Six Characters in Search of a Pop Song - July 2022

A monthly, music-themed meta crossword published at noon on the first Tuesday of every month. The puzzles increase in difficulty each month, and at year end there is a 13th puzzle (the "Mega-Meta") that invokes each of the 12 monthly puzzles. Currently available at https://pmxwords.com/, as well as through the Washington Post website here: MMMM at WaPo
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mmmmdavid
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:16 pm

#21

Post by mmmmdavid »

Hey everyone, my name is Dave Williams and I help Pete out on the tech side of the puzzles. I can confirm that the hint emails will be going out on Thursday, July 7th (tomorrow) at 12pm ET. Sorry for the "July 8" typo!
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Wendy Walker
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#22

Post by Wendy Walker »

Is anybody up for a group solve Wednesday afternoon (July 6) before the hint drops?
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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kurtalert
Posts: 126
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2022 3:02 pm
Location: Chicagoland

#23

Post by kurtalert »

Well, I'm still getting nowhere on the July meta... I've gone down so many seeming dead-ends that my working grid now looks like one of those giant displays that crazy people in movies use to try to solve crimes, with the strings going in all different directions.

So, I decided I'd start trying to figure out the mega meta & red herring today. The red herring, amazingly, jumped out at me pretty quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I figured I must have gotten led down a path designed to trick me... but I figured, what the heck, I'll submit it anyway- and it appears that I got it right, as I've now joined the "7 / 14" group on the 2022 leaderboard. Yay! That makes up for a morning full of frustration.
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ky-mike
Posts: 1987
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Location: Near Louisville Ky

#24

Post by ky-mike »

kurtalert wrote: ↑Wed Jul 06, 2022 4:27 pm Well, I'm still getting nowhere on the July meta... I've gone down so many seeming dead-ends that my working grid now looks like one of those giant displays that crazy people in movies use to try to solve crimes, with the strings going in all different directions.

So, I decided I'd start trying to figure out the mega meta & red herring today. The red herring, amazingly, jumped out at me pretty quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I figured I must have gotten led down a path designed to trick me... but I figured, what the heck, I'll submit it anyway- and it appears that I got it right, as I've now joined the "7 / 14" group on the 2022 leaderboard. Yay! That makes up for a morning full of frustration.
I got the red herring last week. Been trying to figure out the mega to no avail. I even saw something (after I figured out the red herring) that could have led to submitting a bad guess had I seen it sooner.

July meta still elusive
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CalRhody
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:25 pm

#25

Post by CalRhody »

I've narrowed it down to 500 possible answers.
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hcbirker
Posts: 2017
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#26

Post by hcbirker »

Still nowhere on this. Tried all kinds of gymnastics but nothing is working. Guess I'll have to wait for the hint (sigh).
Heidi
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woozy
Posts: 2214
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:40 am

#27

Post by woozy »

CalRhody wrote: ↑Wed Jul 06, 2022 6:41 pm I've narrowed it down to 500 possible answers.
I haven't!

Is it possible to see what the RS 500 list is without a RS subscription?
On the other hand an answer came to me in my sleep last night.... what didn't come was any explanation or assurance.
Funny story. I was all set to enter Par for the course for the CrossHare midi contest for April but I mistakenly thought midi meant 7x 7 and not 11 x 11. Oops. Well.... Here's a complex but **small** meta on the subject of golf.
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woozy
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#28

Post by woozy »

Wendy Walker wrote: ↑Wed Jul 06, 2022 2:29 pm Is anybody up for a group solve Wednesday afternoon (July 6) before the hint drops?
That's today.... there's still about an hour of afternoon on this coast.
Funny story. I was all set to enter Par for the course for the CrossHare midi contest for April but I mistakenly thought midi meant 7x 7 and not 11 x 11. Oops. Well.... Here's a complex but **small** meta on the subject of golf.
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benchen71
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Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#29

Post by benchen71 »

woozy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 06, 2022 7:51 pm
CalRhody wrote: ↑Wed Jul 06, 2022 6:41 pm I've narrowed it down to 500 possible answers.
Is it possible to see what the RS 500 list is without a RS subscription?
It's on this page. Just scroll down a bit to get to the full list (which is presented in reverse order).
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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Wendy Walker
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#30

Post by Wendy Walker »

Mark and I got absolutely nowhere with the MMMM ... but at least a food truck (the Nacho Depot) showed up at the concert in the park tonight!
Attachments
MRD MMMM.jpg
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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hcbirker
Posts: 2017
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#31

Post by hcbirker »

Laura M wrote: ↑Wed Jul 06, 2022 12:52 pm I usually don't check the forum or the leaderboard until I've solved, but I started feeling like that wasn't going to happen... Two solvers now, Jangler and LL, so I don't feel too bad for unproductively staring at this all day yesterday! I'm not sure I remember the last time I legitimately missed an MMMM... I'm not counting January 2021, that was just a stupid mistake on my part :-)
I feel the same way. I rarely miss an MMMM.
Heidi
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HunterX
Posts: 1184
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 9:17 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA

#32

Post by HunterX »

9am on Thursday, and still only 2 solvers! (Okay, 1 solver, plus Jangler.) I don't feel so badly about not seeing anything that leads to an answer.

If only I had time to stare for another 3 hours in hopes of getting an epiphany. Then my chances for the MMMM mug would be 33.3%!
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BarbaraK
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Location: Virginia

#33

Post by BarbaraK »

Yesterday while staring at this one, I remembered the zoom call Pete did with us last year. Someone asked him how he does with MGWCC, and he said that with the late month ones, he spends an hour trying to solve and if he doesn't get if after that, he forgives himself and moves on. That sounds so wise and sensible. Some days I think I should be like that.

I spent more than an hour just on a group solve attempt with some very good solvers, and way more than that, more than I care to think about, staring on my own. I'm ready for the hint.

Looks like Pete won't need a random number generator to pick this month's mug winner; he can just flip a coin.
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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FrankieHeck
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Location: West Virginia

#34

Post by FrankieHeck »

I am more interested in having a chance at the mug than in the grand prize, so I am probably going to pass on the hint. But if I'm wrong and a mug is part of the grand prize, someone please correct me!
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ky-mike
Posts: 1987
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#35

Post by ky-mike »

With the clue, it still is a pretty difficult, but I stumbled through and am on the board.
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CalRhody
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:25 pm

#36

Post by CalRhody »

I definitely needed the hint to eliminate several wrong paths. But in retrospect, I have faith that some more of you can get this without the hint. Not sure if others agree?
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ky-mike
Posts: 1987
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#37

Post by ky-mike »

I'm glad I got the hint. I looked way too long at this on my own and with some pretty smart solvers. I wonder how many will still try and solve without the hint.
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Meg
Posts: 2166
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#38

Post by Meg »

Waiting for the update! I stumbled into this one for sure while perusing the list.
What a relief! How many rabbit tunnels did I and a multitude of others go down?
Last edited by Meg on Thu Jul 07, 2022 2:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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boharr
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#39

Post by boharr »

Took the hint and got it right!!!!
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HunterX
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Location: Philadelphia, PA

#40

Post by HunterX »

CalRhody wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2022 12:33 pm I definitely needed the hint to eliminate several wrong paths. But in retrospect, I have faith that some more of you can get this without the hint. Not sure if others agree?
You're making it tempting for me to continue to try without the hint. On the Zoom we discussed how it must be relatively easy if PM thought it would be much easier to solve. @Joe Ross said it might turn out to be the SADdest puzzle ever. However...
ky-mike wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2022 12:37 pm I'm glad I got the hint. I looked way too long at this on my own and with some pretty smart solvers. I wonder how many will still try and solve without the hint.
...I was on the Zoom with @ky-mike and those smart solvers, and we tried many avenues that lead nowhere.

"To take the hint, or not to take the hint? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the dead-end rabbit holes of Muller's meta, or take hints against a sea of confusion, and by doing so, lose the mug?"
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