"Play With Matches" November 10, 2023
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- Posts: 106
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2022 12:35 pm
Got some hints that put me on shore. My step 1 was correct after all.
I can totally see how this is amazing. On the other hand, I'm not so sure I would describe this meta as "elegant." Maybe it's just frustration that Gaffney and Shenk train us to think of solving metas with certain standard principles, and Berry often comes in and completely breaks the expected norms.
I can totally see how this is amazing. On the other hand, I'm not so sure I would describe this meta as "elegant." Maybe it's just frustration that Gaffney and Shenk train us to think of solving metas with certain standard principles, and Berry often comes in and completely breaks the expected norms.
- Relic
- Posts: 206
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2021 4:29 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, TX
Finally ashore! Thanks to @BarbaraK and the Zoomers for the help.
Good luck to all for a successful solve. If you see that I'm ashore - rare occasion of late - message me if you'd like a nudge. Be sure to include your progress so I can know better how to assist.
Alan A. and Maggie Muggle
Alan A. and Maggie Muggle
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- Posts: 395
- Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2019 11:42 pm
I am staying on the ship, yet again. I've wasted far too many hours staring at this grid and now it is time to toss in the towel. I look forward to the reveal; I know it will be brilliant. Mr. Berry never ceases to amaze me!
Sara
- Bob cruise director
- Cruise Director
- Posts: 4588
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
- Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA
Our final count is 31 on the ship and 107 on the shore
Good luck winning the mug.
Good luck winning the mug.
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
Cruise Director
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- Posts: 144
- Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2022 3:47 pm
Just a meta meta note here. As agonizing as a missed or near miss meta is, I always find it interesting to figure out where my pattern recognition went wrong. If a rabbit hole is a pattern strong enough to make us dismiss its inconsistencies, I think its counterpart is the ugly duckling: a pattern we notice but dismiss too quickly because at first glance it looks inelegant. Maybe someday a cognitive bias researcher will invite all the Muggles to puzzle for science. Of course, the lab will need to have an open bar.
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- Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:13 am
Do people who get help from others still submit for the mug?
- Joe Ross
- Moderator
- Posts: 5172
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
- Location: Cincinnati
Some do. Many don't.
The help is to allow muggles to learn the ropes before abandoning crossword contests in frustration.
It's also to welcome all into this crowd.
The help is to allow muggles to learn the ropes before abandoning crossword contests in frustration.
It's also to welcome all into this crowd.
- vandono
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2021 7:15 pm
- Location: Texas
Finally ashore. Better late than never! Let's see if there's any cognac left.
Looking at the steps... how do they come up with (and execute) these? Fascinating.
Looking at the steps... how do they come up with (and execute) these? Fascinating.
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- Posts: 939
- Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:22 pm
Woohoo! It finally came together. Wonderful as always. So clean and clever (once the twisty rabbit holes were abandoned). On shore!
- LadyBird
- Posts: 893
- Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 4:20 pm
- Location: Chicagoland
On shore with a nudge, so no mug. And 55D to all the solo solvers!
- Googly
- Posts: 69
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2023 5:43 pm
- Location: Googlyland
- hcbirker
- Posts: 2072
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
- Location: Studio City, CA
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- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:13 am
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- Posts: 11
- Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:13 am
Unfortunately you forgot to merge strike with every other word in the puzzle that had a double letter and then merge it with the synonyms of certain answers that also had double letters (WOOS, BOOZE, etc) and then run a de-dup Excel.
I’m sorry but there were not 100+ people in here who solved this.
I’m sorry but there were not 100+ people in here who solved this.
- Bonnibel
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:40 pm
- Location: Westlake Village & La Jolla CA
- escapeartist
- Posts: 428
- Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 12:24 am
Thankfully I didn't spend a lot of time on this one this weekend. ![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
* 2022 WSJ Mug Winner - I bask in its Glory *
- Cindy N
- Posts: 1061
- Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2019 12:55 pm
- Location: Wisconsin
Even if you've solved, you should stop in on one of the Zoom "help" calls. So much of it is "What have you found so far, what are you looking at?" It can be a confirmation that you are moving in the right direction. And I don't think there's ever been a complaint from the WSJ creators that you shouldn't submit if you got a nudge. It's also a lot of fun. And if you just want to hang out and chat with your fellow muggles - there's the Tuesday call as well.
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- Posts: 259
- Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2019 5:12 pm
I got way too hung up on the 18 occurrences of double letters in the grid. Took me way too long to get off that track.
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- Posts: 806
- Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:12 pm
- Location: Seneca SC
I started with getting rid of double letters but wouldn’t have thought of step 2 in a million years. Maybe next time! Congratulations to those that saw this!