"January 26th" 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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CPJohnson
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#21

Post by CPJohnson »

Got it, according to Crosshare. Thanks, Ben! Like others, I learned something.
Cynthia
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Cap'n Rick
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#22

Post by Cap'n Rick »

MOAT behind me. Great puzzle, Ben, with a bonus.
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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DrTom
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#23

Post by DrTom »

Safely across, though not without dipping my foot in the water a few times. Took me a while to determine what it was Ben wanted, but then AHA!

Nice, and informative, puzzle. Thank you 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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KayW
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#24

Post by KayW »

Solved the meta and learned something, to boot. Thanks Ben!
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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Qmark
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#25

Post by Qmark »

Crossed the moat and learned something new...thanks Ben!
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ReB
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#26

Post by ReB »

Safely across the MOAT and out of range of boomerangs. A little educational session from our teacher as well. Thanks
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benchen71
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#27

Post by benchen71 »

We are nearly at the end of the first 24 hours, and 47 solvers have found the answer (many of whom, if the comments are any indication, have learned something in the process!)

Hector
SeamusOL
clev
Schmeel
rjy
Dow Jones
woozy
Cindy Heisler
Cindy Weatherman
edestlin
Ergcat
boharr
Meg
ChrisCross
Tom Wilson
lbray53
imontoo
ChrisKochmanski
Dave C
Darth
DIS
BarbaraK
Alex Sisti
DebbieC
MatthewL
kymike
Tyrpmom
ajk
auee89
Bird Lives
Mikey G
Johnny Luau
CPJohnson
Laura M
Capn Rick
Gutman
DrTom
Carolyn
jbird
LindaPRmaven
heidi
KayW
JHSeeman
Jaclyn
Qmark
Darrell
ReB

That's possibly a personal record for day 1!
Last edited by benchen71 on Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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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ReB
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#28

Post by ReB »

Make that 47 for your records since (once again) you have skipped over me.

(Then again, I do seem to have a particular ability to post too close before or just after solver updates. And it doesn't just happen with you.)
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benchen71
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#29

Post by benchen71 »

ReB wrote: ↑Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:00 am Make that 47 for your records since (once again) you have skipped over me.

(Then again, I do seem to have a particular ability to post too close before or just after solver updates. And it doesn't just happen with you.)
Crosshare and its "only update pages once every hour" policy strikes again! :|

I've updated the post.
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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#30

Post by benchen71 »

Just two more solvers, brings us up to 49:

SJMcK
emmie

Nudges imminent...
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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#31

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:

1. This meta relies on some Australian knowledge.

2. January 26th is a public holiday in Australia.

3. Some people refer to this public holiday by another name. What is happening in the grid in three places reflects this other name.
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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#32

Post by benchen71 »

Solver update. We're up to 56.

frostyjhammer
Jim23809
Xavier Shay
Pair O Ducks
anon
Spid4567
Sanne Budd

Next and final update Monday morning (Oz time) right before the answer reveal.
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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whimsy
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#33

Post by whimsy »

Untitledsqueak.png

Squeaking in at the end after reading something in the newspaper the other day and remembering I hadn't finished the puzzle.
Nice and timely, Ben!
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benchen71
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#34

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the final batch of solvers before the answer reveal. We ended up with 62 successful solvers.

whimsy
Jared Shay
Rufus T Firefly
Sharkicicles
Charles Montpetit
markhr
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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#35

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the solution to "January 26th":

January 26th (solution).png

This one would have come fairly easily if you were an Australian! For everyone else, hopefully Google was your friend.

Check out this video of some of this year's protests here.

#ChangeTheDate
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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sharkicicles
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#36

Post by sharkicicles »

We’ve had similar protests here over Columbus Day. Where I went to college, the University of Illinois, there was a lot of protests in the 90s over Chief Illiniwek, the mascot of the Fighting Illini athletic teams. The university ended up finally retiring both the dancing frat boy in a Native suit at football games and the Chief logo on jerseys, replacing it with a block ‘I’ letter.
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