"Make Him From Them" - January 29, 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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Flamel616
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#321

Post by Flamel616 »

Not sure if many people remember me, but I was somewhat active last summer. Decided to take a look this week, for old times' sake, and I found an answer. Hopefully it's as easy as everyone seems to think it is.

Ashore during my first tour in months. Well, I would be if there was room. Maybe I'll just sit on this raft here...
As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.
BeTheLight
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#322

Post by BeTheLight »

Was onshore since Thursday night, but I was pretty sure I was missing a step. Like the week before, there may be a more elegant path but I cannot exactly figure it out. Regardless, I'm happy with my solution.
burak
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#323

Post by burak »

Submitted my educated guess answer. Just like last week, I'm 100% positive that I missed a couple of steps that make this more elegant than it seems. Or I'm wrong. Will find out in 13 minutes!
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sphorning
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#324

Post by sphorning »

On shore, just in the brink of time!
Jenny
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#325

Post by Jenny »

On shore! Well, at least close enough to stand on sand....
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Joe Ross
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#326

Post by Joe Ross »

20210129 WSJCC Make Him from Them.png
Last edited by Joe Ross on Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024

PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
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escapeartist
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#327

Post by escapeartist »

Ushering in the puzzle drop in 3, 2, 1...
* 2022 WSJ Mug Winner - I bask in its Glory *
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jhseeman
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#328

Post by jhseeman »

escapeartist wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:00 am Ushering in the puzzle drop in 3, 2, 1...
Was just about to type I'm waiting to get ushered to my seat while waiting for it to drop
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escapeartist
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#329

Post by escapeartist »

jhseeman wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:02 am
escapeartist wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:00 am Ushering in the puzzle drop in 3, 2, 1...
Was just about to type I'm waiting to get ushered to my seat while waiting for it to drop
It appears great minds think alike :D
* 2022 WSJ Mug Winner - I bask in its Glory *
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Bird Lives
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#330

Post by Bird Lives »

The short cut is to find the two pronouns that combine to make US/HER. But that route misses the sequence that threads through the theme entries. The ending of one pronoun becomes the beginning of the next.
.
WSJ 1-28.jpg
Last edited by Bird Lives on Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jay
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Joe Ross
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#331

Post by Joe Ross »

Image
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024

PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
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LadyBird
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#332

Post by LadyBird »

My quibble with this was that "HE GOT GAME" seemed to be unnecessary, since the "HE" was already in two other answers. Unless Matt felt that he needed to have 5 theme answers to go with the 5 letters in the answer.
JRS51
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#333

Post by JRS51 »

I felt 28D was a confirming clue. You find an additional letter in each pronoun in successive theme answers, starting with the U in 17A
Last edited by JRS51 on Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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escapeartist
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#334

Post by escapeartist »

LadyBird wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:11 am My quibble with this was that "HE GOT GAME" seemed to be unnecessary, since the "HE" was already in two other answers. Unless Matt felt that he needed to have 5 theme answers to go with the 5 letters in the answer.
The only thing that I can think of is that this fourth long answer provided the fourth letter of the solution.

(even though it was in other answers, I mean, c'mon man, there has to be some reason to the mechanism)
* 2022 WSJ Mug Winner - I bask in its Glory *
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FrankH
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#335

Post by FrankH »

The answer does fit the title MAKE HIM FROM THEM, but the process seems a little clunky because of the different amount of overlapping between theme answers. I would think FIND THEM IN HIM would be a more appropriate title.
Laura M
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#336

Post by Laura M »

Oof, I submitted CHER for overly simplistic reasons. Not feeling too smart today!
flyingMoose
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#337

Post by flyingMoose »

JRS51 wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:13 am I felt 28D was a confirming clue. You find an additional letter in each pronoun in successive theme answers, starting with the U in 17A
I think you are saying the same way I understood the mechanism. At each pronoun, you pick up the letter that follows the letter picked up at the previous pronoun.

U .. uS .. sHe .. hE .. heR
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oldjudge
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#338

Post by oldjudge »

If you start with USHER and, in order, read the pronouns it contains (assuming U is a pronoun) you get U US SHE HE HER, so these pronouns make up USHER.
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Gman
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#339

Post by Gman »

I answered USHER, but I kept looking for a second R. My adult kids knew who USHER is. I gotta start listening to newer music.
RichA2
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#340

Post by RichA2 »

Bob cruise director wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 4:47 pm
RichA2 wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 4:21 pm I have a solution. It isn’t elegant (and as the song goes, “If you ain’t got elegance, you can never ever carry it off”) but I am going to submit it and see what happens. Bob, count me as still at sea until I wake up tomorrow morning and find out whether I made it ashore.
If you think you are on shore - any shore, even a deserted island, we count you on shore. You will not be the first to throw a hail Mary and have it caught.
Turns out I did land on the right shore. After flailing about in a vain search for a mechanism, I googled a list of one-named male singers. USHER jumped out from the list, given the unusual U at the start of the first theme answer and the presence of the remaining letters in his name throughout the themers. I didn't see the overlap from one pronoun to the next, and so missed what was elegant about the construction, and remained in doubt about whether I had it right.

I was surprised at the length of the list of singers, although only a few seem well-known enough to serve as a WSJ meta solution.
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