#47 - "Flock Together"

Creative and challenging meta crosswords (currently on hiatus) from: www.pgwcc.net
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FrankieHeck
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#47 - "Flock Together"

#1

Post by FrankieHeck »

The answer to the meta is something birds do.
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FrankieHeck
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#2

Post by FrankieHeck »

Fun one!
LesY
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#3

Post by LesY »

What a difference a week makes. Just happened to see this one.
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Hector
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#4

Post by Hector »

One of those that in retrospect seems like it should have been easy, but took me a long time.
Dplass
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#5

Post by Dplass »

Got it
Laura M
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#6

Post by Laura M »

Back to normal this week, with a step one that looks a little like an answer but not enough, and no step two in sight...
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Toby
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#7

Post by Toby »

I had an idea that was not entirely stupid, and it actually provided an answer that was almost great...but wrong. Some more searching, and noticing something else, led to a solve.
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Beth Tyrpin
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#8

Post by Beth Tyrpin »

Nope.
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ChrisKochmanski
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#9

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

I got to the solution but only by having someone lead me by the nose to it. No way I can claim it as a "solve." Then, looking back, I could see at least a couple of things in the grid that could or even should have suggested the path to me. They were things that I had made casual note of while completing the grid, BUT I DIDN'T FOLLOW THROUGH ON THEM. When will I ever learn? Grrr!!
burak
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#10

Post by burak »

I'm about to go 0/3 for PGW metas. I guess I have to start solving these starting with the very first one and eventually catch up.
pgw
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#11

Post by pgw »

This one was a bit tough to spot, initially. Solution, and some comments on an interesting coincidence, up here:

https://pgwcc.net/2020/02/04/puzzle-47-solution/

I have another grid ready to go but it needs clues, and I won't get to that until late tonight at the earliest. Sorry!
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FrankieHeck
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#12

Post by FrankieHeck »

It was SO hard not to make spoiler comments about that coincidence. Happy birthday to your son, Peter!
Laura M
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#13

Post by Laura M »

Weird that I could get WSJCC but not this one! I actually did notice PUFF/PHIN, but the other ones were more obscure to me (either because of the type of bird or the disguised spelling like PENN/GWYNN) and I didn't see them even when I was looking, so I thought the one was a coincidence. I really thought it had something to do with all of those diagonal Es that looked like they could have been flying in V-formation. Nice puzzle!
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anjhinz
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#14

Post by anjhinz »

Same, I got WSJCC fairly quickly, but stared at this one for hours all week and got nowhere. Probably because when I'm scanning the grid I tend to do all across answers, then all downs. Now I've learned I should probably mix it up a little!
Dplass
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#15

Post by Dplass »

anjhinz wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 1:49 pm Same, I got WSJCC fairly quickly, but stared at this one for hours all week and got nowhere. Probably because when I'm scanning the grid I tend to do all across answers, then all downs. Now I've learned I should probably mix it up a little!
I was totally the opposite - got PGW (the PUFF/PHIN did it for me) but just didn't see WSJ _at all_.
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Beth Tyrpin
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#16

Post by Beth Tyrpin »

I also got WSJCC but not this one. I also focused on those long lines of E’s. Unagi, uinta, nieuw and eatup all have at least three letters of unite. Koko and yo-yo got me looking at all the O’s. Maybe they were eggs? Puff, lay (x2) and ruffle also had potential. I wrote a fowl by afoul. That was at least a hint. Maybe I’ll get the next one.
LesY
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#17

Post by LesY »

I feel like I got really lucky with this one. One thing I typically do is look at the center-of-the-grid entry - this time it was KEY, which seemed important both because of one of the word's definitions, and, well, it's really short for a center entry. That led me to look at the center down entry (which I don't normally do - again, lucky), and there it was.
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Al Sisti
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#18

Post by Al Sisti »

I only got it at the end because a friend said "You got WSJ, you'll get this..." Eventually (and sheepishly) I did, but man, I spent way too much time on the FFs; thinking the title might have been hinting to look at the F's LOCKed together. Well, we *do* want to keep the brain active, don't we? Uh, yeah.
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Hector
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#19

Post by Hector »

First idea was to look for birds in the grid, but I didn't spot any. Then, "...Flock Together" could have to do with feathers, of course, and there helpfully in the grid is RUFFLE, as in ruffle one's feathers. Rabbit holes are as deep as you allow them to be, so feather PUFF, feather PLAY, feather KEY, and RHEA feathers kept me digging too long. Back to the birds idea, and PUFF made me think, could there be an "IN" somewhere to attach to it, and then I saw PHIN and game soon over.
damefox
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#20

Post by damefox »

I also got the WSJ (at the very last minute) and not this one. I hesitate to post this because I'm sure there will be pushback, but I think the reason many people ended up in that boat is because the WSJ word pairs were a little more elegant than these. CHESS + APEAK really does sound like *Chesapeake*, and ditto for the rest of them. PUFF + PHIN does not actually sound like *puffin* (you double up on the eff sound in the middle). I'll give you PAIR + RUT and KEY + WEE, but PENN + GYWNN also feels like a stretch to me, and AWE + SPREE is *really* a stretch. (Does anyone say osprey that way? I've always said/heard it with a long a at the end) Also, why have these phonetic word pairs and then not do anything with the correctly spelled versions? The meta answer is just the crossings. Feels like a missed opportunity for another step in there.

I think I'm going to take a break from PGWCC for a while. I frequently find myself frustrated by these puzzles, whether I solve them or not, and then I get told I'm wrong for being frustrated. Well done to all who figured out this one and the WSJ. Not an easy puzzle week last week.
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