MGWCC #777 — Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 “It’s Integral to the Clue”

[ricky]

Had to throw a Hail Mary. Pretty sure it was wrong. This was a red herring fest.

[HunterX]

This one isn't happening for me. Just not seeing it. Well, I'm seeing a lot of things. Just that none of them seem to go anywhere. And tired of looking. Plus, with all the comments indicating how hard it is, and the need for multiple nudges, I doubt I deserve to get this one.

Which is fine. It would certainly take the pressure off me to solve next week just for the sake of a streak! If I want a streak, I'll run naked through the neighborhood.

[MMe]

So the deadline has passed. What was the mechanism?

[BrennerTJ]

[ajk]

During one of the Discord group solves the idea was posted that File Examiner could take an X to clue 68A (nudge 1). I confess that initially I dismissed that as too obscure, and it was only after a later post highlighted that it was useful that I came back to it.

After looking through the rest I identified that 1D could take an I, but then I got stuck, because I was looking at single letters. I then got an extremely good second nudge, to think about *why* Van got the I and File got the X. I pretty quickly hit on the Roman numeral angle, and then...promptly dismissed it.

Again, too focused on single letters. But a few minutes later I hit on 4D and the light bulb finally went off. Even then it took me about 5 extra minutes to find the last two, even though I knew they would need to clue 29D and 82A, because I wasn't looking high enough on the Roman numeral list.

This was fun to work out, but I don't think I'd ever have been anywhere close without the initial nudge!

[HunterX]

Now I don't feel badly about not getting it.

[ZooAnimalsOnWheels]

This was a tricky one! I thought about the clue numbers as being the 'it' that was integral to the clue, but I didn't think of using Roman numerals. It didn't help that adding 'One' to 'van of note' could give you EVAN, which was in the grid. The 'Ory' and 'Ely' clues certainly stuck out, but 'Iga' acted as camouflage for me.

I was amused that if you removed IT from the three grid answers which contained it, you got ATE UP THERE MAN.

[sharkicicles]

This was one of those “never in a million years” metas, but I’m still stunned at the creativity.

[KayW]

My solve was complicated by the fact that among my first themers I found S-CAR'S (Lion King bad guy) PLACE = ABYSSINIA (hey, it's the right continent). So I needed a gentle 2 by 4 to the head to redirect away from that one towards Roman numerals.

[oggy]

The oldest trick in the book...

Granted it would've come more naturally back in Caesar's day.

[MajordomoTom]

Now I don't feel badly about not getting it.

ditto