"2020 Foresight"

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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cbarbee002
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#41

Post by cbarbee002 »

Those springing off the seat today:

Seadub
Schmeel
Kay W
Laura M
Joe Ross
lbray53
Dave C
BrennerTJ
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BrennerTJ
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Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2021 2:54 pm
Location: Chicago suburbs

#42

Post by BrennerTJ »

Thanks for the puzzle, nudges and all - agree with the comments re nice construction.
-Tamara
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Wendy Walker
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Location: Unionville, PA

#43

Post by Wendy Walker »

Mark works on the Monday Muggle Meta during date night at Fuego Eats; note the printout of 41A on the clipboard.
Attachments
snellen.jpg
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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cbarbee002
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#44

Post by cbarbee002 »

Thursday update:

Bird Lives
bhamren

And also a (probably last one needed) nudge.

A better clue for 1D probably would have been "Dir. of sports in Starksville" (vs. Head of sports . . .), but I couldn't begin the clue with a D.
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bhamren
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#45

Post by bhamren »

I never would have gotten this without spoilers 3 and 4. Even then it took a while to find the "other method". Whew!
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ReB
Posts: 667
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:34 pm
Location: East Tennessee

#46

Post by ReB »

Finally got it with the fifth nudge. Actually I had tried the second step method earlier, but got mixed up on which letters I was using and thus gave up because it didn't work. Complex composition that represented much effort on other part of the author. Unfortunately, I did not have an enjoyable time with this, probably because of the bewilderment of letters that the puzzle entailed.
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Bob cruise director
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Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#47

Post by Bob cruise director »

Finally got it but it was painful - awaiting confirmation

Just in time for the WSJ meta
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
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whimsy
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Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Hopkinton MA

#48

Post by whimsy »

cbarbee002 wrote: Thu Feb 11, 2021 9:31 am

And also a (probably last one needed) nudge.
One would think so, wouldn't one? :P
My answer has just been confirmed, but I believe I may hold the title for most nudges required!
Captureblockhead.JPG
So no bounding off the couch -- more like slinking ---
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Abide
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#49

Post by Abide »

And on the fifth nudge...
rocket couch.jpeg
Very nice payoff!
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cbarbee002
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#50

Post by cbarbee002 »

Sofa-free update:

ReB
Bob cruise director
Whimsy
Cindy N
Abide
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C=64
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Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2020 8:29 pm
Location: PDX

#51

Post by C=64 »

I caught the 41A hint early on but found this meta too convoluted to be enjoyable; "solved" after the nudges.
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FrankH
Posts: 242
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:15 am

#52

Post by FrankH »

Needed all the nudges to get me off the couch.
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Wendy Walker
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Location: Unionville, PA

#53

Post by Wendy Walker »

Thank you to Cruise Director Bob for putting me out of my misery!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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DrTom
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

#54

Post by DrTom »

WOW!!! Chris you sure make a mean puzzle, you don't rate them for beans (Week 3 for JANGLER maybe) but they are very cool and very sophisticated. I finally was dragged kicking and screaming over the finish line. I don't dare say GOT IT for fear of hypocrisy. So I'm really not so much off the couch as on the mend. GREAT puzzle.
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!
JeanneC
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Location: Florida

#55

Post by JeanneC »

Hat’s off to you, sir! I have been playing with this meta since it appeared. Despite the kindly nudges, spoilers and whatever, I am still crying in the darkness. I ask for no further nudges, spoilers or hints. I will go to the end of Sunday picking this puzzle up, putting it down, picking it up, putting it down....

I feel like that illustrious (and over emoting) captain of the Enterprise when he let go with “Khaaaaaaaaaannnnnnn”!

Boy! Is this fun! 😁
“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions”. Lillian Hellman
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cbarbee002
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#56

Post by cbarbee002 »

Last update of those off the couch:

Wendy Walker
Frank H
Beth Tyrpin
Naptown Kid
DrTom

AND, for anyone still working on it, here is the solution:

The first and last (as hinted in clues 5A and 10A) letters of the four theme answers (yellow highlights below) yield DEFPOTEC. The clue for 41A, which is "Visual aid, such as what Herman Snellen developed", contains more information than what is needed to clue the answer (i.e. the clue could have stopped at "visual aid"), and therefore was meant to direct the solver to look up Herman Snellen (which seems like a weird reference to have in a clue) and discover that he developed a standard eye chart for use by opticians. Googling the chart would reveal that the 20/20 (thematic) line is DEFPOTEC.

The title prompt, " . . . . seven-letter word for how things will look after 2020" was meant to a) get the solver to look at another line "after 2020", and b) to specifically look at the 20/25 line since it's seven letters long Those letters (FELOPZD) obviously are gibberish, so the mechanism to convert them to a real word was to look at the grid clues and notice that only one clue starts with each of those letters (FELOPZD). The first letters of the answers to those seven clues, in order (63A, 19D, 44A, 39D, 59D, 15A, 40A), reveal the meta answer, UNCLEAR.

Based on comments (which seemed evenly divided between "nice meta", and "I hope he's feeling these needles in the voodoo doll"), I clearly underestimated the difficulty. As I said to someone, when you already know the path, it's difficult to judge how difficult the solve will be (which is why I'm always amazed at how Gaffney generally is able to gauge the difficulty and ratchet it up over the month).

My thanks to those who stuck with it to the end, and my apologies to those who spent too much time chasing the wrong rabbits. I can say that I had a great time getting it to work. :-)
Attachments
IMG_5160.jpg
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boharr
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#57

Post by boharr »

This is a very impressive puzzle. Thank you. And do more!
Dplass
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#58

Post by Dplass »

Dumb question...what does the 1D answer mean?
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Joe Ross
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Location: Cincinnati

#59

Post by Joe Ross »

I think if you had advertised this as a Week 5ish puzzle, everyone would have proclaimed you the genius you are, Chris. This puzzle was difficult, but well-constructed! Changing the mechanism is a Week 5 move, IMO, so not as appreciated if easier was expected.

Looking forward to your next effort, Chris. 🙂

HUGE kudos to Jay/oldjudge for being the first to solve and to all others who solved solo & without nudges.
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Meg
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#60

Post by Meg »

Mississippi Athletic Director. Toughie.
Edit: I have been informed by one more knowledgeable than me (Joe Ross) that it is Mississippi State Athletic Director.
Last edited by Meg on Sun Feb 14, 2021 3:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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