Hooked on Metas

[woozy]

Well I struggled off the couch, to me these were difficult but I finally got there with a little help. How difficult you ask, well kind of like this:


Mensa Capcha.jpg

Captcha screen for the Mensa site

Ok, everyone confess. Who actually checked all of the squares to see which are prime?

Also, as a born nitpicker, I'd argue no squares can result in primes. A square prime is an oxymoron.

[KayW]

Nudged off the couch. Fun and clever puzzle!

[JeanneC]

Finally solved! Elegant meta. Thanks to Peter and Wendy!

[MikeyG]

Nudgeless epiphany at 12:30 am! While I haven't solved the meta yet, I'm seeing some clear connections, and I love it already.

(And, of course, none of my other ideas up to this point were relevant, haha.)

Edit: Off the couch! One of my early ideas was correct, actually, but everything came together after the epiphany. This was so good.

[Cap'n Rick]

Nice job, Peter and Wendy! Hooked and hoisted on this one!

[Abide]

THURSDAY NIGHT LEADERBOARD

Those Wendy nudges have folks flying out of the shadows:

34. michaelm
35. BarbaraK
36. markhr
37. LesY
38. Darth
39. rjy
40. Snood
41. woozy
42. Dow Jones
43. Bobcruisedirector
44. Maine Marge
45. ajk
46. Laura M
47. minimuggle
48. david
49. edestlin
50. Pair O Ducks
51. SteveM
52. Ergcat
53. SeamusOL
54. Jaclyn
55. KayW
56. Mikey G
57. kamashdad
58. JR
59. Maturin
60. Cap'n Rick
61. AlexR
62. Sharkicicles
63. Jimbo
64. Johnny Luau
65. Sanne
66. Richard
67. Jerry Miccolis
68. jbird

[Qmark]

Got it (with no use of nudges)...thanks Wendy and Peter!

[Eric Porter]

After Wendy promoted the puzzle on the WSJCC call I gave it a shot. I'm sure I have the mechanism, but can't get an answer.

Edit: Off the couch now. I actually had it earlier, but didn't think to submit because it looked like gibberish to me. Doing a little Googling on one of the hints led me to the solution which I recognized the second time I saw it. Haha.

[turbotron]

On (or off?) the couch for my first MMM ! Thanks for @Wendy Walker for plugging it in today's WSJ Zoom

Great puzzle!

[FKelly]

Tried it after Wendy's pitch on the WSJCC zoom.
Long time to fill, but had a guess about 50% through.

[linsocalm]

First time trying the MMM after hearing about it on the Zoom. Needed a nudge or two, but got the answer! Clever how everything ties together!

[Schmeel]

I've been a bit busy - got to this late.
Off the couch! Thanks for the puzzle.

[Abide]

FINAL LEADERBOARD

69. Qmark
70. Michael
71. ReB
72. Naptown Kid
73. Steroto
74. Eric Porter
75. DBMiller
76. turbotron
77. FKelly
78. linsocalm
79. Schmeel

Crosshare stats for Hooked on Metas
Total completions: 265
Average time without helpers: 0:16:44
Correct contest submissions: 69
Total contest submissions: 79

Special reveal and prize winner announced in morning.

[Abide]

SUNDAY REVEAL- HOOKED ON METAS

Credit: KayW/Joe Ross

The Inspiration: The Monumental Moderation Meta included a PAN clue as "Obstinately youthful Peter who is Wendy's friend". The idea of doing a Peter Pan themed puzzle with Wendy started there.

The @dsbened Exposition: No obvious theme entries, but the central entry THELOSTBOYS seems relevant (see also last down PAN). Examining some of the grid entries in relation to their clues, a patient solver should find eight singular "boys". For example, "Speedy mover on the tennis court" references both BALL and BALL BOY. If you find all eight, those "lost boys" spell J.M. BARRIE, the Scottish novelist and playwright who created Peter Pan.

The Sticky Wicket: The letter choices for this idea were pretty limited, as seen by the less desirable R-BOY entries. But if you happened to Google those songs that was a good inroad.

From 79 entrants, the prize winner is #60 @Cap'n Rick ! Wendy, tell him what he's won...

[Wendy Walker]

Congratulations, @Cap'n Rick! If, like Peter Pan and his pals, you never want to grow up, you need a great anti-aging product -- like the one Wendy swears by, Natura Bisse. A packet of this marvelous stuff will be on your way -- just send me your mailing address! Just a warning, though: You may become, uh, hooked.

[Cap'n Rick]

Congratulations, @Cap'n Rick! If, like Peter Pan and his pals, you never want to grow up, you need a great anti-aging product -- like the one Wendy swears by, Natura Bisse. A packet of this marvelous stuff will be on your way -- just send me your mailing address!

Woohoo! Just what I needed!

Thank you, @Wendy Walker and @Abide!

[hoover]

Yeah, so when I say I fell off the couch by accident, I mean I immediately saw the Peter 'n' Wendy thing plus THE LOST BOYS and PAN and knew we were looking for something Peter Pan related. I didn't see anything so I just started plugging in: HOOK, SMEE, PETER, PETER PAN, TINKERBELL, JAMES BARRIE, and finally oh yeah he went by his initials J M BARRIE.