I had the answer before finishing the grid, but this is a wonderful meta idea that has been beautifully executed. Loved it! Thanks, @Al Sisti!
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Mon May 01, 2023 3:07 am
by Schmeel
Good cause, good puzzle. I liked this one.
Thanks for the puzzle!
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Mon May 01, 2023 5:02 pm
by sharkicicles
I haven’t finished the meta yet, but I did address a copy of the puzzle to my wife.
Edit: got it! Clever.
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 6:14 pm
by Cindy
Solved. Took me a hot minute to see it.
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Wed May 03, 2023 10:11 am
by BarbaraK
Nothing, dead end, nothing, nothing, wait a minute, aha, wow! Very nicely done!
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Wed May 03, 2023 1:19 pm
by Bob cruise director
Really cool meta and well done cluing
I am a bit disappointed that Utica is not on the grid somewhere
Great job and I am off to @MarkWoychick Fifth Wheel
And then on to savor the constructors that are new to me.
@AnswerPfinder - Will - great job putting this together
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Thu May 04, 2023 11:51 am
by Al Sisti
I'm not sure if we're allowed or expected to provide nudges for our individual puzzle, so if you don't want or need a nudge, don't click on the Spoiler button... but if you do:
The original wording for 34D was "According to them, taking a letter is a crime; in this meta, it is not (abbr.)"
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 4:20 pm
by whimsy
Dare I say it? Very cute! ...and fun too.
Had a few Spidey sensings while filling in the grid that I fortunately remembered when it came to crunch time.
Also, absolutely loved the imagery for 41A.
Thanks, Al!
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Sat May 06, 2023 12:26 am
by DrTom
A fortunate error led me home. Clever idea and lovely grid. Thanks Al.
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 3:23 pm
by Wendy Walker
Fun one, Al, thanks! I remember the song well.
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 6:59 pm
by Jeremy Smith
Nice meta! Thanks, Al!
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 8:15 pm
by KayW
Loved the cluing and the meta. Thanks Al!
Still giggling at 41 across. 9 down taught me what an octothorpe was. Who knew? Not me. And 8 across brought to mind an adage I heard in grade school: If you expect to rate, don't expectorate.
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 12:48 pm
by MikeyG
BarbaraK wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 10:11 am
Nothing, dead end, nothing, nothing, wait a minute, aha, wow! Very nicely done!
Absolutely! I had no idea how to pull this off at first, since nothing jumped out but then all of it sudden the light emerged!
Also, per the title: that is a great song. I love songs that frame things differently or tell a story - and bonus points if you can do it in roughly 3 minutes ("Take a Letter, Maria" is 2:44).
Others that come to mind, roughly from the same era (since I was raised properly)
"Bad Bad Leroy Brown" (3:02)
"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" (3:06)
"Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" (3:31)
Feel free to let me know others I would like based on this, not to turn this puzzle into musical matchmaking. (Although Al knows I was humming a bit as I was doing this one!)
BarbaraK wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 10:11 am
Nothing, dead end, nothing, nothing, wait a minute, aha, wow! Very nicely done!
Absolutely! I had no idea how to pull this off at first, since nothing jumped out but then all of it sudden the light emerged!
Also, per the title: that is a great song. I love songs that frame things differently or tell a story - and bonus points if you can do it in roughly 3 minutes ("Take a Letter, Maria" is 2:44).
Others that come to mind, roughly from the same era (since I was raised properly)
"Bad Bad Leroy Brown" (3:02)
"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" (3:06)
"Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" (3:31)
Feel free to let me know others I would like based on this, not to turn this puzzle into musical matchmaking. (Although Al knows I was humming a bit as I was doing this one!)
Again, thanks for the great puzzle!!
Mikey G
That (video recording of you solving) was so cool to watch! And yeah, you have a great memory and a great voice...
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 3:21 pm
by rjy
Wow, Al! Great theme, metanism, and construction… really! Had to park it, nothing caught my eye, but gave it one more shot to solve, resisting the nudge aaaaaaand got it. Fun journey with a perfect answer!
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 1:01 pm
by ChrisKochmanski
Nice!
Only one CCCC puzzle left.
Re: Take a Letter, Maria by Al Sisti
Posted: Tue May 16, 2023 10:25 am
by Hidden in 3D
Fun one, Al! And now I have a catchy earworm playing in my head - but this is a fun one and will be much enjoyed as I work in the yard today!
