"Better Together" by benchen71

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!)
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ChrisKochmanski
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#21

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Crossed. Stormed.

Good fun!
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KayW
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#22

Post by KayW »

Very clever!! Inside the castle enjoying a certain musical genre...
Image
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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whimsy
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#23

Post by whimsy »

Untitledcastlecrash.png
Crossed the Moat. Fun! (And a little mayhem.) Thanks, Ben.
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benchen71
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#24

Post by benchen71 »

We are approaching the end of the first 24 hours and the survey results are in: this is definitely more of a "week 2" puzzle. Which is good since that makes up for the "week 3" puzzle last week! Here is the first batch of successful solvers:

Hector
Laura M
Alex Sisti
markhr
SeamusOL
Mikey G
rjy
Dow Jones
Schmeel
edestlin
Cindy Weatherman
Meg
lbray53
Abide
BarbaraK
boharr
Cindy Heisler
woozy
MatthewL
Ergcat
Dave C
Tyrpmom
jbird
ChemBrewer
DIS
ChrisKochmanski
Carolyn
Gutman
whimsy
ChrisCross
DebbieC
KayW
Jaclyn
CPJohnson

That's 34 to get us started. :D

Meanwhile, for those who are interested "Two Can Play At That Game" is still climbing my personal charts. It's now in 3rd spot and making a decent play for 2nd!

Image 001.png
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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Darth
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#25

Post by Darth »

MOATo crossed. Whee!
caerphilly-wales-uk-10th-september-2019-three-freestyle-motor-cross-fmx-stars-perform-the-never-seen-before-synchronised-double-backflip-train-in-front-of-equally-spectacular-caerphilly-castle-stunt-performers-jack.jpg
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ky-mike
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#26

Post by ky-mike »

Nice puzzle Ben.

Stormed and crossed!
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benchen71
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#27

Post by benchen71 »

Solver update:

Mr Tex
Darth
dplass
Pair O Ducks
kymike
Johnny Luau
Spid4567

We're up to 41. Nudges coming tomorrow morning (Australia time!)
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#28

Post by benchen71 »

Just one more solver to list before I release the nudges...

LindaPRmaven

bringing us up to 42.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#29

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:

1. 36 across has the hint: "Word for words like "Slithy" or "mimsy" which is itself a 36 across (how meta can you get!)" which is PORTMANTEAU (a portmanteau of the French words porter, "to carry", and manteau, "cloak").

2. Did you notice that there were some portmanteaus in the grid?

3. What is the etymology of those portmanteaus?
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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ajk
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#30

Post by ajk »

lol two for two this week on nudges forcing me to properly execute what I was already doing :lol: :lol:

Had this one solved very quickly, but didn't realize it for multiple days. :lol:
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
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jhseeman
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Location: Charleston, SC

#31

Post by jhseeman »

after getting over the scars of the term "Better Together" (was part of a merger between Lucent and Philips that the term Better Together was the motto to get us excited...when actually the internal term was Better To Get Out)... had the right idea, just piss poor implementation...finallly over the moat (and I still like my original guess!)

Thanks for the fun puzzle and Meta.
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MikeyG
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#32

Post by MikeyG »

ajk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 6:56 pm lol two for two this week on nudges forcing me to properly execute what I was already doing :lol: :lol:

Had this one solved very quickly, but didn't realize it for multiple days. :lol:
That happens to me so often. :lol:
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 91. You'll Turn It Around
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ReB
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#33

Post by ReB »

Nudged across the moat this week. Noticed what was going on, but was just too mentally sluggish to make the connections without help.Not to mention being hung up on the two long entries.
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DrTom
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#34

Post by DrTom »

Got this fun puzzle before the nudges now that my brain has returned to normal operation. That is not to say I have become a good solver, but last week if the grid had been full of ROYGBIV references and the prompt was " A beautiful natural phenomenon" I'd have answered "Sunrise".

Nice mechanism Ben
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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Qmark
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#35

Post by Qmark »

Crossed the moat without looking at the nudges...just needed to let it sit for a few days and come back to it with "fresh eyes". Thanks Ben!
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benchen71
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#36

Post by benchen71 »

Before I reveal the answer, here's the last batch of successful solvers, bringing the total up to 48:

ajk
Darrell
JHSeeman
ReB
DrTom
Qmark

(Oh, and in case you were wondering "Two Can Play At That Game" did manage to take over the 2nd spot in my personal top 5 with 246 completions!)
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#37

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the answer and explanation for "Better Together":

Better Together (solution).png

If you have the time the following mashups are awesome!

Nirvana + Europe:


Metallica + Huey Lewis & the News:


And if you're a fan of unusual time signatures like me, Radiohead + Dave Brubeck:
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#38

Post by benchen71 »

Feel free to post your own mashup favourites!
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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Al Sisti
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Location: Whitesboro NY

#39

Post by Al Sisti »

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