"One-Word Answers" - June 26, 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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Tony S
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#341

Post by Tony S »

hcbirker wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 12:16 am I print out the puzzle, use pencil, and make notes in the margins. Totally old school, but works for me. I love Patrick Berry now that I've been doing his Rows Garden puzzles. Keep them coming!
I'm with you. Not only do I print out the puzzle, I also shrink it a bit to give myself a bigger area for notes.
SewYoung
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#342

Post by SewYoung »

Bob cruise director wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 2:46 pm A couple of you have asked about next week's contest. From Mike Miller - the WSJ will be published on Friday so the contest will come out Thursday on a regular schedule

There will be no Saturday WSJ.

Bob
Thanks for checking on that and letting us know.
DaveWa
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#343

Post by DaveWa »

oldjudge wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:21 am In some cases it’s best to answer with short answers but not always. There is a reason why when you cross examine someone you ask closed ended questions to elicit “yes/no” responses - they are unambiguous and if you are able to impeach them later it is difficult for their attorney to rehabilitate their testimony if there is no wiggle room. So if you are being deposed it’s good to not give definitive answers that can later be used to impeach you...But there are times when short answer does work best and if you aren’t party to the suit and your testimony isn’t at the heart of the issue at bar then those are the times it’s just better to get in and out.
This reminds me of a time when I testified in a federal court case as our company representative. Plaintiff's attorney complained to the judge that I was editorializing with my responses instead of answering with a simple yes or no. The judge told the attorney that perhaps I would answer with a simple yes or no if he would stop asking questions of the nature "Have you stopped beating your wife?". It made the rest of my time on the witness stand bearable! :)
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whimsy
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#344

Post by whimsy »

Wendy Walker wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:53 am
TMart wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:26 am When I was filling in the grid and only had some of the letters to ARTCRITIC before reading the clue, I saw that it could have been ARTHRITIS, so I guessed what was going on then. I had already filled in ACHY, so I thought there would be another level to this where the one-word answers could satisfy a different clue as well, but that seemed to be the only one with an alternate. Nice construction, however, with the new down answers also being valid words.
YES, same here! I've been a little ouch-y this week from overdoing it with exercise and yardwork, so naturally I saw ARTHRITIC immediately and the clue to 15D spoke to me as well, "in need of aspirin." I looked for alternate clues like you did, but that was the only one I found.
I may have happened upon the path because of a different "old age" malady. :)
I've noticed lately that sometimes when I'm reading, a certain word doesn't make sense in the context so I'll go back and reread. Sure enough, I find I've read the word incorrectly. As I was filling out the NW corner, I incorrectly started to see ARTCRITIC as ARTHRITIC probably because I had the H of REHAB there already and "confabulated" the two lines across. But, less experienced that I am, it didn't lead me to consider it a hint and I merely chuckled at my slip up! By the time I got to good old Brom Bones though, (someone mentioned obscure earlier!) I at least had the wherewithal to remember and think -- Hey! Wait a minute!
MikeMillerwsj
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#345

Post by MikeMillerwsj »

Thank you Patrick Berry for another truly ingenious puzzle. (Imaging making this one up: finding a symmetrical set of two-word answers that perform this bit of alchemy.). We had 1659 entries, about 89% correct. 44 guesses for COURT and variants (COURTROOM, IN COURT), 6 for EYE EXAM and variants (EYE DOCTOR, EYE TEST), plus a spray of other one- and two-off answers (GUARDHOUSE, JURY BOX, GOLF COURSE, many others).

Congrats to this week's winner: Justin Patterson of Austin, Tex.!
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KayW
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#346

Post by KayW »

femullen wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:25 am It took me far longer to solve the grid than the meta this week because I never heard of The Prize, or Leeza Gibbons, or Vindaloo, or Bosco (wasn't he a saint?). And while I've read Legend of Sleepy Hollow, it was more than 50 years ago, so I'd practically never heard of Brom Bones either. All those missing intersections killed me, hence "Mr. G" had to throw me a life ring.
The only reason I knew Bosco is George Costanza's ATM code...
Attachments
bosco.jpg
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.
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yourpalsal
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#347

Post by yourpalsal »

MikeMillerwsj wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:02 pm Thank you Patrick Berry for another truly ingenious puzzle. (Imaging making this one up: finding a symmetrical set of two-word answers that perform this bit of alchemy.). We had 1659 entries, about 89% correct. 44 guesses for COURT and variants (COURTROOM, IN COURT), 6 for EYE EXAM and variants (EYE DOCTOR, EYE TEST), plus a spray of other one- and two-off answers (GUARDHOUSE, JURY BOX, GOLF COURSE, many others).

Congrats to this week's winner: Justin Patterson of Austin, Tex.!
Lots to talk about at the Tuesday zoom! Maybe Mike Miller will join us? Maybe Patrick? Anything's possible... :-D

YourPalSal's Muggle Meetup, 5pmPT/8pmET
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89184367093
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MajordomoTom
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#348

Post by MajordomoTom »

yourpalsal wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 12:27 am I got it right, but I worried that the constructor wanted us to apply the same device to HOT SEAT and turn it into a one word answer. I couldn’t find one, so I submitted. Later I was plagued: could there be a letter that changes my answer into a single-word place from which one-word answers are given?? I started exchanging letters slowly and found... TOTSEAT. A baby gives one word answers. Is TOTSEAT a word? Yes. It’s a UK brand of baby restraint for use in a standard chair. But could that be the answer??? Was our constructor seeking an obscure UK brand??? Thank Heaven, the answer was no! :-D All is well in Muggleville.
I considered this PAGEANT issue also and decided that HOTSEAT was enough, I didn't need to one-word the answer into another one word answer.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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Thurman8er
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#349

Post by Thurman8er »

I was bothered (very slightly) by the fact that six of the entries had an altered letter at the beginning of one of the words they contained. I spent a lot of time on RAT RACE until I saw RETRACE.

That tiny nit went right away when I saw that each new letter created a new DOWN entry as well. Genius.
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BarbaraK
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#350

Post by BarbaraK »

I'm always hesitant to brag about streaks for fear the meta gods will take offense and promptly ensure that they come screeching to a halt. But I can't resist this one - 52 straight weeks of catching the WSJ bunny. The last one I missed was The Fourth Man. I noticed over the weekend that I have some good company in this, but I was even afraid to mention it before the official answer was published in case it would jinx things and there would turn out to be a pageant.
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whimsy
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#351

Post by whimsy »

femullen wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:25 am It took me far longer to solve the grid than the meta this week because I never heard of The Prize, or Leeza Gibbons, or Vindaloo, or Bosco (wasn't he a saint?). And while I've read Legend of Sleepy Hollow, it was more than 50 years ago, so I'd practically never heard of Brom Bones either. All those missing intersections killed me, hence "Mr. G" had to throw me a life ring.
I only know Vindaloo from watching Red Dwarf and reading the books -- obviously pays to have a background in fine literature! :lol:
I didn't know Bosco was still around -- it was a treat when we were kids -- and it did't hurt that it was advertised on Romper Room! I was actually going to use it for one of my "local" drink requests since I assumed from the name that it was from Boston (a la Necco wafers - New England Confectionery Company.) But it's actually from NJ.

So let me see if I've got this right --
Captureoldbosco.JPG
equals
Capturestbosco.JPG
equals
bettericon.JPG
equals ???!!!
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whimsy
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#352

Post by whimsy »

BarbaraK wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:35 pm I'm always hesitant to brag about streaks for fear the meta gods will take offense and promptly ensure that they come screeching to a halt. But I can't resist this one - 52 straight weeks of catching the WSJ bunny. The last one I missed was The Fourth Man. I noticed over the weekend that I have some good company in this, but I was even afraid to mention it before the official answer was published in case it would jinx things and there would turn out to be a pageant.
Love your new celebratory avatar ---I'm a big bunny fan (and I like little ones too!) If I'd known this group tries to catch bunnies, I would have joined years ago! :D
Congratulations on your milestone!
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whimsy
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#353

Post by whimsy »

eagle1279 wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 11:04 am Wow, not only were the theme answers the only two-word answers in the puzzle, but as someone has noted above, changing the letter to make them one-word resulted in the intersecting down answer changing to another word. I thought HOT SEAT being two words was an ironic twist — the only result in finale that was not one word.

Yup! -- I think you hit the nail on the head -- good expression --ironic twist!
(and quicker than saying: The only rule is that there are no rules!) :)
michaelm
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#354

Post by michaelm »

BarbaraK wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:35 pm I'm always hesitant to brag about streaks for fear the meta gods will take offense and promptly ensure that they come screeching to a halt. But I can't resist this one - 52 straight weeks of catching the WSJ bunny. The last one I missed was The Fourth Man. I noticed over the weekend that I have some good company in this, but I was even afraid to mention it before the official answer was published in case it would jinx things and there would turn out to be a pageant.
Very impressive ability to mentally rewire each week.
Wonder how rare a feat.
WSJ should keep Running streaks dataset and award lifetime achievement mugs. 52 weeks seems as good as any!
Laura M
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#355

Post by Laura M »

Sometimes when I discover an unfamiliar word or name in a crossword, it seems like it suddenly pops up everywhere. Case in point: I knew of Ichabod Crane, but I'd never actually read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, so Brom Bones was new to me. Over the weekend I started reading a book (The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti, recommend) that features among its characters twin boys named Brom and Ichy. The names are never explained in the book, but odd names seemed plausible in the initial setting of a 19th-century orphanage. I probably wouldn't have thought twice about them if it hadn't been for the WSJCC!
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DrTom
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#356

Post by DrTom »

whimsy wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:05 pm
femullen wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:25 am It took me far longer to solve the grid than the meta this week because I never heard of The Prize, or Leeza Gibbons, or Vindaloo, or Bosco (wasn't he a saint?). And while I've read Legend of Sleepy Hollow, it was more than 50 years ago, so I'd practically never heard of Brom Bones either. All those missing intersections killed me, hence "Mr. G" had to throw me a life ring.
I only know Vindaloo from watching Red Dwarf and reading the books -- obviously pays to have a background in fine literature! :lol:
I didn't know Bosco was still around -- it was a treat when we were kids -- and it did't hurt that it was advertised on Romper Room! I was actually going to use it for one of my "local" drink requests since I assumed from the name that it was from Boston (a la Necco wafers - New England Confectionery Company.) But it's actually from NJ.

So let me see if I've got this right --

Captureoldbosco.JPG

equals

Capturestbosco.JPG

equals

bettericon.JPG

equals ???!!!
"Oh I love Bosco, that's the drink for me, Mommy puts it in my milk for extra energy..."

I remember that from many a Saturday morning watching TV. The Vindalooo I didn't come to until adulthood and and expansion of my palate to include Indian food.

Oh, and Whimsy, for Saint Alex.... well there simply is no equal.
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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BarbaraK
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#357

Post by BarbaraK »

michaelm wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:52 pm
BarbaraK wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:35 pm I'm always hesitant to brag about streaks for fear the meta gods will take offense and promptly ensure that they come screeching to a halt. But I can't resist this one - 52 straight weeks of catching the WSJ bunny. The last one I missed was The Fourth Man. I noticed over the weekend that I have some good company in this, but I was even afraid to mention it before the official answer was published in case it would jinx things and there would turn out to be a pageant.
Very impressive ability to mentally rewire each week.
Wonder how rare a feat.
WSJ should keep Running streaks dataset and award lifetime achievement mugs. 52 weeks seems as good as any!
MGWCC keeps records and shows streaks on their leaderboard:

https://xwordcontest.com/

Some people are over 300 - 6 years worth! (My latest there came crashing to a halt last month at 25.)
Nlbil
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Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2020 5:31 pm

#358

Post by Nlbil »

I really dithered about far too long on this one by choosing latin instead of satin and forrest ( I know, really??) Instead of torrent. Finally I had about given up on Sunday evening but I kept glancing at it. Saw my mistakes and there it was!!!
PJM
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Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2020 8:06 pm

#359

Post by PJM »

As with "RON REAGAN" for "Executive Search," I submitted an (IMHO) interesting and defensible answer, albeit not the one the author was looking for.

The puzzle contains a large number of one-word NAMES including:


JAY
ALEXA
toNED
ARTcritic
ouTED
ROBs
NANo
DREW
GAB
LEE
OTTO
ALI
VINdaloo
and MAOri (YMMV on that one).

If you take the two longest answers

ARTCRITIC
BROMBONES

and remove all the letters that occur more than once, you get:

AMNES

an anagram for NAMES.

So if I'm filling in a form and it asks for NAMES, I'm giving a one-word answer. Works for me!
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Wendy Walker
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#360

Post by Wendy Walker »

KayW wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:35 pm
femullen wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:25 am It took me far longer to solve the grid than the meta this week because I never heard of The Prize, or Leeza Gibbons, or Vindaloo, or Bosco (wasn't he a saint?). And while I've read Legend of Sleepy Hollow, it was more than 50 years ago, so I'd practically never heard of Brom Bones either. All those missing intersections killed me, hence "Mr. G" had to throw me a life ring.
The only reason I knew Bosco is George Costanza's ATM code...
ME TOO! Thought of the Seinfeld connection immediately!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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