Off the couch!
Thanks, Alan!
"Cryptography" by ajk
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Anita
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:55 am
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LindaPRmaven
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2022 1:27 pm
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ajk
- Posts: 965
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:22 pm
- Location: Colorado
Oops, sorry. Fixed!
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
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Annabelle
- Posts: 214
- Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 4:26 pm
Just snuggling up on the couch now with a sharp pencil and a cup of coffee...
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ajk
- Posts: 965
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:22 pm
- Location: Colorado
Few more solvers to add to the list (as usual, please let me know of any omissions):
Alvibu67
Anita
Anita and Steve
Darrell
Steve M
frostyjhammer
omnilynx
Here are some nudges in case anyone is still on the fence:
Alvibu67
Anita
Anita and Steve
Darrell
Steve M
frostyjhammer
omnilynx
Here are some nudges in case anyone is still on the fence:
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
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Guffman
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Tue May 18, 2021 10:02 am
- Location: Prairie Village, Kansas
Always late to the party, but at the party nonetheless.
Didn't need the nudges, either. Nicely done, Mr. K.
Didn't need the nudges, either. Nicely done, Mr. K.
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Annabelle
- Posts: 214
- Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 4:26 pm
Off the couch after solving with my morning coffee! Enjoyed the meta device 
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ajk
- Posts: 965
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:22 pm
- Location: Colorado
Last few solvers before the reveal:
Guffman
Annabelle
Naptown Kid
Guffman
Annabelle
Naptown Kid
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
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ajk
- Posts: 965
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:22 pm
- Location: Colorado
The meta answer is CRACK.
As I mentioned in the intro, I don't really remember where the idea for this one came from--which probably means it came from a frustrated attempt to solve another puzzle this way.
Anyway, we have five rather goofy long across entries:
16A Malfoy's evasive maneuver? = DRACODEKE
20A Demon delighting in climate destruction? = ECODEVIL
37A Sticker for a Mexican Patsy Cline fan? = LOCODECAL
59A Mexican-themed cruise ship area? = TACODECK
63A Polo's poor grades? = MARCODEES
Given the title (and/or the image from The Adventure of the Dancing Men on Crosshare), we should be thinking about ciphers and codes. And low and behold, we can 'decode' each of these entries by literally removing the letters C-O-D-E to generate new words, as shown below.
Ok, we have five new words, time to play find the Schrödinger clues that might clue them. The first letters of those five alternate entries, when arranged in grid order, spell our answer: CRACK.
As for that nasty herring that Wendy spotted, the original grid contained REHEM, clued as "Alter, as a dress perhaps." Unbeknownst to me, that could also clue TACK, which would be problematic (especially as the TACK alternate is already the hard one to spot)! Fortunately the offending entry could be removed without completely reworking everything.
Hope everyone enjoyed, and thanks as always for the kind comments.
As I mentioned in the intro, I don't really remember where the idea for this one came from--which probably means it came from a frustrated attempt to solve another puzzle this way.
Anyway, we have five rather goofy long across entries:
16A Malfoy's evasive maneuver? = DRACODEKE
20A Demon delighting in climate destruction? = ECODEVIL
37A Sticker for a Mexican Patsy Cline fan? = LOCODECAL
59A Mexican-themed cruise ship area? = TACODECK
63A Polo's poor grades? = MARCODEES
Given the title (and/or the image from The Adventure of the Dancing Men on Crosshare), we should be thinking about ciphers and codes. And low and behold, we can 'decode' each of these entries by literally removing the letters C-O-D-E to generate new words, as shown below.
Ok, we have five new words, time to play find the Schrödinger clues that might clue them. The first letters of those five alternate entries, when arranged in grid order, spell our answer: CRACK.
As for that nasty herring that Wendy spotted, the original grid contained REHEM, clued as "Alter, as a dress perhaps." Unbeknownst to me, that could also clue TACK, which would be problematic (especially as the TACK alternate is already the hard one to spot)! Fortunately the offending entry could be removed without completely reworking everything.
Hope everyone enjoyed, and thanks as always for the kind comments.
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer