MEOW #179 Are the Stars Out Tonight

A weekly meta crossword on the forum started by member Josh (aka madhatter5). These puzzles are often very creative with solving mechanisms out of the norm and skewing towards the more challenging. Puzzles are posted every Wednesday, and the solution appears the following Tuesday.
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DrTom
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MEOW #179 Are the Stars Out Tonight

#1

Post by DrTom »

Are the Stars out banner best.jpg
Well, I'm back. I hope this title and prompt are clear enough. I don't know if they're cloudy or right, but if you PM me with questions on what you think you should do hopefully I will only have ayes for you dear.

Sorry I could NOT resist that opening with this title. Some of you will go "What?" but a bunch will chuckle or at least groan.

This is one of those that came to me while walking (one of the few times my mind is not focused on other things) and will either play VERY hard or VERY easy depending on how you look at it and interpret things. I am hoping, as always, for a big turnout, some great AHA's and a lot of chuckles.

Based on my esteemed test solvers; @MikeyG, @Meg, @rjy and @Phillip Chow (who were really all over the place when it came to catching the "trick") I'd have to rate this a:

Kitten

Calico

PERSIAN+ (though I think lots of you will see this as a Lion)

Puma

Lion


The first part should be pretty clear, the next step is quite a departure from my usual style. It is an inferred answer, but the inference comes from a rather more subtle, but very visible, source.

Friday (or perhaps earlier) nudges, Tuesday reveal...my mailbox is always open!

A BIG thanks to @Joe Ross whose hand-holding and instructions have made it possible for constructors to load their own puzzles and construct their own spreadsheet files. His development of the SS boilerplate makes it very easy to give you a very professional final product.

Crosshare - Are the Stars Out Tonight

Puz file - Are the Stars Out Tonight

Excel - Are the Stars Out Tonight

PDF - Are the Stars Out Tonight

Are The Stars Out Tonight.jpg
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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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benchen71
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#2

Post by benchen71 »

The cat is free! A very clever and perfectly put-together puzzle!
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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Darth
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#3

Post by Darth »

Cat is out... and hiding from the paparazzi!
f368b1a0752364065c50d50fc9d272f7.jpg
Amazing puz construction, DrTom! 🤩
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DrTom
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#4

Post by DrTom »

Darth wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 8:13 am Cat is out... and hiding from the paparazzi!
f368b1a0752364065c50d50fc9d272f7.jpg
Amazing puz construction, DrTom! 🤩
He told me it was pawpurrazzi.🐈‍⬛
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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DrTom
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#5

Post by DrTom »

TYPOSTYPOSTYPOS

Well it appears I was under Manning my own success. 41A has Eli making the call and it is actually Peyton. Somebody told me that earlier on I believe (hey I was proud to have a sports reference) and I forgot to change it.

To add insult to injury the clue before it has TWO typos. It is supposed to be “Lines of tribute to Billy Joe, a Grecian Urn or the Night Sky”, not “Lines of tribute to Bille Joe, a Grecan Urn or the Night Sky”. I am going to claim that the Grecian formula addled my brain – well back when there was anything for it to work on.

Neither really have any bearing on the meta solve. My thanks to @hoover for notifying me. Man you think I’d be rested and precise after so long away…nope!

Face Palm.jpeg
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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boharr
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#6

Post by boharr »

Cat is outside doing something. Thanks, DrTom.
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DrTom
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#7

Post by DrTom »

DrTom wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 9:03 am TYPOSTYPOSTYPOS

Well it appears I was under Manning my own success. 41A has Eli making the call and it is actually Peyton. Somebody told me that earlier on I believe (hey I was proud to have a sports reference) and I forgot to change it.

To add insult to injury the clue before it has TWO typos. It is supposed to be “Lines of tribute to Billy Joe, a Grecian Urn or the Night Sky”, not “Lines of tribute to Bille Joe, a Grecan Urn or the Night Sky”. I am going to claim that the Grecian formula addled my brain – well back when there was anything for it to work on.

Neither really have any bearing on the meta solve. My thanks to @hoover for notifying me. Man you think I’d be rested and precise after so long away…nope!

Face Palm.jpeg
Whoops, let me correct my correction. It is NOT Ode to Billy Joe, but actually Billie Joe - Grecan remains wrong but Billie is right! So, one out of three.

T
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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DrTom
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#8

Post by DrTom »

I may have to start early on nudges, this has been up 5 hours, I have 9 solvers and 4 of them are people who test solved. I was afraid this would happen just because it was such a departure. So, here is a nudge:

In the constellation of possible methods of hiding a mechanism, what might one use in a puzzle named "Are the Stars Out Tonight"
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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ChrisKochmanski
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#9

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Cat’s out!

But only with much help from another Muggle.
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DrTom
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#10

Post by DrTom »

ChrisKochmanski wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 1:39 pm Cat’s out!

But only with much help from another Muggle.
Getting by with a little help from your friends is a good thing....

Thanks for using a lifeline!
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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MatthewL
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#11

Post by MatthewL »

Cat's out. Nudge helped, although I had initially thought of something along those lines, but then didn't follow through. Oh well -- thanks for the puzzle, Tom!
Matthew
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DrTom
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#12

Post by DrTom »

MatthewL wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 2:29 pm Cat's out. Nudge helped, although I had initially thought of something along those lines, but then didn't follow through. Oh well -- thanks for the puzzle, Tom!
Glad that helped you home. You get a gold star!!!
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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lbray53
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#13

Post by lbray53 »

Cat is out of the bag, thanks largely to my college studies, along with a common trait of the good doctor's puzzles.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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DrTom
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#14

Post by DrTom »

lbray53 wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 5:09 pm Cat is out of the bag, thanks largely to my college studies, along with a common trait of the good doctor's puzzles.
The cognoscente strikes again! Glad you were able to release the cat.
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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hcbirker
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#15

Post by hcbirker »

Cat is out! Thanks Dr. Tom!
Heidi
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DrTom
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#16

Post by DrTom »

Gosh, I seem to have posted either a very sophisticated level 5 or a really crappy level anything. The solver list currently reads:

1 benchen71
2 Darth
3 Phillip Chow (T)
4 boharr
5 Cindy Weatherman
6 Hector
7 rjy (T)
8 kurtalert
9 Meg (T)
10 Chris Kochmanski
11 MatthewL
12 Laura M
13 lbray53
14 Gutman
15 heidi
16 markhr
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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#17

Post by DrTom »

Well there are still only 13 solves if I take out the test solvers and I know that is not a function of all your ability, it is a function of an unclear puzzle. I am afraid I have made this one too difficult and for that I am sorry. As you know, my desire is to have LOTS of solvers. To that end I am posting my nudges early, and depending on what that does to the solver total I may post more.

So, the title is "Are the Stars out tonight" and there are a bunch of stars named in the puzzle

Note that the stars are not only NOT symmetrical but look almost ramdomly, or at least haphazardly placed

The stars are NOT haphazardly placed, matter of fact they are placed VERY carefully

Clues 40A and 62D both nudge toward what you are supposed to notice
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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woozy
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#18

Post by woozy »

Yeah. I can't make anything out of nudges that I didn't also fail to get out of the grid....
I guess I should change my signature, and start promoting this meta: Hungry Little Creature. I was going to sent it to people for testing but I dropped the ball on it.
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Ergcat
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#19

Post by Ergcat »

Cat is free! Had the right idea earlier but needed the nudges to confirm and execute!!
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Cap'n Rick
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#20

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Cat is out! Excellent job, @DrTom! I loved this mechanism and may have to "borrow" it someday. :D
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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