36. Top of the Class

[MikeyG]

PDF and PUZ

Crosshare



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This is the penultimate puzzle for the Summer of Solves! It will also probably be the last one that I willingly make above Week 3 for a bit since I put you all through the ringer this August and want to make for some smoother sailing as we close out '22! (I say that now.)

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1. Puzzle #35 recap

Puzzle #35 answer: IMPOSTOR

Correct entries: 20, of which about 10 were likely solo solves



I'm not sure how much credit I can take for a mere 15-by-9, but I'd love to see if this could've been done as a 15-by-15 (I think I tried for like 10 minutes, if that, and kept whittling it down, haha). There was certainly a lot of trial-and-error to make this one, and I figured what seemed obvious to me was probably only because I spent so long making it that the constraint loomed large in my mind.

The left and right portions of the grid, not connected, and the "Left and Right" in the title referred to your hands, which may have even used to solve a bunch of the puzzle if you did it online! The left grid comprised, mostly, of letters that are typed using the left hand in a standard QWERTY keyboard; the right grid was, well, the right! Thank goodness I was able to at least squeeze a T in the right and a good 'ole OREO in the left, but I'm curious now how possible this would be to make a non-meta in a 15-by-15 setup that has this going for it! A cruciverbalist's imponderables.

We got 20 entries of those who realized that those letters on the wrong side of the grid were the eight IMPOSTOR letters that you seek. Hopefully, you're yelling that at those letters and not yours truly!

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2. Leaderboard of Destiny



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3. The planned Week 2 for August never materialized, leading me to a cobble together the less-than-ideal one two weeks ago. Last week's Week 3, really a Week 4 or 5, was written about three months ago or so: I still like it! This Week 4 came together nicely, and I thank @oldjudge for test solving and feedback!

36. Top of the Class

The answer to the meta is a school supply of more than 7 letters.


Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful!

Mikey G

[oldjudge]

I loved the puzzle and think Mikey has done an amazing job this season.

[boharr]

Got it. Confirmed on Crosshare. Fun one. Thanks Mikey.

[Laura M]

For anyone going through Saturday withdrawal pains from the MGWCC, this is a worthy substitute!

[Cindy]

Solved

[Cinny]

Correct answer confirmed on Crosshare. So nice to solve without needing a nudge. As always, another fun one. Thanks, Mikey!

[ChrisKochmanski]

Koo-bah and too-too!

That’s something my brother used to say. It means … VERY NICE!

I’ve solved. Thanks, Mikey!

[benchen71]

Solved! Great puzzle, as usual. Initially, I was thinking you hadn't provided quite enough in the way of signposts. But I was wrong, since I got there in the end, and before the nudges, too!

[Darth]

I still have my tab open for last week's puzzle...sadly, I missed it. But this time I got it done!

Busy week with semester startup, but I'm getting my priorities back in order! Thanks, Mikey.

[MikeyG]

I still have my tab open for last week's puzzle...sadly, I missed it. But this time I got it done!

Busy week with semester startup, but I'm getting my priorities back in order! Thanks, Mikey.

Hahaha, same here! I can only do "Summer of Solves" because even though I'm busier with summer courses, I have a bit more down-time, if that makes sense? Kudos to all constructors (and solvers!!) who can maintain a regular schedule!

Mikey G

[MikeyG]

It's Nudge Wednesday time!

1. Clearly, the 7 asterisked entries are important - but there's a key directive that the meta answer is more than 7 letters. So something else must be going on.

2. It is a little bit suspect, especially with the title, that the asterisked entries seem to be at the bottom of the grid, not the top.

3. Something is definitely going on toward the top of the grid, and we have to figure out what that is.

4. All of the asterisked entries have at least one other word of the same length that could fit that clue...

5. ...and you might see the majority of those words (all but the words' "tops") toward the top of the grid!

See if that helps! Smoother sailing for the final four months of the year, I promise! Great job to all those who have cracked this so far, and let's see if this can get a few more over the finish line!

Mikey G

[KayW]

doh! I needed the nudges. But a fantastic meta. Thanks Mikey

[whimsy]

Four out of five nudges did the trick!
Very crafty!

Thanks for this and the whole summer of solves, Mikey!

[jhseeman]

nudge number three, opened my eyes.

Cool Meta and as usual great clues for the grid.

Thanks

[woozy]

Nudges

1) Yeah, I know
2) Yeah, I know
3) I assumed so but I couldn't get anything. I'll look again. No... too cold and I'm too impatient.
4) Yeah, maybe and oh, you I see something. Struggle okay I now know what is going on on the top but I have no idea what's going on the bottom
5) Yeah, I got that from nudge 4 but ... same as before

Still stumped. But, very very clever so far.

EDIT: Oh! What a twist!

[edestlin]

I needed the nudges as well but it was worth coming back and staring at it all week, because it certainly paid off. Fun puzzle, Mikey!

[Abide]

I needed the nudges as well but it was worth coming back and staring at it all week, because it certainly paid off. Fun puzzle, Mikey!

Exactly same experience here!

[rjy]

Got it, thanks Mikey! Could not gain a toehold whatsoever without every last nudge, kudos to those who got it nudgelessly! Curious to hear post-reveal what led you to the answer…

[Dplass]

Not gonna happen, even with nudges. Maybe next year...

[hoover]

I had already figured out nudges 1-3, but I needed nudge 4 to push me in the right direction. Another amazingly constructed meta!