"One False Note" - May 22, 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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CPJohnson
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#341

Post by CPJohnson »

:roll: Let me hasten to add that my R Johnson is not the muggle; mine is one of the eye-rolling spouses.
Cynthia
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Bob cruise director
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#342

Post by Bob cruise director »

CPJohnson wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 3:02 pm
Bob cruise director wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 1:52 pm What amazed me was that the constructors could find anyone of note's name where the two initials and a five letter last name did not contain any of A/B/C/D/E/F/G

So I was wondering how many muggles would qualify. I limited the count to those who had a WSJ account because I knew the first and last names and counted first initial and last name with five or more letters. Out of 417 who qualified we have 18. (Hey, it is cold and overcast here in southern Maine, there are no sports on TV and I am tired of watching old movies/documentaries or doing jig saw puzzles)

T Wilson
T Murphy
T Roszkowski
R Winski (sorry George)
T (or M) Runnion
R Otis
J Irvin
L Simon
R Johnson (sorry Cynthia)
W or S Horning
J Horton
S Timmons
R Wilkinson
W Koslosky
J Rising
S Smith
K Quinn
M Wolff
I’m actually married to R Johnson..R L, in fact.
I knew it was R from the WSJ comments. R L is even better. Maybe you can get Matt to put you in a special version of the meta. I took the names from when we were commenting on the WSJ page and they had the subscriber's name. With the blog, I have so many that I don't know their real names.
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Nlobb
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#343

Post by Nlobb »

Did you say COLD? What is that? Please send some south. It is 90 degrees and MUGGY here.
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DBMiller
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#344

Post by DBMiller »

I have seen the phrases, "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge/Favor/Favour", and "Does Fine" for the staff lines.

It was interesting that all the theme answers were often two words instead of one. I tried to use an online pattern matcher to find similar words, but it cuts off at 1000 matches, and the pattern can only be so complex. I did manage to coax a range of 5 to 11 letter long words out of it...

https://www.quinapalus.com/cgi-bin/qat? ... rch&dict=0
If I'm around, I am willing to join the Muggle Zoom room at other times to lend a hand to those in need.
Tony S
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#345

Post by Tony S »

MarkL wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 6:33 am "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" is about all the music theory I can recall from a class roughly 145 years ago!
That's funny. When I took guitar lessons I was taught Eat All Day, Get Big Easy.
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Al Sisti
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#346

Post by Al Sisti »

Bird Lives wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 2:36 pm
boharr wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 10:17 am
Bob cruise director wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 2:21 am Clever puzzle but the nit I had (and it may be a regional definition) was 34 A

When we were in college and the drinking age was 18
If you ordered a depth charge, the bartender would bring the shot and the beer and drop the shot glass into the beer
if you ordered a boilermaker, the bartender would bring the shot and the beer and pour the shot into the beer
and if you ordered a shot and a chaser he would bring the shot and the beer and leave both of them for you

So technically with the boilermaker there was no chaser.
While I'm sure there may be regional variations, these definitions applied back in my bartender days in New York. Still do in most places I might patronize.
Wikipedia: A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey.[1] The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step.
Here in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.
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Thurman8er
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#347

Post by Thurman8er »

For the 138th week in a row, not a single person in my house was impressed by any of my solves this week. Not even the Week 4 MGWCC.

This does not mean I am going to stop showing them.
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Tom Shea
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#348

Post by Tom Shea »

Al Sisti wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 4:05 pm
Bird Lives wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 2:36 pm
boharr wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 10:17 am

While I'm sure there may be regional variations, these definitions applied back in my bartender days in New York. Still do in most places I might patronize.
Wikipedia: A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey.[1] The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step.
Here in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.
Did someone say Utica Club?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn7b2djfMKY
Rufus T. Firefly
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Bob cruise director
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#349

Post by Bob cruise director »

Nlobb wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 3:17 pm Did you say COLD? What is that? Please send some south. It is 90 degrees and MUGGY here.
The average is good. The high today was 56. However the rest of the week is going to be warmer.
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Bob cruise director
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#350

Post by Bob cruise director »

Tom Shea wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 5:50 pm
Al Sisti wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 4:05 pm
Bird Lives wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 2:36 pm

Wikipedia: A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey.[1] The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special; in Texas, it is known as a Two-Step.
Here in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.
Did someone say Utica Club?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn7b2djfMKY
Shades of growing up with Schultz and Dooley
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Al Sisti
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#351

Post by Al Sisti »

Bob cruise director wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 6:44 pm
Tom Shea wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 5:50 pm
Al Sisti wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 4:05 pm

Here in Utica -- home of Utica Club beer; the first beer sold after prohibition -- we have a 15K road race called the Boilermaker. I've run 20 of them, and that's plenty for a non-runner. That brings the total number of times I've run more than 3 miles -- training included -- to 20.
Did someone say Utica Club?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn7b2djfMKY
Shades of growing up with Schultz and Dooley
...and the guy who voiced them so many years ago? Jonathan Winters...
MaineMarge
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#352

Post by MaineMarge »

I got the meta easily without even tuning in to the musical note/letter connection- And I have played piano since I was a kid. 🤣 After writing down the theme answers and noticing all the letters that appeared many times, I read the title to be we were looking for ONE of something. So luckily, first I looked for letters that appeared only once in all the theme answers. And KTOSLIN appeared, in order. Googling that brought her up.
Only when I was trying to relate the method to the title did the musical notes ring a bell. 🎼

Crossword Fiend has a video of one of her lovely songs.
LLinNC
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#353

Post by LLinNC »

First, thank you for recognizing my happenstance of being the 200th muggle on shore. Just a lucky break for me, as was a google search for anagrams for K T O S L I N when I couldn't make a name with those letters on my own.
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Wendy Walker
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#354

Post by Wendy Walker »

Friends, I did my best as a Muggle Ambassador at a small Memorial Day picnic. The local radio station was playing the Top 100 hits of all time. "Hey Jude" was ranked somewhere in the teens and so of course I explained the "na-na-na-na" meta. Little interest was shown. I think Dearest Partner was behind me making "warding off" gestures.
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
MikeMillerwsj
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#355

Post by MikeMillerwsj »

This was a holiday weekend blockbuster. We had 2587 entries, with about 86% correct. Reba McEntire (25) and Garth Brooks (21) led the wrong answers, Willie Nelson and BB King each had 3, and several others had one or two.

Great to see our friend Peter Gordon's byline on a contest puzzle. Peter publishes the WSJ crossword anthologies (available on Amazon) and his own brilliant subscription series, Fireball Crosswords.

Congrats to this week's winner: Rick Ciampa of Walpole, MA!
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sanmilton
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#356

Post by sanmilton »

LadyBird wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 2:14 pm
flyingMoose wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 1:32 pm
SewYoung wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 1:08 pm
So sad that she was not quite able to finish the alphabet before she died.
All but Z (is for Zero). From a quote from her daughter, "... as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."
I have read them all--through X. I haven't been able to bring myself to read Y, because I'm so sad that we won't learn how things wrap up for Kinsey.

I never noticed that bit with the client's name! Maybe if I had been doing metas then....
LadyBird, I'm right there with you. I am saving "'Y' Is for Yesterday" until tomorrow, at least. On the other hand, I finally read (Sunday was a week ago) the last of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee mysteries, "The Lonely Silver Rain." (Hmm, wonder if that rain was a lonely as I am!)
Last edited by sanmilton on Tue May 26, 2020 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sanmilton
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#357

Post by sanmilton »

zacmoretz wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 9:18 am
OGuyDave wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 6:35 am I dabbled, befogged, asea, fazed. Had an idea, and exceeded each daffy ragged defect. Yea! Gaffnee gem! Bye / G'Day. Feedback?
Awesome Dave!!!!!
Awesome, yes, but then you got me trying to decipher ILOSZHNINXHYRTYNMYYK! :?

I BECAME ADDLED. CODE EFFACES FACT.
Texcellent
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#358

Post by Texcellent »

I was very frustrated all weekend (my birthday weekend, no less) because I could not figure out what so many people were calling a very easy meta. I didn’t figure it out or submit an answer.

I opened the solution today expecting to be disappointed with myself... quite the opposite. I could have stared at this for ages and it never would have come to me. I’ve never played an instrument and I am not musically inclined. Checking for “do, re, mi, etc.” was as far as I got.

I’ll take the Build Your Brand puzzle from two weeks ago over this one any day.
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Al Sisti
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#359

Post by Al Sisti »

sanmilton wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 2:22 pm
LadyBird wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 2:14 pm
flyingMoose wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 1:32 pm
All but Z (is for Zero). From a quote from her daughter, "... as far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."
I have read them all--through X. I haven't been able to bring myself to read Y, because I'm so sad that we won't learn how things wrap up for Kinsey.

I never noticed that bit with the client's name! Maybe if I had been doing metas then....
LadyBird, I'm right there with you. I am saving "'Y' Is for Yesterday" until tomorrow, at least. On the other hand, I finally read (Sunday was a week ago) the last of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee mysteries, "The Lonely Silver Rain." (Hmm, wonder if that rain was a lonely as I am!)
...and here's my semi-regular plug for crossword-friendly Utica. Yep, that's where John D. MacDonald grew up. But I would've loved Travis McGee and his philosophical musings no matter where the author came from. My favorite, from "The Scarlet Ruse," goes like this: "Today, my friends, we each have one day less, every one of us. And joy is the only thing that slows the clock." So true...
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Bob cruise director
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#360

Post by Bob cruise director »

Texcellent wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 6:42 pm I was very frustrated all weekend (my birthday weekend, no less) because I could not figure out what so many people were calling a very easy meta. I didn’t figure it out or submit an answer.

I opened the solution today expecting to be disappointed with myself... quite the opposite. I could have stared at this for ages and it never would have come to me. I’ve never played an instrument and I am not musically inclined. Checking for “do, re, mi, etc.” was as far as I got.

I’ll take the Build Your Brand puzzle from two weeks ago over this one any day.
this was a typical Matt Gaffney contest. The title led you to a music solution (titles are always leading). However you had to know that the notes of a scale were A/B/C/D/E/F/G. The other option was to notice the commonality of those seven letters throughout the seven long answers/
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