#698 - "Thing Are Looking Up"

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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ellgee
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2020 8:49 am

#21

Post by ellgee »

Teddybear wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:39 pm Got there with a nudge from @RPardoe. Much appreciated!
Same! Thanks @RPardoe!
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DrTom
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

#22

Post by DrTom »

Wendy Walker wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 6:26 pm Got the idea (with a hint from Meg) while washing up our dinner dishes. And Mark says we need a new dishwasher -- pfft!
If you are ever REALLY stuck I offer our dishes to be washed as a favor to your solving process............

If not I'll let my usual helper assist with the task.
eAC2zzT.gif
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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jhseeman
Posts: 487
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#23

Post by jhseeman »

DrTom wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:40 pm I'm just going to say Oh My God! Words cannot describe how in awe I am of this puzzle. It reminds me a bit of another multi, multi, multi step one a few years back, but this was brilliant. Not confirmed but really 100%. Oh, and I did not get there alone. Interestingly in the odd twist of Meta fate I gave someone my musings and they were able to solve using that, then I had to ask them what I had said!!! Who said there is no Karma....


Anyway, this is what I often feel will occur on a Monday evening ...

Going to reach the water.jpg
Were those African or European Sparrows?
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BrennerTJ
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#24

Post by BrennerTJ »

Beamed up.
-Tamara
Cow
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#25

Post by Cow »

Wow, impressive puzzle!
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KayW
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#26

Post by KayW »

Submitted 🤞🤞

I’m just thankful no housework was required. It took a little assist and my morning coffee.

EDIT: Confirmed 👽🛸
And Matt Gaffney is a genius. Perhaps an evil genius… how does he do it?
Last edited by KayW on Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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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patpatchica
Posts: 131
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Location: Memphis, TN

#27

Post by patpatchica »

Apparently this puzzle is too much for my newbie, meta-solving self. Nudges appreciated!
Overthinking is my super power. 8-)
matt79
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2021 2:50 pm

#28

Post by matt79 »

not seeing anything aside from the obvious. can someone please send a starter nudge?
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Dannyvee
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#29

Post by Dannyvee »

Beam me up! Tricky for a 3/5
I can be found in Sheridan, NY, veejaying. (8)
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MikeyG
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#30

Post by MikeyG »

DrTom wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 10:46 pm
Wendy Walker wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 6:26 pm Got the idea (with a hint from Meg) while washing up our dinner dishes. And Mark says we need a new dishwasher -- pfft!
If you are ever REALLY stuck I offer our dishes to be washed as a favor to your solving process............

If not I'll let my usual helper assist with the task.

eAC2zzT.gif
Looks like a cat-astrophe.
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 89. That's Not Right!
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HeadinHome
Posts: 1066
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Location: Charlotte, NC

#31

Post by HeadinHome »

Feeling thick, but maybe just because we are traveling (vacay - Yellowstone!) If anyone wants to throw a weary traveler a good tip, that would be most appreciated! ( : (Not asking for sympathy, of course… just hate to break my streak just because I can’t obsess over this one as I normally do, due to fast pace of touring Yellowstone and Tetons!)

UPDATE: GOT IT! Thanks for a couple of helpers.. funny that the Hail Mary I had already decided on was actually the answer. That doesn’t happen much!

Now back to enjoying the big sky today here in Idaho, just west of the Tetons. Saw some moose today, grazing by a random stream we stopped to photograph!
9f0fdd446aae0ca75f9942ad4e657b7f.jpeg
Last edited by HeadinHome on Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The other Wendy. :roll:
Tina
Posts: 391
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 5:56 pm

#32

Post by Tina »

Throwing in the towel. Got a few ideas, but just can't make the right connections.
Barney
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#33

Post by Barney »

Not going to get this, but can someone explain what getting a submission “confirmed” means?
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Wendy Walker
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#34

Post by Wendy Walker »

Barney wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 3:42 pm Not going to get this, but can someone explain what getting a submission “confirmed” means?
It just means your submission was received. If your name shows up on the leaderboard (O happy day!), then you know your answer was correct.
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
Barney
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Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:12 pm

#35

Post by Barney »

Wendy Walker wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 3:56 pm
Barney wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 3:42 pm Not going to get this, but can someone explain what getting a submission “confirmed” means?
It just means your submission was received. If your name shows up on the leaderboard (O happy day!), then you know your answer was correct.
Thanks.

Well I needn’t look for it this week. :lol:
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Cinny
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#36

Post by Cinny »

On the board. Turns out I had the answer right along, but it wasn't until I did the final step correctly that I realized it was the answer! Needed a nudge and some encouragement, but finally got it!!
Cindy Heisler
Leslie
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Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 2:18 pm

#37

Post by Leslie »

Cool meta. My son got the first step and I got the rest, so it was a perfect mother-son solve for us!
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jhseeman
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Location: Charleston, SC

#38

Post by jhseeman »

Loved the meta, and thanks to a helpful nudge, ie. smack in the head because I was looking at the mechanism, beamed up. This will be 8 in a row, trying to make 10 on a week 5 in October..... (nervous)
stmv
Posts: 296
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2020 5:12 pm

#39

Post by stmv »

This is one that I never would have gotten without a healthy nudge from Wendy Walker (thank you!), but it's nice to see my name on the board in any case. I still feel quite conflicted about asking for a nudge - I get much less of a sense of triumph after a nudge, but it's still better than not getting it at all.
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BarbaraK
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#40

Post by BarbaraK »

There's a phenomenon, similar to post-enlightenment, when I decide that my grid is too covered with highlights and marginal notes and I need to print out a new copy and start over, and just before I start writing in answers in the clean copy, I notice something, and try something, and whoa - there it is.

It happened again this week. Just requested beam up, and just missed a leaderboard update, but can't see how it could be wrong. Also can't see how this is a week 3, but maybe I was just extra dense.
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