Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? It's funny how many of my meta ideas come while trying to solve other people's metas! This one was definitely inspired that way. I trust you will find your way to the answer to the meta, which is an adjective.
PM me with your submissions or submit on Crosshare. Either way, I'll compile a list of those who successfully solve the meta.
Last edited by benchen71 on Sun Aug 28, 2022 7:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
Huh. I came up with a clear mechanism, and it made... something that definitely looked like a word, but that I'd never heard of before. After 15-20 minutes of trying to confirm I hadn't screwed anything up, I figured I'd just submit my "word" and see what happened before I started chasing other rabbit holes. And, what happened is... well, surprisingly, I crossed the MOAT! Victory!
Nice to wake up to lots of solvers, especially for a puzzle I had pegged as a "week 3":
Laura M
Cindy Weatherman
edestlin
Hector
Tyrpmom
DIS
LuckyGuest
kurtalert
ChrisKochmanski
Marijn
hoover
markhr
Andrew Bradburn
SJMcK
JHSeeman
Johnny Luau
Kay
woozy
dplass
boharr
hashbrown
Qmark
That's 22. Congrats to @Laura M - first solver once again!
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
BrennerTJ
rjy
ChemBrewer
Meg
hbxwords
Sharkicicles
BarbaraK
Bbaack
asgehring
Chaddog
Anita and Steve
That's 33. Nudges in a couple of days...
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
And because I have a busy day tomorrow, I'm going to release the nudges early...
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
2. 40 across mentions irregularities, and 60 across indicates that rotational symmetry is involved.
3. Use 7 across inspection to find the 71 across black squares.
4. The 71 across black squares are symmetrically opposite the letters that will form the meta answer.
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
Whew! I was feeling like the black sheep outside the castle walls until I was finally able to get across (with all the hints.) Thanks for the puzzle workout, Ben!
lbray53
Capn Rick
Carolyn
whimsy
Wendy S HeadinHome
Since the MGWCC is delayed for a couple of days, and the WSJ was (dare I say it) easy, perhaps it's time to give the MOAT another try!
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
Took a motorcade to escort me over the moat this week, though some of my difficulties were self-inflicted. And yes, although I was too busy this week to do the weekday puzzles, the "easy' WSJ and delayed MGWCC gave me room today to go back to the weekday metas.
Made my way across the moat. Fun! 
