenues you've explored so I can nudge you in the right direction and not off a cliff.
dudeski
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#31

Post by dudeski »

Beam me up. As for the WSJ, I am still consulting with the hookah-smoking caterpillar...
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Jeremy Smith
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#32

Post by Jeremy Smith »

You also have to remember that the puzzle title and the hint are usually available on Matt’s website several minutes before we receive the emai.
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DrTom
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#33

Post by DrTom »

Well, you know, you could actually get this one wrong, and depending on interpretation I might have gotten it wrong (won't know until Matt checks answers). I never labor under the illusion that I will ever be at the top of the board, I am just happy to be on it. The chances of me getting spot #1 are about the chances of me seeing a purple cow and, as the saying goes:
I never saw a purple cow
I'll probably never see on
But I can tell you here and now
I'd rather solve the META.

Hey, you do Purple Cow your way, I'll do it mine.
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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DrTom
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#34

Post by DrTom »

BrianMac wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:00 pm
DrTom wrote: Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:37 pm ARE YOU KIDDING ME - someone submitted for a correct answer at 12:00!!!!! So it came out, they hit the download button they printed it out and with the remaining 5 seconds before it ticked over to 12:01 solved it.
That's Eric Agard - prolific constructor, American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion, multiple-day Jeopardy! Champion and USA Today Crossword editor. I assume he submitted based on the title and the first theme entry, but you never know. He is a scary-fast solver (and almost certainly did not solve on paper).
Well that does explain a lot, although I had no idea we had so much in common! He is a multiple day Jeopardy Champion, I am a multiple day Jeopardy watcher. he is the USA Today Crossword editor, I live in the USA today, he is the American Crossword Puzzle Champion, I am the Puzzled American Crossword Champion - heck we might have been separated at birth (and I'm fairly certain that if we were he probably has a restraining order against me ever trying to re-unite)
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
Dplass
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#35

Post by Dplass »

Beam me up.
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