MGWCC #780 — “Spare Parts”

An excellent puzzle written by one of the innovators of the meta crossword format. It comes out every Friday at noon and increases in difficulty throughout the month. Available for modest subscription (worth every cent) here: www.xwordcontest.com
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KayW
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MGWCC #780 — “Spare Parts”

#1

Post by KayW »

MGWCC #780 — Sunday, May 14th, 2023 — “Spare Parts”



Dear Solver,

THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:

This week’s contest answer is five letters long.


NOTE: Due to the late post, the deadline for submitting entries to this meta is Thursday, May 18th, at noon ET.

Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.

--Matt


WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY CROSSWORD CONTEST?:
MGWCC is available only to subscribers at my Patreon page.
A subscription costs $3/month.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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KayW
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#2

Post by KayW »

Uh-oh. Friday thirteen come on Saturday this month!
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Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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rjy
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#3

Post by rjy »

And now Sunday… with a double-delay, certainly we’re due an adorable kid pic, no?
Ray
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oldjudge
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#4

Post by oldjudge »

I can't wait for the end of the month and a consistent schedule.
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BarbaraK
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#5

Post by BarbaraK »

I can’t wait for the end of the month to find out what Matt’s working on. I assume he’s not getting rid of his kids, so guessing some puzzle related project.
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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sharkicicles
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#6

Post by sharkicicles »

Is it just me or is the grid essentially unsolvable?
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lbray53
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#7

Post by lbray53 »

BarbaraK wrote: ↑Sat May 13, 2023 1:39 pm I can’t wait for the end of the month to find out what Matt’s working on. I assume he’s not getting rid of his kids, so guessing some puzzle related project.
Would that mean that the end of the delay might be delayed?
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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Cindy
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#8

Post by Cindy »

A show of hands for anyone who thinks this is a week two.

We are on track for one solver per hour.
Last edited by Cindy on Sun May 14, 2023 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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MikeyG
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#9

Post by MikeyG »

Be right back, need to look up every 5-letter word in existence and see what their chance is of being the answer.
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 92. It's a Breeze
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Jeremy Smith
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#10

Post by Jeremy Smith »

sharkicicles wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 12:33 pm Is it just me or is the grid essentially unsolvable?
It seems you might have to solve the meta to complete the grid.
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Wendy Walker
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#11

Post by Wendy Walker »

Who else is hearing "Sweetheart, it's only a crossword puzzle!" and "Well, two people managed to solve it"?
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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HunterX
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#12

Post by HunterX »

Glad I’m not the only one feeling this way.
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woozy
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#13

Post by woozy »

Jeremy Smith wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 1:46 pm
sharkicicles wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 12:33 pm Is it just me or is the grid essentially unsolvable?
It seems you might have to solve the meta to complete the grid.
I haven't solved the meta but I figure there is one correct filling in of the last square but .... ???HUH???
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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schmidzy
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#14

Post by schmidzy »

Solved thanks to the discord... I got the mechanism right away but don't think I would have worked it out correctly on my own without a lot of work. Tough one, for sure.
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Joe
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#15

Post by Joe »

I keep telling myself "Matt thinks this is a Week 2 - it can't be as hard as I'm making it." And... it's not helping.
Happy to give nudges. If you notice I've solved, please tell me about avenues you've explored so I can nudge you in the right direction and not off a cliff.
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Guffman
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#16

Post by Guffman »

Thrilled to be part of the small but mighty Discord group that cracked this tougher-than-usual Week 2, to say the least.
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bflock
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#17

Post by bflock »

How does one get an invite to this infamous Discord? Feel like I have the right data. But can’t make heads or tails of what to do next.
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woozy
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#18

Post by woozy »

bflock wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 2:57 pm How does one get an invite to this infamous Discord? Feel like I have the right data. But can’t make heads or tails of what to do next.
To be honest I find discord to be more trouble than it's worth. Maybe if I understood what role it was supposed to serve.... right now it seems a place where if you don't get to it at the earliest moment all it does is taunt you with "we all were awake at this hour and solved the puzzle early but now we are deleting it". Not sure I get the point.
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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Carolyn
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#19

Post by Carolyn »

woozy wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 2:39 pm
Jeremy Smith wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 1:46 pm
sharkicicles wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 12:33 pm Is it just me or is the grid essentially unsolvable?
It seems you might have to solve the meta to complete the grid.
I haven't solved the meta but I figure there is one correct filling in of the last square but .... ???HUH???
I agree. I assume I have the correct letter, but what now?? Thought I had a pathway but it's quite convoluted!
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lbray53
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#20

Post by lbray53 »

Carolyn wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 4:09 pm
woozy wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 2:39 pm
Jeremy Smith wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 1:46 pm

It seems you might have to solve the meta to complete the grid.
I haven't solved the meta but I figure there is one correct filling in of the last square but .... ???HUH???
I agree. I assume I have the correct letter, but what now?? Thought I had a pathway but it's quite convoluted!
I am in this camp as well.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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