None Shall Sleep (PCC#30)

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
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Qmark
Posts: 461
Joined: Thu Aug 25, 2022 4:33 pm
Location: Ottawa, Canada

#21

Post by Qmark »

Off the couch...thanks Phil!
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lbray53
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#22

Post by lbray53 »

OTC! I loved this. Looked easy. Then it wasn’t. Then it was.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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Jeremy Smith
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#23

Post by Jeremy Smith »

Very nice! Thanks, Phil!
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MikeyG
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#24

Post by MikeyG »

None shall sleep...except for cats!

Image

Off the couch but going back to sleep on it. Thanks for the puzzle, Phil!
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 133. Don't Think Twice
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pchow13
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#25

Post by pchow13 »

Leaderboard update: we have 63 solvers off the couch! (they may or may not still be sleeping 😴... let me know if I missed anyone)

FrankieHeck (TS)
Abide (TS)
1. Capn Rick
2. Schmeel
3. dannyvee
4. I K Snamhcok
5. Mwoychick
6. Hector
7. MatthewL
8. DIS
9. kurtalert
10. boharr
11. Alex Sisti
12. Bird Lives
13. Carolyn
14. Cindy Weatherman
15. woozy
16. ajk
17. Berto
18. rjy
19. JHSeeman
20. Eric Porter
21. Meg
22. Jaclyn
23. JM
24. HeadinHome
25. bhamren
26. Cindy Heisler
27. david
28. Salty
29. Dow Jones
30. JeffTurnham
31. CPJohnson
32. Laura M
33. Danny K Bernstein
34. imontoo
35. 7max18
36. heidi
37. Latent
38. Tyrpmom
39. whimsy
40. Ergcat
41. heron
42. Darth
43. benchen71
44. markhr
45. Qmark
46. Gutman
47. DebbieC
48. Anita and Steve
49. Tim
50. DCBilly
51. lbray53
52. Susan
53. BarbaraK
54. LindaPRmaven
55. Jeremy Smith
56. Mikey G
57. potemkinish
58. Mr Tex
59. rfj
60. Pair O Ducks
61. hoover
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cbarbee002
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#26

Post by cbarbee002 »

OTC. Fun
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pchow13
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#27

Post by pchow13 »

Wednesday nudges

Hint #1: There is an unusually high frequency of a certain letter in the grid. This letter is mentioned in the clue for 12-Down + 62-Down

Hint #2: "None shall sleep"... what happens if you ban all those Zs?

Hint #3: The 7 grid entries with double Z's in them become new words with the "ZZ" removed

Hint #4: You can find entries in the grid whose clues satisfy the 7 new words. For example, MUZZLES --> MULES and "Beasts of burden" is the clue for CAMELS that can also clue MULES

Hint #5: Extract the first letter of the 7 grid entries whose clues satisfy the 7 new words and read them in grid order (top to bottom)

Hint #6: The meta answer is the name of a composer
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KayW
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#28

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :couch_and_lamp: OTC Well done, Phil - thanks!
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Wendy Walker
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Location: Unionville, PA

#29

Post by Wendy Walker »

Late to the party but OTC. Excellent puzzle, Phil!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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JeanneC
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Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:25 am
Location: Florida

#30

Post by JeanneC »

Solved earlier in the week but forgot to post. Great “metanism”!
“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions”. Lillian Hellman
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pchow13
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#31

Post by pchow13 »

pchow13 wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2024 12:08 pm Leaderboard update: we have 63 solvers off the couch! (they may or may not still be sleeping 😴... let me know if I missed anyone)
23 more solvers successfully found the meta answer bringing our grand total to 86!

62. Sendhil Revuluri
63. Chris Barbee
64. Steve M
65. LB800
66. Sharkicicles
67. damefox
68. Johnny Luau
69. LarsCaine
70. LCC17
71. JWords
72. Alvibu67
73. KayW
74. Kulea
75. David
76. Tom Wilson
77. Sanna
78. edestlin
79. frostyjhammer
80. Wendy Walker
81. axmszr
82. Naptown Kid
83. antdisp
84. JeanneC

Solution below - SPOILER ALERT:

Answer explanation: Answer explanation: There are seven entries with a double Z. "TAKES A NAP" (from 12-Down/62-Down) suggests removing the two Zs ("catching some Zs") from these entries, giving us a new word that can satisfy a clue for another entry in the grid. If we take the first letter of the answers to the alt clues in grid order, we spell out PUCCINI.
FOZZIE --> FOIE --> PATE
ZZTOP --> TOP --> UNDER
MUZZLES --> MULES --> CAMELS
DAZZLE --> DALE --> CHIP
FRIZZ --> FRI --> ITS
JAZZ --> JA --> NEIN
ABUZZ --> ABU --> IAGO

Puccini is the composer of "Nessun dorma" (None shall sleep) and so "Puccini" is the meta answer.

Constructor notes: My original prompt for the meta asked for a composer. I decided to change the prompt after considering that anyone who understands the title reference can guess Puccini right off the bat and bypass the mechanism. I don't believe there are too many opera buffs... even in Jeopardy, it's the one category that everyone seems to avoid.

"Nessun dorma" translates to "None shall sleep" from Puccini's opera "Turandot." It has a very "Rumplestiltskin" vibe to it. A prince wishes to marry a princess but she does not want to so he comes up with a proposition that if she can figure out what his name is before sunrise, then he shall be put to death. The princess orders the entire kingdom to stay up all night trying to figure out what the prince's name is, thus "None shall sleep." I never watched the opera (or any opera actually) but I'm familiar enough with the song as it is has been covered numerous times by opera singers and by contestants on "America's Got Talent" (and its worldwide equivalents) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWc7vYjgnTs

Funnily enough, I created this puzzle in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't fall asleep due to insomnia.

"Turandot" premiered at La Scala opera house in Milan on April 25, 1926, a year after Puccini's death. It was his last opera and posthumously completed by Franco Alfano.

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