"Risky Business" - December 11, 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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HunterX
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#281

Post by HunterX »

michaelm wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:34 pm
HunterX wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 2:57 pm
Joe Ross wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 2:15 pm

I cassowary eye at these putrid puns.
Oh dear. I apologize to the entire Muggle community if I started this pun-up-manship trend.

On the other hand, I've learned that this group harbors both a data collecting, stat crunching, geek club, as well as a "Last Pun Wins" club! My fiancée will be happy I have found like-minded souls, assuming it means I no longer have to torture her with such things. ("You mean that isn't why you fell in love with me, hun?")
Are you saying you dingo out all weekend?

...
Oooo... That's a good one! I doff my hat to you, good sir. (Wish I'd said that one... Harumph!)
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Kris Zacharias
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#282

Post by Kris Zacharias »

On shore. Nothing popped into my mind on Friday when I did the grid. The weekend since then was taken up by a project that I really wanted to finish. This evening I sort of saw where to focus, and finally the answer came. I can see why the initial difficulty rating was 1.5. It all depends on how one's brain works.
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DrTom
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#283

Post by DrTom »

Wendy Walker wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 9:44 pm
DrTom wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 4:30 pm Well Wendy I read the "Beer and Squabbles" and chuckled about the things that inflame small towns. Reading it I was wondering how many of the commenters were WSJ puzzle solvers because they sure were angry about what appears to be relatively minor things. Get them hooked on METAs and they won't have as much time to be unhappy.

I like your BLOG, and as I was won't to say in the 70's and 80's "WRITE ON!"
Thank you for the kind words, Dr. Tom! Probably the item that caused the most controversy was when I weighed in on prom dresses ...
Was there a "formal" complaint?
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!
Hidden in 3D
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#284

Post by Hidden in 3D »

Lost At Sea!
Sara
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DrTom
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#285

Post by DrTom »

HunterX wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:44 pm
DrTom wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:25 pm OK, MGWCC was pretty simple - fun but simple - so now all hands on deck for this one. Unfortunately with my hands on the deck I am probably ripe for what will befall me! Same precarious position as when you put your nose to the grindstone (ouch!) and your ear to the ground. Maybe I'll just bury my head in the sand because there is something in the way EMUved me (ouch, that one even hurt me!).
All hands on deck? I can deal with that.

May I just say, I love a bad pun as much as the next guy...

...but only when I'm the one making them. "EMUved" on the other hand... You'll 'roo the day you used that Australian animal in a pun.
Well I agree on bad puns (assuming there is actually anything like a 'bad" pun) and that ostrich sometimes to make one work. I get caught up in the tasmania of it all and turn into a little devil, but that is because I keep trying to make the grade instead of being a punning wallaby since no matter how fast I am there is always someone quokka. Instead I'll just wait for my favorite Month (March) because on the 15th Ides like to look back on the day before and instead of pie I honor the day and make MAR soupial, I don't know if I am odd or just stubborn, perhaps that is why I am considered a kooky burro? Well, if you'll excuse me I have to go to the potoroo....

Oh, and I'll bet you cannula hold the line on me, unless it gets late on a Sunday evening and I find I have to punt. Those are the days that I just cede the ride to shore and sit down with a book by my favorite author, Willa Catheter.

If your ears are bleeding don't blame me, I wasn't the one who told me how I'd roo the day! Bad puns indeed....
crack_bad_puns_0.jpg
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!
burak
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#286

Post by burak »

burak wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 1:13 pm I'm at the worst place possible when solving a meta: I have an idea that partially works. Do I keep trying to fit that glove, or do I just give up? On the other hand, even if I consciously give up I won't be able to rest easy. Hopefully the answer will come to me before it's too late!
Yeah I'm either stuck on one of the meanest red herrings of all time or I'm halfway to a solution but just can't put two and two together.
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cbarbee002
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#287

Post by cbarbee002 »

Ted Lange reminisces about the Love Boat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuDd24ZeAb4
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HunterX
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#288

Post by HunterX »

DrTom wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:19 pm
HunterX wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:44 pm
DrTom wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:25 pm OK, MGWCC was pretty simple - fun but simple - so now all hands on deck for this one. Unfortunately with my hands on the deck I am probably ripe for what will befall me! Same precarious position as when you put your nose to the grindstone (ouch!) and your ear to the ground. Maybe I'll just bury my head in the sand because there is something in the way EMUved me (ouch, that one even hurt me!).
All hands on deck? I can deal with that.

May I just say, I love a bad pun as much as the next guy...

...but only when I'm the one making them. "EMUved" on the other hand... You'll 'roo the day you used that Australian animal in a pun.
Well I agree on bad puns (assuming there is actually anything like a 'bad" pun) and that ostrich sometimes to make one work. I get caught up in the tasmania of it all and turn into a little devil, but that is because I keep trying to make the grade instead of being a punning wallaby since no matter how fast I am there is always someone quokka. Instead I'll just wait for my favorite Month (March) because on the 15th Ides like to look back on the day before and instead of pie I honor the day and make MAR soupial, I don't know if I am odd or just stubborn, perhaps that is why I am considered a kooky burro? Well, if you'll excuse me I have to go to the potoroo....

Oh, and I'll bet you cannula hold the line on me, unless it gets late on a Sunday evening and I find I have to punt. Those are the days that I just cede the ride to shore and sit down with a book by my favorite author, Willa Catheter.

If your ears are bleeding don't blame me, I wasn't the one who told me how I'd roo the day! Bad puns indeed....

crack_bad_puns_0.jpg
Uncle!!! Uncle!!! You win! Please! I'll do whatever you want! Just stop and let me go!

I humbly bow to the master.
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escapeartist
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#289

Post by escapeartist »

cbarbee002 wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:28 pm Ted Lange reminisces about the Love Boat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuDd24ZeAb4
Haha! I just watched that on Friday - good stuff! :lol:
* 2022 WSJ Mug Winner - I bask in its Glory *
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Joe Ross
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#290

Post by Joe Ross »

20201211 WSJCC Risky Business.gif


HERE IS THE MONDAY PDF:

XWD12142020.PDF
Last edited by Joe Ross on Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:55 am, edited 7 times in total.
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DrTom
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#291

Post by DrTom »

HunterX wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:29 pm
DrTom wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:19 pm
HunterX wrote: Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:44 pm

All hands on deck? I can deal with that.

May I just say, I love a bad pun as much as the next guy...

...but only when I'm the one making them. "EMUved" on the other hand... You'll 'roo the day you used that Australian animal in a pun.
Well I agree on bad puns (assuming there is actually anything like a 'bad" pun) and that ostrich sometimes to make one work. I get caught up in the tasmania of it all and turn into a little devil, but that is because I keep trying to make the grade instead of being a punning wallaby since no matter how fast I am there is always someone quokka. Instead I'll just wait for my favorite Month (March) because on the 15th Ides like to look back on the day before and instead of pie I honor the day and make MAR soupial, I don't know if I am odd or just stubborn, perhaps that is why I am considered a kooky burro? Well, if you'll excuse me I have to go to the potoroo....

Oh, and I'll bet you cannula hold the line on me, unless it gets late on a Sunday evening and I find I have to punt. Those are the days that I just cede the ride to shore and sit down with a book by my favorite author, Willa Catheter.

If your ears are bleeding don't blame me, I wasn't the one who told me how I'd roo the day! Bad puns indeed....

crack_bad_puns_0.jpg
Uncle!!! Uncle!!! You win! Please! I'll do whatever you want! Just stop and let me go!

I humbly bow to the master.
AHA, the Aussie onslaught wins the round. I recognize the white flag and accept the terms of surrender. It was a valiant effort (truly a Princely attempt). I'm sure that we will meet again on the field of prattle!
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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DrTom
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#292

Post by DrTom »

I was soooo sure that this was something to do with something “under” PRIME and looked, and looked but the best I could come up with was OWE because it was under the middle of PRIME in the grid. To OWE is risky business, yeah that could work! But what about the fact that under PRIME the word is actually OWEN, maybe OWING is the risky business – no too far a stretch.

OK, what next, well there are several words (actually at least 5) where a change of one letter makes it another word in the grid: SOUP SOAP, MEINS LEINS, ORLON ORION, etc. Well gosh MEINS is an odd word and so is ORLON so take those letters that are different and you come up with MAILE. E-MAIL, now THAT is RISKY business as anyone who has used it knows. Your “tone” is not evident so funny cracks come out as sarcasm or personal attacks. Yes I have to reverse the order a little and ignore other words that are one letter different and decide which word will yield the letter. Easy enough, the clue is 61D ACROSS but the answer is going DOWN so take the letter from the DOWN word – but hey there are sometimes TWO down words….rats this is not working.!

After I explained all of my fits and starts a benefactor said “do you know what the PRIME numbers are?” and that was of course the AHA and the DOH. I’d been looking at the bureau that held the piece of the scavenger hunt (Wendy, I am a “hey I might need that someday” so I’ll bet I’m a good scavenger hunt partner – old sterlizable hypodermic needle, cowboy boots from my youth in case I ever [1] become a ranch hand [2] have my toes removed so the boots fit, Band-Aid from the tomb of Tutankhamen with a hieroglyphic that symbolizes Elmo) all day long but never looked in the top drawer.

Anyway, impressive construction and congrats to all who saw it immediately. I guess I got out of the habit of using answer numbers to isolate a letter – very tricky Mike. The difficulty of the puzzle was its simplicity.
Last edited by DrTom on Mon Dec 14, 2020 1:31 am, edited 1 time 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!
CopperRiver
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#293

Post by CopperRiver »

Thank you to all who tried to get me to shore. It just wasn’t happening for me this week. Too many rabbit holes and distractions (kids home)! Ha ha! Hope you all have a good safe week.
Tony S
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#294

Post by Tony S »

Oh, for crying out loud --- I just saw the solution when I looked at the Monday puzzle --- all I can say is that I'm glad I have other amusements in my life.
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Gman
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#295

Post by Gman »

I especially liked the confirmation of the long prompt (lending) by the word borrowed in the answer. Very clever. I originally had the wrong answer because some of my prime numbers were not prime numbers (oops). Alas Google had a nice chart, and I was reminded again that one is not a prime number. Great puzzle!
SewYoung
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#296

Post by SewYoung »

I am not finding the solution. When I click on the pdf for Monday's puzzle, which is where I usually find it (in addition to Joe Ross's post), it shows something else.
SewYoung
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#297

Post by SewYoung »

SewYoung wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:17 am I am not finding the solution. When I click on the pdf for Monday's puzzle, which is where I usually find it (in addition to Joe Ross's post), it shows something else.
O.K. Just found it on Crossword Fiend. "LIVE ON BORROWED TIME". I never would have gotten it in a million years.
Going to bed now.
Last edited by SewYoung on Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ImOnToo
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#298

Post by ImOnToo »

SewYoung wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:17 am I am not finding the solution. When I click on the pdf for Monday's puzzle, which is where I usually find it (in addition to Joe Ross's post), it shows something else.
Same
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burak
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#299

Post by burak »

There was another WSJ meta from a couple of years ago, also involving clue numbers and letters. It was either prime numbers or multiples of a number. That's also something I check frequently, so this should've been an easy solve for me... BUT [Collection of miscellany] next to [T option] right on top of BILLMEDLEY threw me off hugely. (T option as in T-bills)

Obsessing over that, I tried to link [Police car] to AUTOREPAIR, [Mentally confused] to MAILSOFF, [Credit report listing] to LENDING or even BILL... I then tried to cross reference clues (like [Big do] and [Do penance]). I added ACROSS to beginning of clues to see if there's something there. Nope. Can I make something out of VNECKOLIO or UNITATONE? Nope.

At around 11:45 pm I started circling letters of suspected answers for one last push, starting with those that I was very sure involved in the answer: OLIO and VNECK. Is there a word in there? Can I backsolve this? OV------ maybe, like over- something? How about OLIVE? LIVE? And then it hit me. cbarbee had offered an 11th hour nudge to help and even though I avoid nudges I asked him to confirm I was definitely on the right track because duh. I was so damn sure, and being so damn sure of my wrong path led me to the right path somehow.

Still, my closest-to-deadline solve remains FADETOBLACK, which came to me at 11:57 pm. Won't ever beat that.
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Joe Ross
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#300

Post by Joe Ross »

ImOnToo wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:20 am
SewYoung wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:17 am I am not finding the solution. When I click on the pdf for Monday's puzzle, which is where I usually find it (in addition to Joe Ross's post), it shows something else.
Same
Glitch on WSJ's end. The PDF isn't available with Monday's puzzle. I will post an unofficial answer, such as I have it, at midnight, going forward.

Have a great week, muggles!
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,
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