Q&A With Matt Gaffney June 29

This is a place to learn about the Muggles community and some of the terminology we use. It also contains suggested strategies for solving meta crosswords, as well as a repository of all past WSJ crossword contests and solutions.
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Joe Ross
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#81

Post by Joe Ross »

But which halves of the mug do Ms. K and Ms. Kay prefer?

Having Dr. Adam Bricker staring at me from a prized place in the home might be a touch unsettling, but that's me. I'd spend hours staring at it, awaiting the slight turndown at a corner of his mouth, with a raised eyebrow or two, denoting his judgment of my latest life choices.
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024

PLATELET ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ.
๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ENORMOUS ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ:
๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ,
๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต, ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ,
๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ & ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฎ. ๐—ฃ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—ฆ๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—›๐—”๐—ฅ๐—˜!
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KayW
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#82

Post by KayW »

LOL I stand by my first guess of 300- which is really what I think (or at least hope!) will happen. And tho Brian said he would flip a coin in case of a tie, I hereby cede rights to the prize to Barbara when (not IF) "we" win.
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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BarbaraK
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#83

Post by BarbaraK »

KayW wrote: โ†‘Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:36 am LOL I stand by my first guess of 300- which is really what I think (or at least hope!) will happen. And tho Brian said he would flip a coin in case of a tie, I hereby cede rights to the prize to Barbara when (not IF) "we" win.
Perhaps we could work out a joint custody arrangement - you get it in odd numbered months, I get the evens - or something.
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hcbirker
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#84

Post by hcbirker »

Finally got to puzzle. Very fun. Took awhile to see it.
Heidi
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TMart
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#85

Post by TMart »

Iโ€™ll lob in a guess of 235 for the Zoom total - there seems to be a void around that area of guesses.
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Joe Ross
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#86

Post by Joe Ross »

(click on this image - I dare you)

Image
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Al Sisti
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#87

Post by Al Sisti »

How early should/can we log in so as not to be shut out?
EmilyW
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#88

Post by EmilyW »

222
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KayW
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#89

Post by KayW »

Al Sisti wrote: โ†‘Mon Jun 28, 2021 11:06 am How early should/can we log in so as not to be shut out?
You're not signed in and camping out now? ;)
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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MamaE
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#90

Post by MamaE »

Ok, Iโ€™ll throw my guess inโ€ฆ.229 - my husbandโ€™s dorm room # freshmen year (when we met)โ€ฆ.LOL
- Just puzzling it out here in Delmarva :D
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Bird Lives
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#91

Post by Bird Lives »

When is the census taken? In Zoom meetings I've been in, the number of participants varies as some leave and latecomers arrive.
Jay
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#92

Post by Bird Lives »

I probably won't be able to attend. But IIRC, it's going to be recorded and posted somewhere. I hope so. I also hope that someone asks him about the title. I got the right answer, but my solution, like Al Sisti's (#29), was the simplistic one, the one that completely missed the elegance of the puzzle. A different title might have made a difference.
Last edited by Bird Lives on Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jay
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SReh26
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#93

Post by SReh26 »

My guess is 116.

Itโ€˜s dinner hour right before a holiday weekend during a heat wave and Iโ€˜m (wild) guessing some of us will be too intimidated to face the Great Oz live, or intimidated by the tech, and will be relying on seeing the video replay.
JRS51
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#94

Post by JRS51 »

289

I'm planning to sign in when the Q & A begins, but I will need to leave after about 1/2 hour. I will look forward to the recorded session for the portion I can't participate in today.
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BarbaraK
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#95

Post by BarbaraK »

I was surprised that that one played as hard as it apparently did as it felt more week 2-ish to me. I wondered if the metas overall have been getting harder over the years as everyone gets more experience with them. But maybe I was just one who lucked onto the correct path right off.
Bird Lives wrote: โ†‘Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:16 pm I probably won't be able to attend. But IIRC, it's going to be recorded and posted somewhere. I hope so. I also hope that someone asks him about the title. I got the right answer, but my solution, like Al Sisti's (#29), was the simplistic one, the one that completely missed the elegance of the puzzle. A different title might have made a difference.
You can PM your question to @Bob cruise director
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mntlblok
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#96

Post by mntlblok »

Hope I can make the technology work for this thing. Pretty cool to maybe get inside info from/about a puzzle maker.

Met one of them at a club meeting/party about 20 years ago. Was fascinated to learn that, at least at that time, that there were only about 200 of them in the country. She also pointed out that coming up with the "themes" was the hard part. Had no idea at the time that some crossword puzzles *had* themes. The daily puzzles in The Louisville Times when I started trying them were both theme-less and pretty doable.

The party had Richard Lederer, "verbivore", as the guest and reason for the get together. Pestered him to death and even got him over for some tennis whilst in town. *Very* good player - and tall. He and our puzzle writer also ended up collaborating on a crossword puzzle book.
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CPJohnson
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#97

Post by CPJohnson »

285
Cynthia
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JordanianTomlinson
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#98

Post by JordanianTomlinson »

191 - my lucky number!
higgysue
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#99

Post by higgysue »

256
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hcbirker
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#100

Post by hcbirker »

157
Heidi
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