"Missing in Action"

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
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FrankH
Posts: 242
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:15 am

#21

Post by FrankH »

Off the couch.
Schmeel
Posts: 1642
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 2:38 pm

#22

Post by Schmeel »

Off the couch.
Quite an enjoyable puzzle.
Dow Jones
Posts: 472
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: Yakima, WA

#23

Post by Dow Jones »

OTC. Fun grid, clues and meta. Maybe Al will reveal his inspiration for this puzzle after the reveal.
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Cinny
Posts: 805
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 2:53 pm
Location: Minoa, NY
Contact:

#24

Post by Cinny »

I believe I'm off the couch. Waiting confirmation. It was a fun puzzle and felt good to actually solve one the same day I got it!! Of course, that's assuming my answer is correct!🤣

Confirmed!!
Cindy Heisler
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Anita
Posts: 433
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:55 am

#25

Post by Anita »

Awaiting confirmation. This was a fun one!
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Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
Posts: 4511
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#26

Post by Bob cruise director »

I am still working on this but the big question I have is who this guy Alex is. I know his brother Al but never heard of Alex.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
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lbray53
Posts: 1194
Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 8:34 am
Location: Elkhorn, WI

#27

Post by lbray53 »

Off the couch. I actually back solved and made that more of a challenge by having 20A filled in incorrectly. I read LOTR 48 years ago and did not see the movie. I had also filled in 2D without checking the spelling. Very fun when I figured it out. There are some nice nuances when you look back at the cluing and grid.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#28

Post by Al Sisti »

Anita wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 11:07 am Awaiting confirmation. This was a fun one!
Not sure I got your PM?
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spotter
Posts: 311
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:48 pm
Location: SLO, CA

#29

Post by spotter »

I believe I'm off the couch!
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HeadinHome
Posts: 1067
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:06 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

#30

Post by HeadinHome »

Well that was clever! I had no idea there were a number of xword constructors among the muggles.. guess it figures!
In all honesty I remember the event but couldn’t have come up with the name. (Once I had all the letters for the answer I had to look up to confirm that it was correct .. yes that rang a bell.). And confirmed by the extra clue in the puzzle.

How you people do this I do not know! Hats off.
The other Wendy. :roll:
LesY
Posts: 678
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 4:21 pm

#31

Post by LesY »

Great puzzle, Al! Thanks for continuing to do these.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Tom Wilson
Posts: 390
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:07 pm
Location: South Williamsport, PA

#32

Post by Tom Wilson »

Well-played, Master Al!

Off the couch ... at least for now. I'm planning a triumphant return tomorrow afternoon, carving out some cushiony turf between drying dishes and relishing pie.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/dini ... a-nap.html
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#33

Post by Al Sisti »

Happy Nudge Day! Our solverboard so far is:

1 Meg
2 Cindy
3 Kay W
4 Bird Lives
5 ChrisKochmanski
6 Joe Ross
7 boharr
8 Laura M
9 Dannyvee
10 Dave C
11 Rpardoe
12 oldjudge
13 DJB
14 Cinny
15 Whimsey
16 m5rammy
17 FrankH
18 Sfull411
19 Schmeel
20 Dow Jones
21 madhatter5
22 spotter
23 FrankieHeck
24 LesY
25 Tom Wilson
26 Abide
27 BrianMac
28 Anita
29 Hector
30 lbray53
31 HeadinHome

For those who haven't solved it yet, here is nudge #1:

The themed clues are serving double duty. Read one way, or part way, they lead to the grid entry. Parsed another way, they can be answered with a slightly longer answer.
Last edited by Al Sisti on Wed Nov 25, 2020 8:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Richard B.
Posts: 547
Joined: Sat May 16, 2020 1:58 pm
Location: upper west side, NYC

#34

Post by Richard B. »

Ok, got it! Thanks as always, Al.
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DrTom
Posts: 3765
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#35

Post by DrTom »

I believe I am now off the couch (waiting for confirmation) so I can therefore start the Thanksgiving cooking. I mean how in good conscience could I go about trying to complete a dinner if I could not complete a META (now thankfully that was Missing in Action and not Missing Pieces or we would not have eaten tomorrow).

Thanks Al for a clever and doable puzzle. Oh, and Mr. Bonda called and had some question about the other guy's name....
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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Beth Tyrpin
Posts: 512
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:11 pm

#36

Post by Beth Tyrpin »

🛋
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#37

Post by Al Sisti »

Nudge #2:

Usually the long center row entry has important -- and sometimes double -- connotations. This one is no different.
Dplass
Posts: 1739
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#38

Post by Dplass »

I believe I'm off the couch, after nudge #1. Thanks for the puzzle!
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2037
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#39

Post by Al Sisti »

Nudge #3:

For most air travelers, the number of landings = the number of takeoffs. Not so for this guy.
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TMart
Posts: 816
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:13 am
Location: Malvern, PA

#40

Post by TMart »

Off the couch! Excellent meta with great cluing, as always. Thanks Al!
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