"Backdrops" February 2,2023

[clonefitz]

So far, not even a rabbit hole. Line em up, Isaac!

All of a sudden - BAM - it hits me. How do they keep coming up with these? I have my toes nestled into the sand, sorry it took so long.

[JoeS]

Ashore! Blown away with this construct. I spent Thursday and Friday exploring a massive red herring that I couldn't make work, so started with a fresh grid this morning and finally saw an interesting "feature" that developed into the solve. Just lucky.

[HeadinHome]

Well FINALLY! Again this week I doggedly held on without nudges or zoom room, SURE that I could get this on my own, what with all the little hints he claimed to be providing… but I agree with @DrTom that they weren’t all that “hinty” — for me more like ignes fatuus.. On the up side, I had fun trying out my completely wrong-headed ideas, one of which could likely give you a run for your money this week, @DBMiller, towards that coveted Golden Rabbit Hole Award (congrats!). If I could remember actually to follow through with submitting my crazy paths for consideration, that mug could be mine! (Actually this week’s best idea yielded little fruit, but I think it would be super fun to construct a puzzle that used it. Or maybe someone already has.)

I agree with @oldjudge (and many of you) that this was a work of art — a classic puzzle. @BarbaraK remembered seeing the title before, and yes I agree it could be that one good title would give Mr. Shenk more than one clever metanism idea… or maybe he gets them via emails from the disgruntled who spent way too much time pursuing errant metanism ideas on their way to finding his intended one!

Enjoyed the Magic Eye topic! No problem seeing those (once you get the hang of it, you can see them pretty much right away). Metas are similar; there are some tools to keep sharp and you do learn what to look for. But I saw some veterans this week crying in their beer at the bar, so sometimes even the skillful need a little nudge. Which I’m here for, if anyone has had just about enough of Isaac’s bar. BUT, I’m here to say, if you have the time this weekend to keep picking it up and looking, it’s very rewarding to see it on your own!

[Nlobb]

Ashore!

[Ben B]

We are on shore! Great fun as usual. Or at least when we find the shore. Other times not as much fun. Thanks Mike.

[Qmark]

Had an idea for the mechanism but got nowhere for a day or so...then today, boom...it appeared. Happily ashore!

[Gman]

Ashore. All I can say is, "Wow!"

[Colin]

Grandkids wore me out.
Sunday is my day of rest…
With Isaac of course!

[Grover]

Ashore! Very clever, Mr. Shenk.

[Collegetowngirl]

On shore! Surprised! I only get it right about 1/4 of the time so it was very satisfying to complete this one.

Got a little discouraged last week when I couldn’t see it, then more discouraged when the solution was published and I realized that my husband had kinda started seeing it but we didn’t stay on his idea long enough. So I didn’t expect much of us this week. And nothing and nothing. Decided that puzzles with explicitly named hints will just never work for us . . . kept listing out the patterns I was seeing . . . and finally looked again at something that I’d noticed briefly before, but stuck with it this time. Yay!

I’m with @jimbo1 and @DrTom and @HeadInHome that the hints only made sense after solving. Glad they were there though. They kept me from staying in my rabbit holes.

Also loving the magic eye poster topic! Exactly!

[Kwyjibo]

Finally saw it, and after kicking myself for not interpreting the meta hints properly, got ashore!!!

And in typical fashion, Page 10.

[Cindy N]

And just like that I'm on shore. I managed to get the grid filled before the Friday Zoom call, unfortunately the timing was wrong. Finally sat down to solve tonight and saw a couple of things right off the bat, but they didn't quite work. However one of the things I noticed did get me thinking in the right direction.

[debbierudy]

Ashore!
I was ready to call it quits - jet lag will do that to you. We got home from the Philippines a few days ago after 33+ hours of travel, including a harrowing boat ride in 30 knot winds, and I'm not quite adjusted to the 13 hour time difference! One last look this morning I noticed a little something, and there it was.
100% certainty is a nice thing in a solution! The title and one of the hints was helpful in solving, and the other hint makes sense now.

[pjc]

Finally on shore! With a few hours to spare before Boswords starts!

Happy Sunday!

[SReh26]

Finished the grid within a few letters. Isaac is mixing my drink but not pouring it yet.

[Dplass]

Been staring until my eyes cross with nothing to show for it. Is it just me or have the last few puzzles been a bit more difficult than usual? Don't think I've had this long of a streak stuck with Isaac before...

@LizD My wife's theory is that Mike has "upped his game" so there are no gimme weeks.

Last couple of months percentages from WSJ

1/27 MG 72%
1/20 MS 87%
1/13 MG 70%
1/6 MS 72%
12/30 MG 80%
12/23 MS 70%
12/16 MG 85%

It's not just the percent correct, it's the number of submissions. I have a spreadsheet that comes up with a "normalized" percentage. When I remember I'll publish it.

[auee89]

Ashore with a shove to get started. Thanks muggles!

[Bob cruise director]

Good morning muggles

It has been a busy day for the ship's crew both getting muggles to the shore and serving them in the ship's bar

We have 8 on the ship and 136 on the shore

Liz and SReh26 have joined Isaac in the bar

And getting to the shore are:

Colin
pjc
Gman
markhr
Grover
HeadinHome
Kwyjibo
Nlobb
Ben B and son
Joes and Natasha
Qmark
Collegetowngirl
Debbie
Bird Lives
woozy
clonefitz
auee89

Good luck getting the meta and don't forget the Last Call zoom at 8 pm ET tonight

[Joe]

I’m here to say, if you have the time this weekend to keep picking it up and looking, it’s very rewarding to see it on your own!

I'm so glad I took this advice before reaching out for a nudge. I wonder what everyone's entry point was, but when I saw mine I got all tingly. Could it be?? Yes!! Love it when that happens.

[31 Down]

It's not just the percent correct, it's the number of submissions. I have a spreadsheet that comes up with a "normalized" percentage. When I remember I'll publish it.

Agreed, I think the best indicator is the number of correct submissions. A few weeks ago, "Interior Design" garnered just 425 entries with a somewhat normal 70% correct. I also agree with LizD, the past few weeks have been on the tough side.