My first stab at a meta crossword
-
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 4:21 pm
Great puzzle, Brian! A week 1.5 in my book.
I thought the grid was very solid, too. Didn’t notice that many 3-letter words. I did wonder if you could have changed something related to 67A and avoided the backsolve. (Kudos to anyone who didn’t have to do that) That said, I haven’t been able to think of a better option. And I enjoyed the research I needed to complete it.
I thought the grid was very solid, too. Didn’t notice that many 3-letter words. I did wonder if you could have changed something related to 67A and avoided the backsolve. (Kudos to anyone who didn’t have to do that) That said, I haven’t been able to think of a better option. And I enjoyed the research I needed to complete it.
- BarbaraK
- Posts: 2615
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
- Location: Virginia
Did you recently upgrade iOS? They changed the process and made it much more cumbersome. They also started leaving copies of the downloaded files on your device or iCloud account (depending on your settings) to clutter things up unless you remember to find and delete them.
- TMart
- Posts: 820
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:13 am
- Location: Malvern, PA
- Beth Tyrpin
- Posts: 518
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:11 pm
- ChrisKochmanski
- Posts: 2202
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
- Location: Saline, Michigan
Brian, I hope you stay bored and keep making metas.
It'll be fun to track your progress.
It'll be fun to track your progress.
- Cindy
- Posts: 1253
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 5:39 pm
- Location: Matthews
- BrianMac
- Site Admin
- Posts: 787
- Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:45 pm
- Location: Connecticut
Thanks to everyone who solved my puzzle and took the time to give feedback. Thanks also to Joe Ross for the Excel spreadsheet treatment!
The solution was CONNECTION. Everyone who PM'ed me got it correct, so there's probably no need to explain, but the answer was achieved by taking the initials of a celebrity associated with each of the theme answers:
LATE NIGHT: Conan O'Brien
CAPE FEAR: Nick Nolte (required a little backsolving or trial-and-error since Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese would also fit the bill)
COCAINE: Eric Clapton
SPARTANS: Tom Izzo (basketball coach of the Michigan State Spartans - a bit of constructor bias here as I did not consider that everyone is not a basketball fan from Michigan like me)
THE HUNTER: Ogden Nash (a rather obscure poem, for some reason not very Google-able, but everyone was able to backsolve to it)
As I mentioned, I kind of threw this puzzle together, and I suspect that a little more time spent brainstorming / researching would have turned up more solid theme answers which would not have required so much backsolving. Many of the comments made me realize how critical it is that the meta-mechanism be super-tight. It makes me really appreciate the people who are able to create these puzzles week after week.
I am working on another puzzle that I will post in this thread shortly. I think it's a lot tighter and should not require backsolving. Thanks again!!
The solution was CONNECTION. Everyone who PM'ed me got it correct, so there's probably no need to explain, but the answer was achieved by taking the initials of a celebrity associated with each of the theme answers:
LATE NIGHT: Conan O'Brien
CAPE FEAR: Nick Nolte (required a little backsolving or trial-and-error since Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese would also fit the bill)
COCAINE: Eric Clapton
SPARTANS: Tom Izzo (basketball coach of the Michigan State Spartans - a bit of constructor bias here as I did not consider that everyone is not a basketball fan from Michigan like me)
THE HUNTER: Ogden Nash (a rather obscure poem, for some reason not very Google-able, but everyone was able to backsolve to it)
As I mentioned, I kind of threw this puzzle together, and I suspect that a little more time spent brainstorming / researching would have turned up more solid theme answers which would not have required so much backsolving. Many of the comments made me realize how critical it is that the meta-mechanism be super-tight. It makes me really appreciate the people who are able to create these puzzles week after week.
I am working on another puzzle that I will post in this thread shortly. I think it's a lot tighter and should not require backsolving. Thanks again!!
- BarbaraK
- Posts: 2615
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
- Location: Virginia
Oooh! I can't wait!
- BrianMac
- Site Admin
- Posts: 787
- Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:45 pm
- Location: Connecticut
Ok, this puzzle is called "Original Game" and the answer is an 8-letter phrase that is something you might play for.
This one should be a little trickier than the previous one, but nowhere near an MGWCC Week 4 (I hope).
As before, you can PM me the answer if you are so inclined.
Enjoy and good luck (even though there is no prize )
forums/Original Game.puz
forums/Original Game.pdf
This one should be a little trickier than the previous one, but nowhere near an MGWCC Week 4 (I hope).
As before, you can PM me the answer if you are so inclined.
Enjoy and good luck (even though there is no prize )
forums/Original Game.puz
forums/Original Game.pdf
- Joe Ross
- Moderator
- Posts: 5085
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
- Location: Cincinnati
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
- FrankieHeck
- Posts: 839
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:57 pm
- Location: West Virginia
Oh nooooo....I see numbers in the new puzzle! I look forward to getting to this one after the MGWCC deadline has passed...not sure I can deal with another one on top of that right now. Thank you!
- Abide
- Moderator
- Posts: 1310
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:16 pm
- Location: Biloxi
- Contact:
Step one done and...out of gas. Will sleep on it!
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
-
- Posts: 1397
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am
- Cindy
- Posts: 1253
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 5:39 pm
- Location: Matthews
- Abide
- Moderator
- Posts: 1310
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:16 pm
- Location: Biloxi
- Contact:
It’s not just you
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
- boharr
- Moderator
- Posts: 3210
- Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:57 am
- Location: Westchester, NY
What is the deadline for solving Original Game?
I saw the first one late. Then scrolled to far and revealed the solution!
I saw the first one late. Then scrolled to far and revealed the solution!
- BrianMac
- Site Admin
- Posts: 787
- Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:45 pm
- Location: Connecticut
Sorry about that Bob! I waited until a couple days went by with no replies, and then I posted the solution. I didn't really think about a deadline since I'm really just goofing around. But to prevent anyone else from being spoiled, I will not post the answer to this one before next Sunday at noon.
Thanks for your interest!
- Hector
- Posts: 1297
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:15 pm
- Location: San Francisco
- Contact:
- KayW
- Moderator
- Posts: 3281
- Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
- Location: Chicago
Fabulous puzzle Brian! I tried solving this one and got the CO/(RD,NN,MS)/EC.... and then faded fast. No habla basketball or Nash, so I came here to cry uncle. And to say that based on the theme answers the meta answer might well have been MULTIMEDIA. Too soon?BrianMac wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 5:42 pm Thanks to everyone who solved my puzzle and took the time to give feedback. Thanks also to Joe Ross for the Excel spreadsheet treatment!
The solution was CONNECTION. Everyone who PM'ed me got it correct, so there's probably no need to explain, but the answer was achieved by taking the initials of a celebrity associated with each of the theme answers:
LATE NIGHT: Conan O'Brien
CAPE FEAR: Nick Nolte (required a little backsolving or trial-and-error since Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese would also fit the bill)
COCAINE: Eric Clapton
SPARTANS: Tom Izzo (basketball coach of the Michigan State Spartans - a bit of constructor bias here as I did not consider that everyone is not a basketball fan from Michigan like me)
THE HUNTER: Ogden Nash (a rather obscure poem, for some reason not very Google-able, but everyone was able to backsolve to it)
As I mentioned, I kind of threw this puzzle together, and I suspect that a little more time spent brainstorming / researching would have turned up more solid theme answers which would not have required so much backsolving. Many of the comments made me realize how critical it is that the meta-mechanism be super-tight. It makes me really appreciate the people who are able to create these puzzles week after week.
I am working on another puzzle that I will post in this thread shortly. I think it's a lot tighter and should not require backsolving. Thanks again!!
I will give your next puzzle a try once the deadline for MGWCC is passed so I can quit pretending to be trying to solve that one.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
- boharr
- Moderator
- Posts: 3210
- Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:57 am
- Location: Westchester, NY
I did the grid for Original Game and now I’m LAS. Must be that numbers curse.
I hope we can get Isaac some overtime for keeping the bar open during the week.
I hope we can get Isaac some overtime for keeping the bar open during the week.