#49 - "Head Count"

Creative and challenging meta crosswords (currently on hiatus) from: www.pgwcc.net
User avatar
FrankieHeck
Posts: 839
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:57 pm
Location: West Virginia

#49 - "Head Count"

#1

Post by FrankieHeck »

The answer to the metapuzzle is a large number.
User avatar
FrankieHeck
Posts: 839
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:57 pm
Location: West Virginia

#2

Post by FrankieHeck »

I get scared any time numbers are involved. This one is intimidating me already.
User avatar
Hector
Posts: 1297
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:15 pm
Location: San Francisco
Contact:

#3

Post by Hector »

Sent in an answer @ 85% confidence. If I'm right, I'm kinda guessing this will play difficult.

I was right. In retrospect I should have estimated higher confidence than that, and it was less being unsure if I was on the right track than uncertainty whether I'd missed a further step.
Last edited by Hector on Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
FrankieHeck
Posts: 839
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:57 pm
Location: West Virginia

#4

Post by FrankieHeck »

Hector wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:18 am Sent in an answer @ 85% confidence. If I'm right, I'm kinda guessing this will play difficult.
(Numbers) + (less than 100% confidence) = yikes. I kinda hope you were wrong, Hecto...
User avatar
ChrisKochmanski
Posts: 2158
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
Location: Saline, Michigan

#5

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Hector wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:18 am I was right. In retrospect I should have estimated higher confidence than that, and it was less being unsure if I was on the right track than uncertainty whether I'd missed a further step.
I see a way to come up with an answer, but it seems kinda lame. I don't want to say too much here, but ... Is there more to the solution than what an easy, obvious approach might yield?
User avatar
Toby
Posts: 332
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:00 pm
Location: New York City

#6

Post by Toby »

ChrisKochmanski wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:46 pm
Hector wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:18 am I was right. In retrospect I should have estimated higher confidence than that, and it was less being unsure if I was on the right track than uncertainty whether I'd missed a further step.
I see a way to come up with an answer, but it seems kinda lame. I don't want to say too much here, but ... Is there more to the solution than what an easy, obvious approach might yield?
My easy answer was wrong, and now I have noticed something else that has me really puzzled.
Dplass
Posts: 1739
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#7

Post by Dplass »

I thought I had an answer, but with all the doubt upthread I'm not sure.

How does one verify that one's answer is correct?!
User avatar
ky-mike
Posts: 1943
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:22 pm
Location: Near Louisville Ky

#8

Post by ky-mike »

Tough grid. I came up with a couple of “easy” possibilities and submitted one of them. Probably not right as Peter’s metas are never easy. Confirmed that I was incorrect. Back to square 1.
User avatar
Hector
Posts: 1297
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:15 pm
Location: San Francisco
Contact:

#9

Post by Hector »

I see a way to come up with an answer, but it seems kinda lame. I don't want to say too much here, but ... Is there more to the solution than what an easy, obvious approach might yield?
Not to spoil, hopefully: you'll know 100% that you have found the mechanism, when you have. I worried that there might be even more to it, but there wasn't.
How does one verify that one's answer is correct?!
Submit it, and Peter will often tell you by email.
Dplass
Posts: 1739
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#10

Post by Dplass »

Aaand I'm not correct. Ah well.
User avatar
hcbirker
Posts: 1985
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#11

Post by hcbirker »

Thanks to some help from a fellow Muggle after I figured out what is was about, I arrived at the answer. Not easy. But doable. Open your minds to the construction. Hope that's not a spoiler.
Heidi
Laura M
Posts: 1385
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am

#12

Post by Laura M »

I see it. I just don't know how to interpret it.
User avatar
hcbirker
Posts: 1985
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#13

Post by hcbirker »

Laura M wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 8:45 pm I see it. I just don't know how to interpret it.
I had to google once I had the idea.
Heidi
pgw
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:24 pm

#14

Post by pgw »

Hey everyone -

With just a couple of right answers and quite a few on the wrong track, I thought I should tweak the meta prompt a bit. I've updated the post (though not the puzzle files just yet) but here is the clarified prompt:

The answer to the metapuzzle is a ten-digit number.

Good luck!

- pgw
User avatar
ChrisKochmanski
Posts: 2158
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
Location: Saline, Michigan

#15

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Well, now I’m intrigued to spend more time with this puzzle. I can’t say I have much of anything yet. Not, anyway, to fit with what solvers have posted here.
User avatar
Meg
Posts: 2137
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#16

Post by Meg »

I learned something!! Yay! We are never too old.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
User avatar
hcbirker
Posts: 1985
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#17

Post by hcbirker »

Meg wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2020 7:31 pm I learned something!! Yay! We are never too old.
Good for you! So did I! But it was a struggle.
Heidi
User avatar
Anita
Posts: 433
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:55 am

#18

Post by Anita »

I submitted a wrong answer and then, after the updated prompt, the right one. I don't consider this one a 100%er unless there's some confirming step or info that I missed.
User avatar
Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#19

Post by Al Sisti »

I have an over-simplified answer in my head, and some overly-complicated mechanisms I'm looking at towards getting a better one. I'm guessing the answer is somewhere in between. On a completed unrelated matter: I have one bushel of overly-complicated meta mechanisms, for sale to a good meta constructor. In mint condition (i.e., never used), with good reason.
User avatar
FrankieHeck
Posts: 839
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:57 pm
Location: West Virginia

#20

Post by FrankieHeck »

A couple weeks ago I said I was usually on PGW's wavelength. Clearly I angered the Puzzle Gods, because I'm spinning my wheels with this one.
Locked