XWord Muggles Forum

FrancesY wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:56 am The road taken?

Way to get arrested?

Loved these pithy clues - you've got a knack, IMO

I'm loving these clues! We should have a way to do this every week! (Heidi)

Greetings--I'm impressed with how many solvers cracked this tricky one. We had 1053 entries and about 83% got it right. Incorrect answers were all over the map, including (to name just a few): LASSI/IDO, YEABIG/XEDOUT, LAREDO/MEXICO, ANASAZI/MEXICO AND SIP/PET.

Congrats to this week's winner, Bob Klahn of Wilmington, Del.

Couldn't choose a favorite clue...all were so good. But forced myself to narrow it down to these two:

BrianMac wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2019 9:03 am Clue: Headline after congressional pressure causes Trump to take Fifth?

This one made me laugh

FrancesY wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:56 am The road taken?

But I loved this one too much as well...

I got so wrapped around the axle on one particular rabbit hole, that I never saw the numbers through the words. Here's a wrong path for you:
BESTIE POOCH = LASSI(E)
LACONIC PROMISES = I DO(S)
DESSERT EDUCATOR = INA??
PRONOUN GODS = ?? EWE(S)? 12D had me looking for DIOS, but never thought of looking for Spanish numbers.

I was so sure of the first two that I thought there HAD to be something there. What was more frustrating was how so many seemed to see it immediately.

A second rabbit hole - I associated "Closing Numbers" with Wall Street, found AVENUE, but nothing for Wall.

Nice job to all who saw this one!

-Matt

Late to the party this week since I was away and haven't memorized my log on. I did make it to la playa which is now not a spoiler.

Clue entry:

Hijacked highway?

The winner of the mug is announce in the comments section of the puzzle. In this case it was the second "conversation" on the WSJ site for this puzzle.

Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:38 am After 2, 4, 6 and 8, I was started looking for numbers to complete the arithmetic progression and found 10 without any problem but then could not find 12 or zero. I was left writing down all the numbers in Spanish (with Google's help) and found 9.

My clue for both is "What you have if the taxes on your New York City boulevard aren't paid"

And finally Wendy and others have a soul mate in Joseph Epstein's column in todays WSJ

I'm torn. I have my own bêtes noires -- (phenomena as a singular, fortuitous for fortunate (it sounds so much more sophisticated), etc. But I also know that there are lots words of that Epstein, Wendy, and the other guardians use that in times past would have been similarly denigrated by the language guardians of the day. I now try to approach these changes with an open mind and to think of them not as wrong but as interesting. You want to know what really pisses me off? Not getting the meta this week.

Enthusiastically-chosen approach to a problem?

I too thought "LASSI" couldn't be a coincidence. Yes, "IDO," and "INA" is, as her clue basically says, a cooking educator, including desserts. So I got stuck there for a long soak.

MikeMillerwsj wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:00 pm Greetings--I'm impressed with how many solvers cracked this tricky one. We had 1053 entries and about 83% got it right. Incorrect answers were all over the map, including (to name just a few): LASSI/IDO, YEABIG/XEDOUT, LAREDO/MEXICO, ANASAZI/MEXICO AND SIP/PET.

Congrats to this week's winner, Bob Klahn of Wilmington, Del.

Mike, is that the Bob Klahn who is a crossword constructor famous for challenging clues?

More accustomed to counting in French
The Spanish was a real monkey wrench.
A “Hail Mary” idea gave me hope,
Before I’d reached the end of my rope,
And Isaac my thirst had to quench.