"Playlist Omission" - August 2020

A monthly, music-themed meta crossword published at noon on the first Tuesday of every month. The puzzles increase in difficulty each month, and at year end there is a 13th puzzle (the "Mega-Meta") that invokes each of the 12 monthly puzzles. Currently available at https://pmxwords.com/, as well as through the Washington Post website here: MMMM at WaPo
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ChrisKochmanski
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Location: Saline, Michigan

#21

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Got it!

Like some others here, I struggled a bit with the grid (I know only one of those songs -- the oldest of them!), then I stared at the grid for maybe 45 minutes, getting nowhere, before seeing in a flash what the grid was looking for.

Fun!
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BarbaraK
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#22

Post by BarbaraK »

Hmm. This seems too easy for an August MMMM. Wondering if I’m missing something.
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oldjudge
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#23

Post by oldjudge »

The last song is a classic, the others not so much
stmv
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#24

Post by stmv »

I just got this, safely on the board. I found it to be easier than last month's MMMM, which I somehow didn't get even though along the way I looked at the Wikipedia page on jazz people's nicknames. I also went through the thing of getting stuck on various wrong ideas, and needing to let them go and start fresh, and then suddenly it popped out at me.
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Eric Porter
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#25

Post by Eric Porter »

I got this one very quickly. It's a little easy for an August, but after struggling last month I'm not complaining.

I also got the mega meta! I don't know the red herring; maybe I'll put some effort into going for an extra 5 points, but I haven't seen it yet.
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ky-mike
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#26

Post by ky-mike »

Pretty quick solve for me this month. Sometimes, the mechanism just jumps out at you.

Still haven't spent much time on the mega meta. Need to get on that soon.
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MamaE
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#27

Post by MamaE »

Argh! I was sure I had this one, but alas my name has not appeared. Is anyone willing to PM me the answer? It's driving me crazy as I was pretty sure I had felt the "click" of a correct answer. Sigh.
- Just puzzling it out here in Delmarva :D
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KayW
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#28

Post by KayW »

Delayed post-enlightenment! On the board!!

I won't say more now until post-deadline, but - DOH! I liked this one. (and liked it alot more after I solved it ;))
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.
Dplass
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#29

Post by Dplass »

BarbaraK wrote: Tue Aug 04, 2020 6:22 pm Hmm. This seems too easy for an August MMMM. Wondering if I’m missing something.
Hmm. I see nothing. This is one of those metas where I look at it and ask "is this a meta?" because I see nothing.
FKelly
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#30

Post by FKelly »

As soon as I saw COUNT crossing with DUKE, I knew what had to be done in "Jazz Combos" July MMMM. This "Playlist Omission" August MMMM seems to suggest something is missing which I have diligently tried to supply. So far that's yielded nothing. Yet, some think it's too easy to be an August MMMM.
Perhaps, it's my lack of musicology or Springsteenology that's the hold up. Mr. Gs been getting a workout. Or perhaps I need to draw the grid by hand and do the fill on paper to see the Big Picture, since I don't have a printed copy. Someone solved by 12:13 pm on Tuesday, so it can't be all that hard.
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anjhinz
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#31

Post by anjhinz »

On the board, I'm happy to have a nice confidence booster after just nose-diving on everything the past few weeks!
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Cindy N
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#32

Post by Cindy N »

Got this month. Had the red herring a couple of months ago. I found what I thought seems to be the way to the mega meta, but can't get beyond each month when the new puzzle comes out looking at it and going, yep, there it is! But what to do?!
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C=64
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#33

Post by C=64 »

I began the MMMM in mid-June and although I went back and did the older puzzles, I hadn't focused on the mega-meta until last night. I'm sure I found the red herring, not the mega-meta, but the auto-reply from MMMM simply says my answer is correct. I guess I'll wait until next month to see how much my score changed.
LaceyK
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#34

Post by LaceyK »

Well it took me a couple of days to figure this one out. I think I am humming the correct tune, but my name hasn't appeared on the board, even though I have an email confirmation of submission.
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BarbaraK
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#35

Post by BarbaraK »

LaceyK wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:24 pm Well it took me a couple of days to figure this one out. I think I am humming the correct tune, but my name hasn't appeared on the board, even though I have an email confirmation of submission.
If no one with a submission time later than yours is on the board, it could just be that Pete hasn't got to it yet. The emails are automatic. The leaderboard at least sometimes requires human intervention.
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FrankieHeck
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#36

Post by FrankieHeck »

C=64 wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:05 pm I began the MMMM in mid-June and although I went back and did the older puzzles, I hadn't focused on the mega-meta until last night. I'm sure I found the red herring, not the mega-meta, but the auto-reply from MMMM simply says my answer is correct. I guess I'll wait until next month to see how much my score changed.
I was sure I found the red herring, too, but it said I was correct. I had found the mega meta, and it sounds like you did, too.
Laura M
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#37

Post by Laura M »

FrankieHeck wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:35 pm
C=64 wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:05 pm I began the MMMM in mid-June and although I went back and did the older puzzles, I hadn't focused on the mega-meta until last night. I'm sure I found the red herring, not the mega-meta, but the auto-reply from MMMM simply says my answer is correct. I guess I'll wait until next month to see how much my score changed.
I was sure I found the red herring, too, but it said I was correct. I had found the mega meta, and it sounds like you did, too.
Ditto! There is a very clever and intricate path to the mega-meta, and we all missed that and hit it with a lucky guess :-) (I did find the real path later.)
LaceyK
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#38

Post by LaceyK »

BarbaraK wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:35 pm
LaceyK wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:24 pm Well it took me a couple of days to figure this one out. I think I am humming the correct tune, but my name hasn't appeared on the board, even though I have an email confirmation of submission.
If no one with a submission time later than yours is on the board, it could just be that Pete hasn't got to it yet. The emails are automatic. The leaderboard at least sometimes requires human intervention.
I refreshed my computer and then it did appear, but much later than when I submitted.
Each month I look thru all the puzzles again to see if something jumps out for the mega meta, but the things I see do not carry through all the grids.
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FrankieHeck
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#39

Post by FrankieHeck »

Laura M wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:59 pm
FrankieHeck wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:35 pm
C=64 wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:05 pm I began the MMMM in mid-June and although I went back and did the older puzzles, I hadn't focused on the mega-meta until last night. I'm sure I found the red herring, not the mega-meta, but the auto-reply from MMMM simply says my answer is correct. I guess I'll wait until next month to see how much my score changed.
I was sure I found the red herring, too, but it said I was correct. I had found the mega meta, and it sounds like you did, too.
Ditto! There is a very clever and intricate path to the mega-meta, and we all missed that and hit it with a lucky guess :-) (I did find the real path later.)
I just solved it last week, so I'm not sure how lucky my guess was!
Dplass
Posts: 1739
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#40

Post by Dplass »

FKelly wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 2:54 pm As soon as I saw COUNT crossing with DUKE, I knew what had to be done in "Jazz Combos" July MMMM. This "Playlist Omission" August MMMM seems to suggest something is missing which I have diligently tried to supply. So far that's yielded nothing. Yet, some think it's too easy to be an August MMMM.
Perhaps, it's my lack of musicology or Springsteenology that's the hold up. Mr. Gs been getting a workout. Or perhaps I need to draw the grid by hand and do the fill on paper to see the Big Picture, since I don't have a printed copy. Someone solved by 12:13 pm on Tuesday, so it can't be all that hard.
I couldn't Google those lyrics fast enough. Heck, I've never even *heard* of 3 out of the 5 bands mentioned in the "lyrics" clues...

So either people are indeed Springsteenologists or we're missing something drastic.
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