MEOW #33: Got Any Change?

A weekly meta crossword on the forum started by member Josh (aka madhatter5). These puzzles are often very creative with solving mechanisms out of the norm and skewing towards the more challenging. Puzzles are posted every Wednesday, and the solution appears the following Tuesday.
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KayW
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#21

Post by KayW »

I needed a LOT of help, but the cat is finally out. OMG this meta is BRILLIANT!!
Kudos @madhatter5 and @Abide :bouquet: :bouquet:
CatPulled.jpg
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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cbarbee002
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#22

Post by cbarbee002 »

Ditto. Hidden in plain sight, as usual. Great construction!
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ajk
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#23

Post by ajk »

OK, got it pretty quickly using both nudges. Not sure I would have gotten it otherwise, although I had a decent initial thought.
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
hoover
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#24

Post by hoover »

hoover wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:42 pm I solved the grid with the speed of a cheetah but the meta eludes me. I think I can guess the answer but I can't find my way to it. As it is 14:40 in my household, the cats are in various indecent positions of napping and are not being helpful with the meta.
The cats are up and about and have fallen out of the bag. The first nudge gave me enough to go on to actually *find* the meta answer vs. just guessing it.
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Bird Lives
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#25

Post by Bird Lives »

One glance at the first nudge and it all became clear. I had been swimming after some red herrings.
Congraats to those who solved it unnudged.
Jay
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Wendy Walker
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#26

Post by Wendy Walker »

Just got this one with the help of (1) the Abide nudge and (2) significant other Mark, normally NOT a puzzler!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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DrTom
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#27

Post by DrTom »

Well I got the mechanism finally but I had the answer in the first few minutes. Still a cool puzzle when it is finally clear.

Good teamwork!
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!
madhatter5
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#28

Post by madhatter5 »

Solution:

In the middle of the grid is a 2x2 block that spells HEAD. If you "change" those letters to TAIL you spell out four new words:

STANK
STICK
SEAL
FACILE


Those words are clues to the following entries:

FAILED
LINGER
INSIGNIA
PAINLESS



And taking the first letters of these entries gives us the answer, FLIP
https://pandorasblocks.org/crosswords-for-cancer
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RPardoe
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#29

Post by RPardoe »

Apologies to Josh & Peter - I guessed the answer as it "fit" the prompt and was coin related.
I then "confirmed" it by seeing HEAD could "flip" to TAILS in the grid, but never saw the initial letters of the entries spelling the word for a true final click/confirmation.
Dplass
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#30

Post by Dplass »

RPardoe wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:13 am Apologies to Josh & Peter - I guessed the answer as it "fit" the prompt and was coin related.
I then "confirmed" it by seeing HEAD could "flip" to TAILS in the grid, but never saw the initial letters of the entries spelling the word for a true final click/confirmation.
Same here.
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auee89
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#31

Post by auee89 »

Dplass wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:27 am
RPardoe wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:13 am Apologies to Josh & Peter - I guessed the answer as it "fit" the prompt and was coin related.
I then "confirmed" it by seeing HEAD could "flip" to TAILS in the grid, but never saw the initial letters of the entries spelling the word for a true final click/confirmation.
Same here.
Me, too!
Kevin
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Meg
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#32

Post by Meg »

RPardoe wrote: Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:13 am Apologies to Josh & Peter - I guessed the answer as it "fit" the prompt and was coin related.
I then "confirmed" it by seeing HEAD could "flip" to TAILS in the grid, but never saw the initial letters of the entries spelling the word for a true final click/confirmation.
Ditto. I hate it when there’s elegance that I totally miss!
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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