#676 - "Man Seeking Woman"

An excellent puzzle written by one of the innovators of the meta crossword format. It comes out every Friday at noon and increases in difficulty throughout the month. Available for modest subscription (worth every cent) here: www.xwordcontest.com
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MamaE
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#41

Post by MamaE »

OK...I believe/hope I've beamed up. Pending confirmation, but pretty sure I am correct.
- Just puzzling it out here in Delmarva :D
cisalope
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#42

Post by cisalope »

I've solved it, with help. I'd be happy to give a nudge to anyone who wants one!
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ChrisKochmanski
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#43

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Beam me up!

Can’t say I’m totally enjoying having to draw out these fairly complicated puzzles (this one and WSJCC) on grid paper while staying at this PRINTER-LESS inn.

But somehow managing.

Oh, woe is me.πŸ™‚
Dplass
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#44

Post by Dplass »

MikeyG wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 1:23 am
KayW wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 2:34 pm :flying_saucer: :alien: #51 the week I got my 50 badge. Too bad I wasn't 4 minutes faster :lol: but solved/submitted while playing online bridge.
Speaking of bridge, how's tricks? (I had to.)
Cmon, have a heart.
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DrTom
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#45

Post by DrTom »

Dplass wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 8:02 am
MikeyG wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 1:23 am
KayW wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 2:34 pm :flying_saucer: :alien: #51 the week I got my 50 badge. Too bad I wasn't 4 minutes faster :lol: but solved/submitted while playing online bridge.
Speaking of bridge, how's tricks? (I had to.)
Cmon, have a heart.
When it comes to bridge I'm a dummy, I'm going to pass on this and cross the next message when I come to it
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!
Dplass
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#46

Post by Dplass »

DrTom wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:40 am
Dplass wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 8:02 am
MikeyG wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 1:23 am

Speaking of bridge, how's tricks? (I had to.)
Cmon, have a heart.
When it comes to bridge I'm a dummy, I'm going to pass on this and cross the next message when I come to it
Naw, I'm sure you're a diamond in the rough.
Dave C
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Location: Round Rock, TX

#47

Post by Dave C »

Beam me up. I also saw the two possibilities, but then found step 2 which clearly identified the correct one.
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DrTom
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#48

Post by DrTom »

MikeyG wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 1:22 am When John Q. Student tells me, "I swear there were two right answers to that one question," I'm like, "No. No, there isn't" (assuming it's a standardized test and not an in-class one, as those are far more prone to typos).

I'm definitely in the camp currently of seeing two viable answers here after what I believe is a reasonable pathway. So, since I know there is definitely only one right answer, that means I must continue persevering and trying to figure out what I'm missing!
There is a distinct confirmatory piece, it is not as easy to see as usual but it is there nonetheless. If you have reached the point of inducing a headache from banging against a brick wall, let me know and I'll give you the needed nudge!
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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#49

Post by DrTom »

ricky wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 1:34 am Okay, beamed up. I was right that I'd been barking up the wrong tree.

Don't know if anyone else is in this spot, but in my experience with these puzzles, if you've got a clear connection between 3-4 theme answers and the last one or two just don't fit, you may very well be seeing a link that was neither intended nor accounted for. Don't put too much faith in it.
Oh, I was certain that I had the confirmatory piece that connected ALL the answers, but it took so much Google searching to find them that I knew it had to be incorrect. Whenever I have to reach that far above my head to find the answer (well except with scrabble, monopoly and chutes and ladder puzzles) I know I am too far in the weeds. But I'll bet we had some similarities....
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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#50

Post by DrTom »

Dplass wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:41 am
DrTom wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:40 am
Dplass wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 8:02 am

Cmon, have a heart.
When it comes to bridge I'm a dummy, I'm going to pass on this and cross the next message when I come to it
Naw, I'm sure you're a diamond in the rough.
Oh, I was in the rough a LOT but it was clubs, not diamonds, that got me there. I'd tell you what drove me to stop, putt that's a different story.
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!
dudeski
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#51

Post by dudeski »

Beam me up
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MamaE
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#52

Post by MamaE »

Well, my beaming was premature. Looks like I submitted a wrong answer. Would anyone be willing to PM me so I can figure out where I went wrong?
- Just puzzling it out here in Delmarva :D
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lbray53
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Location: Elkhorn, WI

#53

Post by lbray53 »

I found two possibilities. Now on to step two and the confirming piece. No help please! We'll see how I feel about that tomorrow.

EDIT: I did reach out for confirmation or a nudge. It turns out I was wrong and needed help after all. (My confirming piece was pretty weak in retrospect.)

No successful solo solve for me this week! I should have seen it.
Last edited by lbray53 on Sat May 15, 2021 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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RPardoe
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#54

Post by RPardoe »

MamaE wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 11:57 am Well, my beaming was premature. Looks like I submitted a wrong answer. Would anyone be willing to PM me so I can figure out where I went wrong?
PM Sent
HoldThatThought
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#55

Post by HoldThatThought »

The full solving mechanism for this puzzle is so intricate that I can't honestly begin to imagine what the "difficult choice""alternative" solution could be. I'm looking forward to learning about what some solvers deemed "almost as plausible".

This was a very tough Week 2.
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KayW
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#56

Post by KayW »

Dplass wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:41 am
DrTom wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:40 am
MikeyG wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 1:23 am
Speaking of bridge, how's tricks? (I had to.)
Cmon, have a heart.
When it comes to bridge I'm a dummy, I'm going to pass on this and cross the next message when I come to it
Naw, I'm sure you're a diamond in the rough.
[/quote]

I was the dummy who tried to do two things at once and almost did neither. I got slammed, and it was not at all grand. Very ruff day indeed. My partner wanted to :clubs: me.
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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Bird Lives
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#57

Post by Bird Lives »

MamaE wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 11:57 am Well, my beaming was premature. Looks like I submitted a wrong answer. Would anyone be willing to PM me so I can figure out where I went wrong?
Looks like you have 21 others for company so far.
Jay
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Jeremy Smith
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#58

Post by Jeremy Smith »

Beamed up and confirmed. If you found the mechanism, the alternative answer cannot be correct. A week 3, maybe?
JennyByrd
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#59

Post by JennyByrd »

Have submitted. Waiting on confirmation.
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MikeyG
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#60

Post by MikeyG »

Yeah, because of the weird anomaly or snafu or whatever that some (but not all of us) are either noticing or getting snared by (noting that some are seeming not to get snared at all), I think Week 3 seems pretty fair for this one. Rest assured, I'm still at the same place, haha. (No nudges yet, please!)

Last month's Week 2 (VENTING) had 569; I can't see this hitting that - 350-400 or so when it's all said and done, perhaps.
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