"AP English" - January 8, 2021

A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
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Joe Ross
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#401

Post by Joe Ross »

20210108 AP English solution JPR.png
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024

PLATELET ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ.
๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ENORMOUS ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ:
๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ,
๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต, ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ,
๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ & ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฎ. ๐—ฃ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—ฆ๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—›๐—”๐—ฅ๐—˜!
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ReB
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#402

Post by ReB »

DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:37 pm
Tom Shea wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:42 pm
DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:38 pm By the by - dis anyone do the Saturday Crossword by Gary Larson? I thought it immensely clever. The answers were of course interesting but the cluing...I assume this is the "Far Side" Gary Larson and I have always liked his rather twisted humor. But if it is NOT that Gary Larson, I like his twisted humor as well.
Different guy, but also enjoyable.
Thanks Tom, I tired to look it up but really did not get anything confirmatory. As a speaker I often "borrowed" his cartoons to add levity to a stirring discussion of say " Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agents and their Effect on Renal Perfusion" which sorely needed levity.

abd pain.jpg
I've often wondered if using one without asking was considered Larsony?
For that, I sentence you to exile on the far side of the moon.
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#403

Post by DrTom »

ReB wrote: โ†‘Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:01 am
DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:37 pm
Tom Shea wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:42 pm

Different guy, but also enjoyable.
Thanks Tom, I tired to look it up but really did not get anything confirmatory. As a speaker I often "borrowed" his cartoons to add levity to a stirring discussion of say " Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agents and their Effect on Renal Perfusion" which sorely needed levity.

abd pain.jpg
I've often wondered if using one without asking was considered Larsony?
For that, I sentence you to exile on the far side of the moon.
uh, I've been shown the moon before.....
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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#404

Post by C=64 »

It has since been overwritten with "inside" because we had different containers for our indoor and outdoor (feral) cats, but this rubbermaid lid originally said "cat fud".
20210110_211929.jpg
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#405

Post by jhseeman »

sharkicicles wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:23 pm
jhseeman wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:19 pm Stuck in a rabbit hole, running short of bourbon.....a little nudge or at least some decent bourbon would be appreciated.
Sent you a slight nudge.
Thanks that was enough, I was down a path alongside it, but that made it click.
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Eric Porter
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#406

Post by Eric Porter »

The July 12, 2019 puzzle was AP CHEMISTRY, also with Peter Muller as a co-author. I remembered it as soon as I saw the title because I sometimes look through the old puzzles.

Maybe in another year and a half we can get a new subject.
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#407

Post by Mister Squawk »

mitchel674 wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:19 am I'm still stuck. I dislike the puzzles with the asterisks. I feel even worse when I cannot solve the meta and the important clues have been listed for me!
Actually, the presence of asterisked clues is in itself an important clue -- it indicates that the connection between the answers in the grid that are used to form the meta cannot be adduced from the answers themselves. So rather than trying to figure out which clues have "something in common" you can go directly to other avenues (adjacencies, spatial gimmicks, etc.).

But yeah, when I see this asterisks, my first thought is "what, does Mike think I'm too dumb to figure this out myself?"
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#408

Post by Bird Lives »

AP English s.jpg
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#409

Post by Tom Shea »

DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:37 pm
Tom Shea wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:42 pm
DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:38 pm By the by - dis anyone do the Saturday Crossword by Gary Larson? I thought it immensely clever. The answers were of course interesting but the cluing...I assume this is the "Far Side" Gary Larson and I have always liked his rather twisted humor. But if it is NOT that Gary Larson, I like his twisted humor as well.
Different guy, but also enjoyable.
Thanks Tom, I tired to look it up but really did not get anything confirmatory. As a speaker I often "borrowed" his cartoons to add levity to a stirring discussion of say " Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agents and their Effect on Renal Perfusion" which sorely needed levity.

Imagine a cartoon showing a group of surgeons extracting a porcupine from the belly of a patient and saying "Well I guess that explains the abdominal pain"

CARTOON REMOVED - HEAD HUNG SHEEPISHLY - THOUGH THANKFULLY NOT FROM A PLAQUE ON THE WALL

I've often wondered if using one without asking was considered Larsony? (was alerted to comment from Gary Larson RE: "borrowed" works https://www.thefarside.com/about/48/a-l ... ary-larson)
In surgery: Boing! (flying internal organ) Surgeon: Watch where that thing lands. We'll probably need it.
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Joe Ross
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#410

Post by Joe Ross »

DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:38 pm By the by - did anyone do the Saturday Crossword by Gary Larson? I thought it immensely clever. The answers were of course interesting but the cluing...I assume this is the "Far Side" Gary Larson and I have always liked his rather twisted humor. But if it is NOT that Gary Larson, I like his twisted humor as well.
Huge thanks to DrTom for raising the Gary Larson question & to all who have contributed some of their favorite Far Side panels. It focused my mind and presented the obvious, perfect birthday gift for my twin sons: The Complete Far Side.

Sure, they have it memorized, but they were not allowed to take any of his books with them when they left the nest. When they welcome my grandtwerps to this world, someday, they'll receive the perfect parenting bible: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024

PLATELET ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ.
๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ENORMOUS ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ:
๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ,
๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ% ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต, ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ,
๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ & ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฎ. ๐—ฃ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—ฆ๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—›๐—”๐—ฅ๐—˜!
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#411

Post by flyingMoose »

flyingMoose wrote: โ†‘Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:25 am I woke up with an answer, so I think I am Done.
But I had a niggling feeling about it, so I never submitted. I understood Step One, but then I went directly to my false meta - APposition. Well, perhaps APron is an apposition of sorts, but not by definition. Surely, I thought, there is a Step Two to find the 'p', 'o', etc., but I could not come up with anything. Finally, the mechanism became APparent - I had the true meta and submitted.
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#412

Post by DBMiller »

My only hiccup (That caused a minor delay), was that APexes could be TOPS and APproves could be STETS.

Took a moment to realize that the clues for both didn't match, and therefore MAXES and YESES should be used.
If I'm around, I am willing to join the Muggle Zoom room at other times to lend a hand to those in need.
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#413

Post by Bob cruise director »

DBMiller wrote: โ†‘Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:29 am My only hiccup (That caused a minor delay), was that APexes could be TOPS and APproves could be STETS.

Took a moment to realize that the clues for both didn't match, and therefore MAXES and YESES should be used.
One of the newbie muggles that asked me for a nudge got stuck on that also so a minor course correction put him over the goal line.
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#414

Post by Bob cruise director »

One of the challenges I had in giving nudges is how to do step 2 without using the word "synonym". I finally gave up trying and let them have a laugh when they got the answer
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#415

Post by Limerick Savant »

Thought this verse too much of a tell earlier

If Itโ€™s All the Same to You

In my quest for some Muggles acclaim
Iโ€™ll address my approach to this game
I employed Advanced Placement
In regard to (re:)placement
I assumed weโ€™re all seeking the same

Loved this weekโ€™s cruise btw
Last edited by Limerick Savant on Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
Dedicated to no nonsense nonsense
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#416

Post by Al Sisti »

Joe Ross wrote: โ†‘Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:35 am
DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:38 pm By the by - did anyone do the Saturday Crossword by Gary Larson? I thought it immensely clever. The answers were of course interesting but the cluing...I assume this is the "Far Side" Gary Larson and I have always liked his rather twisted humor. But if it is NOT that Gary Larson, I like his twisted humor as well.
Huge thanks to DrTom for raising the Gary Larson question & to all who have contributed some of their favorite Far Side panels. It focused my mind and presented the obvious, perfect birthday gift for my twin sons: The Complete Far Side.

Sure, they have it memorized, but they were not allowed to take any of his books with them when they left the nest. When they welcome my grandtwerps to this world, someday, they'll receive the perfect parenting bible: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.
My three favorites were (and this is kind of like just throwing out punch lines with no set up):
-- "Bummer of a birthmark, Hal"
-- "We should write that spot down"
-- "Ow! Dang, Thag hit head on -- what you call those ones that hang down?"
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#417

Post by eagle1279 »

Mister Squawk wrote: โ†‘Mon Jan 11, 2021 5:44 am
mitchel674 wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:19 am I'm still stuck. I dislike the puzzles with the asterisks. I feel even worse when I cannot solve the meta and the important clues have been listed for me!
Actually, the presence of asterisked clues is in itself an important clue -- it indicates that the connection between the answers in the grid that are used to form the meta cannot be adduced from the answers themselves. So rather than trying to figure out which clues have "something in common" you can go directly to other avenues (adjacencies, spatial gimmicks, etc.).

But yeah, when I see this asterisks, my first thought is "what, does Mike think I'm too dumb to figure this out myself?"
I for one would never have solved without the asterisks. To find all the answers that become other words with the addition of AP, even if Iโ€™d thought of it, wouldโ€™ve been daunting. So when I see asterisks, I say, โ€œ Thank you Mike!โ€
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#418

Post by DrTom »

Tom Shea wrote: โ†‘Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:30 am
DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:37 pm
Tom Shea wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:42 pm

Different guy, but also enjoyable.
Thanks Tom, I tired to look it up but really did not get anything confirmatory. As a speaker I often "borrowed" his cartoons to add levity to a stirring discussion of say " Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agents and their Effect on Renal Perfusion" which sorely needed levity.

Imagine a cartoon showing a group of surgeons extracting a porcupine from the belly of a patient and saying "Well I guess that explains the abdominal pain"

CARTOON REMOVED - HEAD HUNG SHEEPISHLY - THOUGH THANKFULLY NOT FROM A PLAQUE ON THE WALL

I've often wondered if using one without asking was considered Larsony? (was alerted to comment from Gary Larson RE: "borrowed" works https://www.thefarside.com/about/48/a-l ... ary-larson)
In surgery: Boing! (flying internal organ) Surgeon: Watch where that thing lands. We'll probably need it.
Indeed, another one of those you chuckle at, at least when you READ it. Relying on apocrypha/anecdote from surgeon friends of mine that can be a real "Oh CRAP!" moment. Apparently slimy, wet things in crowded spaces are not the easiest to hang onto with nitrile gloves (I don't know if latex was any easier, but I doubt there are many places that still use the evil latex, and if they do they pack them full of peanuts and probably gluten....)
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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#419

Post by DrTom »

Al Sisti wrote: โ†‘Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:22 am
Joe Ross wrote: โ†‘Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:35 am
DrTom wrote: โ†‘Sun Jan 10, 2021 6:38 pm By the by - did anyone do the Saturday Crossword by Gary Larson? I thought it immensely clever. The answers were of course interesting but the cluing...I assume this is the "Far Side" Gary Larson and I have always liked his rather twisted humor. But if it is NOT that Gary Larson, I like his twisted humor as well.
Huge thanks to DrTom for raising the Gary Larson question & to all who have contributed some of their favorite Far Side panels. It focused my mind and presented the obvious, perfect birthday gift for my twin sons: The Complete Far Side.

Sure, they have it memorized, but they were not allowed to take any of his books with them when they left the nest. When they welcome my grandtwerps to this world, someday, they'll receive the perfect parenting bible: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes.
My three favorites were (and this is kind of like just throwing out punch lines with no set up):
-- "Bummer of a birthmark, Hal"
-- "We should write that spot down"
-- "Ow! Dang, Thag hit head on -- what you call those ones that hang down?"
and yet everyone who has probably lived more than 40 years on this earth is laughing uncontrollably knowing EXACTLY the cartoon.
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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DrTom
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#420

Post by DrTom »

Wow, and pursuant to what we were discussing with using a GL Cartoon. Now I will admit to using them in LOTS of presentations, but none of which where I was selling a product or getting much more than an honorarium (or alternatively disdain from my students). However, if you Google "Maybe we should write that spot down", the commercial applications are prolific!
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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