Episode #334 Contest: House Issue

Meta crosswords from Lollapuzzoola creator and host Brian Cimmet, offered from time to time through the Fill Me In podcast, which is hosted by Mr. Cimmet and Ryan Hecht. More information available here: https://bemoresmarter.com/
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bcimmet
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Episode #334 Contest: House Issue

#1

Post by bcimmet »

There's a new contest puzzle from Fill Me In. I'll rate this one 2.1 bananas on a scale of 5 bananas. (Bananas has nothing to do with the puzzle, it's just a 1-to-5 scale we made up.)

The puzzle is called "House Issue" and was constructed by me (Brian Cimmet). The solution to the puzzle is the name of a video game franchise.

The crossword can be downloaded from here. You're welcome to solve, you're even welcome to join in the chat about the puzzle -- but if you want to be eligible for a prize, you have to listen to the podcast for this week's password. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, our own website, or wherever you collect your podcasts.

Once you've solved the puzzle, submit your answer and this week's password by email to fmi@bemoresmarter.com. You can also contact us with any suggestions, questions, comments, or ideas. Thanks for playing along!
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Schmeel
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#2

Post by Schmeel »

Banana's peeled, I think.
Fun puzzle!
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boharr
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#3

Post by boharr »

Got it.
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oldjudge
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#4

Post by oldjudge »

Banana split
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ChrisKochmanski
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#5

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Split. The banana, that is. Though it took a text to my boys, ages 35 and 32, to get the answer. I know nothing, nada, nil, zip, zilch about video games. These $&@#%*! young meta puzzle constructors!
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#6

Post by bcimmet »

ChrisKochmanski wrote: Wed Feb 23, 2022 3:12 pm These $&@#%*! young meta puzzle constructors!
YOUNG?!

While I may be youngER than some people, I have more than crossed the halfway point of life - which seems enough evidence to decry "young" as an apt descriptor of me.

It's my kid - he keeps me young. :)
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#7

Post by lbray53 »

Split the banana! It took a second look to realize how clever the title was.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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BarbaraK
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#8

Post by BarbaraK »

I did the grid last week. No idea about the meta. I don’t play video games, and I don’t have any kids to keep me young.

So I set it aside and forgot about it until listening to this week’s podcast.

Just took another look and noticed something that lead me to something video gamey that I’ve actually heard of. So I guess I’ve split the banana.
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.

(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
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#9

Post by Abide »

I thought this one was great. A-plus Brian!
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
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#10

Post by benchen71 »

I made it to the answer, but I had help from my year 11 Applied Computing class to get me across the finish line!
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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#11

Post by bcimmet »

Abide wrote: Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:08 pm I thought this one was great. A-plus Brian!
Thank you. (And I see what you did there.)
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#12

Post by bcimmet »

Hello solvers,

The (intended) solution to this contest was ANGRY BIRDS.

The title of the puzzle (HOUSE ISSUE) and six theme entries (GRAND HOTEL, FIRST GRADE, ERROL FLYNN, DEATH EATER, CRIME DRAMA, and BARON COHEN) follow a pattern of consecutive-letter initials working backward through the alphabet. They're also all two 5-letter-word pairs. Following the sequence, the next entry would have the initials A.B., which yields ANGRY BIRDS.

It turns out there were a few other video games that satisfy the same demands (though none as famous), so we accepted other answers like ALIEN BREED, for example.

Thanks for playing! There's another contest puzzle and another post in the forum for it. I hope you give it a try!
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