"Super Secret"

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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Abide
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#81

Post by Abide »

KayW wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 3:14 pm
:) Thanks @Meg - but the design was all Peter's. I just pushed the buttons to make it happen.
I’ll admit to going a little Perry White on Kay, but I can’t even solve in Excel, much less create something...
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michaelm
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Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2020 3:21 pm

#82

Post by michaelm »

Abide wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 12:08 am Super Secret reveal:

SuperSecretImage14.PNG
Credit: KayW

In connection with National Superhero Day, April 28, we were looking for a ten-letter fictional character. For an explanation of the mechanism, here's @BrennerTJ (Tamara) via PM

Hi Peter,

Took me a couple of looks, but I think I have it now.
First, add 'man' to AQUA, SPIDER, IRON, BAT, and PLASTIC - that makes a bunch o' Superheroes.
Then list out the Super Secret ALTER EGO of each, focus on LAST name (Curry, Parker, Stark, Wayne, Obrian).
Then use the number in parentheses to extract the appropriate letter (1 or 2) from each of the alter ego last names, which produces CATWO.
Then add 'man', which gets us to CATWOMAN - which is only 7 letters long so can't be the final answer.
Then find out Catwoman's alter ego, which is SELINA KYLE - this fits as a 10-letter fictional character and is therefore my answer.

:)

Sounds so simple, but a number of red herrings (most unintentional), the dreaded parentheses, and a tougher grid required feats of strength (and Google) for several experienced solvers. I heard from Gorilla-Man, Jack Aubrey, Crab Rangoon, and others. Maybe some of them will share their rabbit holes.

When the dust settled, Meta-Woman @FrankieHeck took home the prize. Thanks to all for solving!
That was Awesome, Man!
minimuggle
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Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2020 7:33 am

#83

Post by minimuggle »

I never got off the couch but I thoroughly enjoyed trying. Thanks for this super creative puzzle. Anyone who solved is a superhero in my book.
hoover
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Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:26 pm

#84

Post by hoover »

Ugh. I found the AQUA, PLASTIC, etc. and realized that I needed to add MAN to them to make the SUPERhero names, but then I fell down the rabbit hole with SECRET. See, there were five of them, and I was looking for the sixth, and PLASTIC MAN was a member of the SECRET SIX, but I couldn't make the others fit.
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ReB
Posts: 667
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:34 pm
Location: East Tennessee

#85

Post by ReB »

Abide wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 12:08 am Super Secret reveal:

SuperSecretImage14.PNG
Credit: KayW

In connection with National Superhero Day, April 28, we were looking for a ten-letter fictional character. For an explanation of the mechanism, here's @BrennerTJ (Tamara) via PM

Hi Peter,

Took me a couple of looks, but I think I have it now.
First, add 'man' to AQUA, SPIDER, IRON, BAT, and PLASTIC - that makes a bunch o' Superheroes.
Then list out the Super Secret ALTER EGO of each, focus on LAST name (Curry, Parker, Stark, Wayne, Obrian).
Then use the number in parentheses to extract the appropriate letter (1 or 2) from each of the alter ego last names, which produces CATWO.
Then add 'man', which gets us to CATWOMAN - which is only 7 letters long so can't be the final answer.
Then find out Catwoman's alter ego, which is SELINA KYLE - this fits as a 10-letter fictional character and is therefore my answer.

:)

Sounds so simple, but a number of red herrings (most unintentional), the dreaded parentheses, and a tougher grid required feats of strength (and Google) for several experienced solvers. I heard from Gorilla-Man, Jack Aubrey, Crab Rangoon, and others. Maybe some of them will share their rabbit holes.

When the dust settled, Meta-Woman @FrankieHeck took home the prize. Thanks to all for solving!
I quickly picked up MAN and then looked up the secret identities (as suggested by the title) via Google, but managed to drop the ball by not applying the parentheses to them properly. Then it all dwindled away as the spoilers didn't help, and life got busy.

Sometimes the sparks just don't set the tinder afire.
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MamaE
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Location: Maryland

#86

Post by MamaE »

Hi all - @Abide asked me to write up an odd red herring which I discovered in this puzzle. Here goes:


First I found the five themers, realized they were superheroes, and either knew or googled their alter egos:

AQUAMARINE -----> AQUAMAN ------> ARTHUR CURRY
SPIDERCRAB -------> SPIDERMAN -------> PETER PARKER
IRONEAGLE -------> IRONMAN ---------> TONY STARK
BATCLEANUP -------> BATMAN ----------> BRUCE WAYNE
PLASTICCUP ----------> PLASTICMAN --------> PATRICK "EEL" O'BRIEN

I then tried to figure out what the heck the numbers in the parentheses meant. I looked at the first names of the alter egos and took that number of letters from the first names of each one....which resulted in:

A (from ARTHUR CURRY)
PE (from PETER PARKER)
TO (from TONY STARK)
B (from BRUCE WAYNE)
"E" (assuming that we use the nickname for plasticman's alter ego)

- or APE TO BE

I thought, hmmm....gorillas are very well known great apes. I then looked at gorilla named superheroes and the rest, as they say, is rabbit hole history!

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Gorilla-Man

- Mama E
- Just puzzling it out here in Delmarva :D
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Meg
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Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#87

Post by Meg »

@MamaE , I found APE TO BE too. Brian reaction was "Nah…".
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joequavis
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#88

Post by joequavis »

Meg wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 6:04 pm @MamaE , I found APE TO BE too. Brian reaction was "Nah…".
+2
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joequavis
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Location: Windsor, Colorado

#89

Post by joequavis »

MamaE wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 5:40 pm Hi all - @Abide asked me to write up an odd red herring which I discovered in this puzzle. Here goes:


First I found the five themers, realized they were superheroes, and either knew or googled their alter egos:

AQUAMARINE -----> AQUAMAN ------> ARTHUR CURRY
SPIDERCRAB -------> SPIDERMAN -------> PETER PARKER
IRONEAGLE -------> IRONMAN ---------> TONY STARK
BATCLEANUP -------> BATMAN ----------> BRUCE WAYNE
PLASTICCUP ----------> PLASTICMAN --------> PATRICK "EEL" O'BRIEN

I then tried to figure out what the heck the numbers in the parentheses meant. I looked at the first names of the alter egos and took that number of letters from the first names of each one....which resulted in:

A (from ARTHUR CURRY)
PE (from PETER PARKER)
TO (from TONY STARK)
B (from BRUCE WAYNE)
"E" (assuming that we use the nickname for plasticman's alter ego)

- or APE TO BE

I thought, hmmm....gorillas are very well known great apes. I then looked at gorilla named superheroes and the rest, as they say, is rabbit hole history!

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Gorilla-Man

- Mama E
Using "E" for PlasticMan is a bit of a stretch :lol:
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