XWord Muggles Forum

My first rabbit hole was seeing lots of food in the grid. For instance TOAST. Then I saw WHET (WHEAT) and YEAS (YEAST) and was off on a search for bread ingredients. Thankfully, I finally noticed ROMAN numerals and things fell into place.

Jeremy Smith wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 12:11 am I failed to solve this, and the biggest reason is the extremely large red herring of using only the 7 Roman numerals to begin each and every clue.

Wow that is amazing. I failed to notice that. Mike is brilliant!

My favorite poem for this, Memorial Day.

lol no mention of the clue starts. Guess the space is pretty limited. Maybe it was a coincidence.

I think I forgot to post this week here, as I was travelling, but I did solve the meta and submit on time!

I never noticed that all the clues started with roman numerals. Instead, I came in the cellar door. I finally (after two days of blind gawping) looked at 66A, and thought, ok, find a number and convert it to Roman numerals. 51D was the only number expressed in numerals ("Founded in 1440"), which gives MCDXL. Locating the single instances of each of those letters in the grid pointed to "EGANO" (the preceding letters), which gave the answer. Another search confirmed that O and R preceded the only I and V, so that was it.

Can I have my mug now?

Jeremy Smith wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 12:11 am I failed to solve this, and the biggest reason is the extremely large red herring of using only the 7 Roman numerals to begin each and every clue.

Even though I successfully solved the puzzle, I really didn't like that gimmick. If this were a regular themed puzzle, very nice bow but this is a meta where anything out of the ordinary will be -and more often than not meant to be- construed as part of the final mechanism. That gimmick was one of the hugest red herrings I've ever seen and along with JOINS at 1-A made me spend hours try to join roman numerals with pertinent answers and clues.

Also, the Roman numerals appear in the grid with almost perfect symmetry, in order. That, along with a single appearance each, along with the initial letters of every clue? A bear of a construction process. A gem of a solve.

I too started by noticing the clues and that rapidly led me to noticing the Roman numerals in the grid. I treaded water there for a short while halfway ashore. On a brief bathroom break, a source of inspiration pointed out by DrTom in the MGWCC forum, the final click came. I walked up to the puzzle and wrote out the answer. My daughter in law asked incredulously “did you just solve that?”. Yes I did. So like post enlightenment we need a term for this if not already extant. DrTom?

Streroto wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:00 am I too started by noticing the clues and that rapidly led me to noticing the Roman numerals in the grid. I treaded water there for a short while halfway ashore. On a brief bathroom break, a source of inspiration pointed out by DrTom in the MGWCC forum, the final click came. I walked up to the puzzle and wrote out the answer. My daughter in law asked incredulously “did you just solve that?”. Yes I did. So like post enlightenment we need a term for this if not already extant. DrTom?

What about "mic drop" (mic being short for micturition)?

Wendy Walker wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:24 am

Streroto wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:00 am I too started by noticing the clues and that rapidly led me to noticing the Roman numerals in the grid. I treaded water there for a short while halfway ashore. On a brief bathroom break, a source of inspiration pointed out by DrTom in the MGWCC forum, the final click came. I walked up to the puzzle and wrote out the answer. My daughter in law asked incredulously “did you just solve that?”. Yes I did. So like post enlightenment we need a term for this if not already extant. DrTom?

What about "mic drop" (mic being short for micturition)?

Though I certainly do like MICturition Drop it is way too politically correct. As you might imagine I have several suggestions:
Elimination Illumination (or Elucidation)
Streaming the answer
Poop Scoop
Got to the bottom of it
Cracking the case
Shower Power
A Brush with success
Dental Decipher

I have another but one has to accept the use of a Foreign language. Taking the French for shower and adding Denoument - might be a step too far?

S, S, S, & Solve?

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:38 am S, S, S, & Solve?

Ah yes, a military term as memory serves - well except for the "solve"

We probably need a Zoom vote on the new term(s)

DrTom wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:53 am

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:38 am S, S, S, & Solve?

Ah yes, a military term as memory serves - well except for the "solve"

My dad used the 3S phrase all the time. Along with S on a shingle.

Streroto wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:00 am I too started by noticing the clues and that rapidly led me to noticing the Roman numerals in the grid. I treaded water there for a short while halfway ashore. On a brief bathroom break, a source of inspiration pointed out by DrTom in the MGWCC forum, the final click came. I walked up to the puzzle and wrote out the answer. My daughter in law asked incredulously “did you just solve that?”. Yes I did. So like post enlightenment we need a term for this if not already extant. DrTom?

Streroto,

yes, in street vernacular, we call this a “swoosh!”

DBMiller wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:58 am

DrTom wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:53 am

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:38 am S, S, S, & Solve?

Ah yes, a military term as memory serves - well except for the "solve"

My dad used the 3S phrase all the time. Along with S on a shingle.

My dad would just say SOS for creamed dried beef on toast.

I must come clean and admit that although I solved the puzzle, I missed its brilliant finer points, including the single use of each of the Roman numerals in the grid and their exclusive use to begin each clue.

For no justifiable reason, I decided that the theme entries were the five omitting JOINS and ROMAN, and that I needed, as "Step 1," the first letter of RAW NERVES, the second of SEXTANTS, the third of EGGLESS, the fourth of SARACENS, and the fifth of ATE AND RAN, and then I decided, for "Step 2" that the resulting REGAN was "egg"-less, or at least O-less, so I added one at either end for the solution. Coincidentally, my misguided method yielded the same letters as the ones next to the Roman numerals, except that I selected the R in RAW rather than the one by the V in NERVES.

Anyway, that's my true confession for the week.