"What Not To Do" - March 27, 2020
- MajordomoTom
- Posts: 1426
- Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
I also wanted it to be TOUCH(something).
As in
START WITH TOUCH
STAND OR NEXT TO INTERRUPT
striking the DON'Ts and the MEs altogether.
TOUCHINESS was the only such ten letter word, but couldn't find anything for the INESS, so that wasn't one of our submissions.
The other was ADMONITION, which is the AD from MADEBACON, the MO from the first clue, the IN from INME fully backwards (NI), the ON from the stand clue, and no TI in sight.
MONOTONOUS doesn't also fit the puzzle title, ADMONITION does, so we submitted two different words.
As in
START WITH TOUCH
STAND OR NEXT TO INTERRUPT
striking the DON'Ts and the MEs altogether.
TOUCHINESS was the only such ten letter word, but couldn't find anything for the INESS, so that wasn't one of our submissions.
The other was ADMONITION, which is the AD from MADEBACON, the MO from the first clue, the IN from INME fully backwards (NI), the ON from the stand clue, and no TI in sight.
MONOTONOUS doesn't also fit the puzzle title, ADMONITION does, so we submitted two different words.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
-
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:23 pm
I didn’t submit a guess, but if I did it would have been “directions” or “boundaries”, which still makes more sense to me. Lol.
- oldjudge
- Posts: 1652
- Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2019 4:16 am
- Location: Pasadena, CA
BTW, my interpretation was a little different than Barbara’s. I looked at it as how would you remedy the situations that the statements asks you not to do.
1. Don’t start with me. If you remove MO there is no word that starts with me.
2. Don’t touch me. If you remove NOT there are no letters touching me.
3. Don’t stand so close to me. Notice that this is the vertical (standing) me. Removing ON takes away what is standing close to me.
4. Don’t interrupt me. Here is the quandary: do you refer to MADE or MOUSE? Since there are three letters remaining to be found that eliminates Made, and Mouse must be used. Remove OUS and me is not interrupted.
Put it all together and it spells MOTHER, oh wait wrong song, it spells MONOTONOUS.
1. Don’t start with me. If you remove MO there is no word that starts with me.
2. Don’t touch me. If you remove NOT there are no letters touching me.
3. Don’t stand so close to me. Notice that this is the vertical (standing) me. Removing ON takes away what is standing close to me.
4. Don’t interrupt me. Here is the quandary: do you refer to MADE or MOUSE? Since there are three letters remaining to be found that eliminates Made, and Mouse must be used. Remove OUS and me is not interrupted.
Put it all together and it spells MOTHER, oh wait wrong song, it spells MONOTONOUS.
- ImOnToo
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 5:28 pm
- Location: Texas
Dadgumit!
I had “Monotonous” at one point but let it go.
No matter. Every one that I don’t get only gives me another arrow in the quiver to solve future metas!
I had “Monotonous” at one point but let it go.
No matter. Every one that I don’t get only gives me another arrow in the quiver to solve future metas!
Last edited by ImOnToo on Mon Mar 30, 2020 12:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Konnie
-
- Posts: 127
- Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2019 5:10 pm
- Location: San Diego
Uggh I was somewhat close in one of my pursuits. I had start with ME as MEMO and Interrupt as MOUSE. I saw FOOT over ME, and I kept getting distracted with the BY over the ME, or the ON over the ME (both theme MEs, I hadn't clued in to find non-theme MEs). The Standing ME is really clever. Maybe if I had seen that I would have had enough letters to start piecing it together. Of all the 10 letter words that might have fit the theme answers that I tried to back solve with, and there were pages of them, I have to say MONOTONOUS was NOT one of them!
-
- Posts: 61
- Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:40 pm
I suspected this was the answer (MOxxxxxOUS doesn't describe any other word that came to mind, since you wouldn't call a clue MONOGAMOUS) but didn't submit because I couldn't figure out how to parse the two middle clues, even though I was pretty sure that AME was involved (because it was vertical). Oh well, another weekend with Isaac, could have been worse.
-
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2020 9:13 pm
no that's cool. I had the "ous" towards the finish line before I realized I wasted too much time.
So yeah, I had
Mo
but then garbage like IN me (not not)
then Ron or on.
then ous.
but that spelled nothing
So yeah, I had
Mo
but then garbage like IN me (not not)
then Ron or on.
then ous.
but that spelled nothing
- Natalie
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:48 pm
GAH GAH GAH ... so close! I had the MO and the OUS but couldn't finesse the rest, so I figured my approach was wrong ... but I liked my approach SOOOO much. I thought about monotonous, but it didn't seem to fit the title of the puzzle -- how is that 'what not to do?' -- and I've been down that garden path before. C'est la vie. Maybe next week!
- MajordomoTom
- Posts: 1426
- Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
I don't like how the MOT wraps around the ME of INME, but ... at least one half of us submitted the correct answer.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
- Joe Ross
- Moderator
- Posts: 5199
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
- Location: Cincinnati
I came about the answer in a completely different (& bad) way. I had GUIDELINES stuck in my mind, since it was obvious that the puzzle theme was related to COVID-19 and every article, PSA, company emailing about how they're taking care if its customers, press conference, tweet, posting, etc., seemed to repeat the GUIDELINES of how to prevent, treat, and blah-de-blah.
I could not get GUIDELINES out of my head during a weekend busy with family & the beginning of spring & yard work. I saw some MEs in the puzzle, but also couldn't get them to work and was sick of staring at the same screen, repeatedly, when I actually said to myself, "This is sheer monotony!"
*click* Monotony, monotonous... There is MO in MEMO and OUS interrupting ME in MOUSE! I knew I had it, despite not ferreting out the middle letters until 30 minutes, or so, later.
I could not get GUIDELINES out of my head during a weekend busy with family & the beginning of spring & yard work. I saw some MEs in the puzzle, but also couldn't get them to work and was sick of staring at the same screen, repeatedly, when I actually said to myself, "This is sheer monotony!"
*click* Monotony, monotonous... There is MO in MEMO and OUS interrupting ME in MOUSE! I knew I had it, despite not ferreting out the middle letters until 30 minutes, or so, later.
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
- MajordomoTom
- Posts: 1426
- Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:09 am
- Location: St. Louis, MO
nice.
my first two "guesses" were DIRECTIONS and BOUNDARIES, but without support for those, started looking elsewhere.
my first two "guesses" were DIRECTIONS and BOUNDARIES, but without support for those, started looking elsewhere.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
-
- Posts: 188
- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:14 pm
How does MONOTONOUS describe the theme entries? I pretty much figured out what needed to be done to solve the meta but couldn't settle on a word that I thought made sense. While I admire the process I'm disappointed in the solution.
- ImOnToo
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 5:28 pm
- Location: Texas
“By” tripped me up, too.LaceyK wrote: ↑Mon Mar 30, 2020 12:25 am Uggh I was somewhat close in one of my pursuits. I had start with ME as MEMO and Interrupt as MOUSE. I saw FOOT over ME, and I kept getting distracted with the BY over the ME, or the ON over the ME (both theme MEs, I hadn't clued in to find non-theme MEs). The Standing ME is really clever. Maybe if I had seen that I would have had enough letters to start piecing it together. Of all the 10 letter words that might have fit the theme answers that I tried to back solve with, and there were pages of them, I have to say MONOTONOUS was NOT one of them!
Konnie
-
- Posts: 394
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 5:25 pm
- Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Woo-hoo! Never reported myself on the beach (because I wasn't), but I submitted the correct answer about 7 minutes before the deadline. I'm just glad I didn't have to show my work! (I was pretty sure how the word had to begin and end, so I made an educated guess from there, never quite having seen how the middle sections worked. I got the double-negative thing, too.) Still, it counts, stretching my streak to 13 and giving me my first perfect calendar quarter. I'm still a long way from a perfect year as so many others here have achieved.
-
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2019 5:12 pm
I agree with Tony S. Saw monotonous early, but didn't see how it described the theme entries.
-
- Posts: 907
- Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 2:35 pm
Well, I did get the correct answer, but in a most inelegant way. From the MEs scattered in the grid, I saw MO and OUS. I also saw other letters near an ME that suggested monotonous. But the double-negative completely escaped me, so using the theme entries in the desired manner was lost on me.flyingMoose wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 5:57 pm Just submitted my answer.
I can almost, nearly semi-justify it maybe. At a minimum, I hope to give someone in the halls of WSJ, er, the halls of their apartment, a good laugh.
- Tom Shea
- Posts: 609
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:37 am
- Location: Freedonia, NH/VT/HI/Earth
Saw monotonous, but thought it had nothing to do with the instructions.
Submitted admonition. Started from m-"ad"-e and me-"mo" and forced it from there.
No wonder the beach was so empty.
Submitted admonition. Started from m-"ad"-e and me-"mo" and forced it from there.
No wonder the beach was so empty.
Rufus T. Firefly
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Well I'm going to argue that ADMONITION is perfectly acceptable and fits the criteria as well or better than MONOTONOUS:
mADe is every bit as acceptable as mOUSe and is more like a usual 5 entry (yes one was split in two DONT STAND and SO CLOSE TO ME) because it interrupts ME
IT because it is "standing" on ME
INme because it is touching ME
mO because these are so close to ME
eN
Yielding MO AD IT IN ON, an anagram of ADMONITION which all of the themed entries are. Yes the entries were repetitive, and there is currently a lot of monotony, but when you admonish me not to do something I listen - and answer.
Now there will be arguments that "well you had to have one that was using a theme entry", and last week we had a solve that involved a theme entry. Any argument of, "but you had to force it" is offset by "well you had to ignore one of the MEs and decide between MADE and MOUSE to get THREE letters instead of the usual two.
So ruling judges please - two possible answers?
meMO - of course because it starts with MEmADe is every bit as acceptable as mOUSe and is more like a usual 5 entry (yes one was split in two DONT STAND and SO CLOSE TO ME) because it interrupts ME
IT because it is "standing" on ME
INme because it is touching ME
mO because these are so close to ME
eN
Yielding MO AD IT IN ON, an anagram of ADMONITION which all of the themed entries are. Yes the entries were repetitive, and there is currently a lot of monotony, but when you admonish me not to do something I listen - and answer.
Now there will be arguments that "well you had to have one that was using a theme entry", and last week we had a solve that involved a theme entry. Any argument of, "but you had to force it" is offset by "well you had to ignore one of the MEs and decide between MADE and MOUSE to get THREE letters instead of the usual two.
So ruling judges please - two possible answers?
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!
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Tom - as you can see I agree with your answer and don't think you had to "force" it at all. Now will the judges hear the beat of the Tom Tom...let's hope so.
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!
- Colin
- Posts: 555
- Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:57 pm
Hours lost this weekend
To a meta that’s messy
Drove me round the bend!
To a meta that’s messy
Drove me round the bend!
One world. One planet. One future.