"These Go To Eleven" - March 13, 2020

A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
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Bob cruise director
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#241

Post by Bob cruise director »

Colin wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:56 am Very nice solution! Worked all weekend, so didn’t get much time to look ... a weak excuse for missing this song! Got stuck on going to 11A (ATL - Atlanta) and saw PAN AM, BOA(C), thought it was airlines... couldn’t see 11. Then stuck on AN instead of NA but there were only 6 in theme answers and way more than 11 elsewhere. At 11:56, put AN and NA together for an ANNA (GO TO HIM) Hail Mary. Brain blanks out the obvious sometimes. Best band ever! I should've put Beatles on shuffle while I worked!
I got stuck on the airport/airline rut for a while also. Even if you threw in United and Frontier (in the clue). I tried the airport code path also but there are so many airport codes that you could come to any conclusion you wanted to.
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DrTom
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#242

Post by DrTom »

Oh, Oh - now my turn:

Possible solver
Picks up a pen from a drawer by the side of his chair
Starts to prepare
Waits for ideas
Crinkling his brow as he stares at the squares on the page
Flies in a rage

All the solving people
Where do they all come from
All the solving people
You know where they belong
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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Bob cruise director
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#243

Post by Bob cruise director »

Geoduck wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:01 am
Bob cruise director wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:51 am Good Sunday morning muggles

Fortunately the coronavirus does not affect the Love Boat nor virtual beaches so we are safe. We have 3 on the ship and 146 on the shore - closing in on our record of 150 which was set February 20 and tied last week

First we welcome our three newest muggles: Michael S and James S on the WSJ web site and Head Scratcher here

Joining the mob on the shore since yesterday are
Steveb
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Patty
Barbara K who I missed yesterday and has joined Cindy in my bold (do not forget) lettering
Diane
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Devilbunny
Mary CC
Ann P
Burak
Susan G
diplomat
John B
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Scott R
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Michael S
James S
Head scratcher
phofer
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our clam Geoduck
Susan H
and Hidden in 3D. By the way Sara - what you experienced in your fund raiser is normal. You are lucky that people did not hand you stuff the day of the event.

anyway stay safe. This virus may be a boon to MGWCC since there is no sports to watch on TV and we can't go anywhere.
OK! You're forgiven!

I will accept two 12-packs of Charmin as atonement.
On the way as soon as I can find them. Just "don't squeeze the Charmin"
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Dplass
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#244

Post by Dplass »

It was the "These go to eleven" title that fostered my self-doubt. Kept wondering, how is this song ("Hey Jude") related to Spinal Tap?!
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#245

Post by femullen »

I found the 11 "na" entries right away and figured it must be the nonsense syllable from the refrain of one of the Beatles' songs, but I never made the mental leap to Hey Jude. Alas, another week of feeding the sharks. 8^(
For nudges, feel free to PM me. I won't have a clue how to help you, but you might shove me ashore.
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Bird Lives
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#246

Post by Bird Lives »

Bird Lives wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:40 am
BarbaraK wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 4:15 pm
Bird Lives wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 9:09 am

I haven't found it easy, though with 306 correct submissions already, it must be. I suspect that most of the solvers had a hunch what the answer would be and then fit the letters rather than trying to sort the 20 letters into a phrase. But I was flattered to see that for the first comment on the previous puzzle, Matt had selected mine.
Sometimes too much knowledge is more hindrance than help. Forget all the tricks you know about solving metas and pretend this is the first you've ever seen and all you have to go on is the puzzle and the hint. (Yeah, I know, that's probably like telling you to not think about pink elephants:)
I was using the .puz version and didn't see the hint, which was important. Thanks. Along the way, I discovered the meaning of the title.
Last edited by Bird Lives on Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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#247

Post by Softie »

I came up with Hey Jude, but there is a 12th NA at 34A and no inherent reason to ignore it -- just that it's not a traditional theme answer spot. No stars or other indication which answers are "theme" answers and which are not.
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DrTom
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#248

Post by DrTom »

Bird Lives wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:52 am
Bird Lives wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:40 am
BarbaraK wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 4:15 pm

Sometimes too much knowledge is more hindrance than help. Forget all the tricks you know about solving metas and pretend this is the first you've ever seen and all you have to go on is the puzzle and the hint. (Yeah, I know, that's probably like telling you to not think about pink elephants:)
I was using the .puz version and didn't see the hint. :SPOILER REMOVED: I have now seen the error of my ways. Thanks. : SPOILER REMOVED:
Bird - heads up, the MGWCC does not close until this TUESDAY, your post might be considered a spoiler? I think you can edit them though I don't know if re-posts can be edited?
Last edited by DrTom on Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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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#249

Post by Geoduck »

I saw the 11 "NAs" immediately and knew it had to be Hey Jude. But I was expecting there to be some further mechanism that would spell it out explicitly, as is so often the case in the more elegant metas.
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#250

Post by boharr »

Softie wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:30 am I came up with Hey Jude, but there is a 12th NA at 34A and no inherent reason to ignore it -- just that it's not a traditional theme answer spot. No stars or other indication which answers are "theme" answers and which are not.
There is an NA at 3D ,4D, 35D. They don't "count" either.
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#251

Post by Nlobb »

I submitted Anna go to him also. The name Anna or Ana is in the grid 11 times and the title also has 11 letters. I think this could be a second correct answer, Matt, although I will admit the song is not as well known as Hey Jude which has neither 11 letters not is the title in the grid! How about another Carnegie exception?? Ha!
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#252

Post by Joe Ross »

Nlobb wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:25 am I submitted Anna go to him also. The name Anna or Ana is in the grid 11 times and the title also has 11 letters. I think this could be a second correct answer, Matt, although I will admit the song is not as well known as Hey Jude which has neither 11 letters not is the title in the grid! How about another Carnegie exception?? Ha!
What Nancy said! ;-)

I was lazy & didn't vet that Hey Jude's "na" was speeled as "na". Had always had it in my head that it was speeled "nah", so I looked elsewhere to ANNA (GO TO HIM), since GO TO was in the title and that song title has 11 letters.

Na as sodium, with atomic number 11, would have kept me on the correct side, had I noticed.

Fun puzzle!
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#253

Post by grwinski »

DrTom wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:37 am
Bird Lives wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:52 am
Bird Lives wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:40 am

I was using the .puz version and didn't see the hint. So I interpreted "position" incorrectly. I have now seen the error of my ways. Thanks. Along the way, I did learn that some irrational numbers are transcendentals.
Bird - heads up, the MGWCC does not close until this TUESDAY, your post might be considered a spoiler? I think you can edit them though I don't know if re-posts can be edited?
We had the same 'nit' concern -- submitted Hey Jude anyway, although we didn't see a reason to ignore 'Arena'
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grwinski
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#254

Post by grwinski »

Softie wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:30 am I came up with Hey Jude, but there is a 12th NA at 34A and no inherent reason to ignore it -- just that it's not a traditional theme answer spot. No stars or other indication which answers are "theme" answers and which are not.
Copied the wrong post -- we were really responding to this comment

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Julie O
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#255

Post by Julie O »

Thank you Matt for triggering very fond memories of my husband and I singing along to Hey Jude in the car which would inevitably leave our (now sixteen year old) toddler son in hysterical giggles. Simpler times, not only does he not want us to sing now, there are no hysterical giggles.
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#256

Post by Nlobb »

I still think Anna go to him should be carnegied in!! Ha!! Keep safe everyone!
Brioso
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#257

Post by Brioso »

Stupid question here - how do i find out the actual correct answer??? I’ve not been able to find it! I went with Hey Jude this week.
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Janet P
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#258

Post by Janet P »

Brioso wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:50 pm Stupid question here - how do i find out the actual correct answer??? I’ve not been able to find it! I went with Hey Jude this week.
Post #221 in this thread shows the published solution.

Also, if you go to the wsj.com/puzzles site and look at the pdf of today's puzzle the answer is included there. (Which is what Joe R. posted in #221.)

Stay safe and healthy!
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Bob cruise director
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#259

Post by Bob cruise director »

Brioso wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:50 pm Stupid question here - how do i find out the actual correct answer??? I’ve not been able to find it! I went with Hey Jude this week.
Several options
1) go to the WSJ.com page and under Living and Arts, select WSJ Puzzles. Open the Monday crossword, then download the pdf. The answer is on the bottom right
2) in the WSJ paper, it is also at the bottom of the puzzle

those are the official answers

unofficially -- go to crosswordfiend.com. there is a good explanation there

also looking through the answers given here will get you the answers
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juliet
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#260

Post by juliet »

Bob cruise director wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:19 am
Geoduck wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:11 am
Meg wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:47 am Na na na na.
Na na na na
Hey hey good-bye

Only 8 Na's. It’s hard to push a song out of your head. Even if it’s not by the Beatles.
I suffered the same distraction.
It seems every verse has an additional NA
I'm not very familiar with songs by the Beatles but had heard "yeah, yeah, yeah" enough to search online for lyrics using the non-word "na." The printed lyrics I found only showed 8 "na"s in "Hey Jude." However, I listened to a video of a performance, and approaching the end of the song three more "na"s are repeatedly used like a musical pick-up to the other eight. That was enough for the "goes up to eleven" to click for me. . . but also left me with a pesky ear-worm.

I love that other muggles have pointed out a possible connection with sodium (Na, atomic number 11)!
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