"Let's Go Orienteering" by benchen71

Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
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woozy
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Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:40 am

#21

Post by woozy »

Okay.... so how is orienteering different than just going on a hike? I'm having a real conceptual disconnect.
GUAVA is not an anagram of VAGUE
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Darth
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#22

Post by Darth »

DeMOATed... and DisORIENTed. ;) Thanks, Ben.
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benchen71
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#23

Post by benchen71 »

ANother 24 hours, another 6 solvers, bringing us to 11:

Berto
markhr
woozy
JM
Ninji
Tyrpmom

OK, OK, now I'll release the nudges! ;-)
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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benchen71
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#24

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:

1. Your only clue is the title, but you might have noticed that the grid is even more symmetric than usual.

2. 4 significantly-located entries are missing some letters.

3. Orienteering requires a compass.

4. What you are looking for would be much harder to find if it was hidden in a haystack!
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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HeadinHome
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Location: Charlotte, NC

#25

Post by HeadinHome »

Needed that last nudge (knew all the other stuff) — but still took a few tries to get it right.. PHEW, glad that’s solved. All my very clever other guesses are on the Crosshare comments.

Ben you stumped a lot of us this week!
The other Wendy. :roll:
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DrTom
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#26

Post by DrTom »

Made it across the MOAT after getting re-oriented. Had all the pieces of this “build-it-yourself “ answer but could not follow the right steps. Clever and novel as is the Aussie’s norm, obviously cleverer than this Yank. Thanks Ben.
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges IF ASKED; metas should be about fun, not frustration. PM me what you have done so far, because often you are closer than you think, and I will try to help you move along.
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MatthewL
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#27

Post by MatthewL »

Well, finally crossed the moat, but only because a kind Muggle took pity on my and loaded me onto an oxcart and towed me across the drawbridge. Even with the nudges I was still hopelessly lost. Thanks for the puzzle, Ben (I guess)!
Matthew
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rjy
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Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2021 12:52 pm
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#28

Post by rjy »

Needed nudge 4 to find my way to the castle - tricky, but clever in several different ways, Ben!
Ray
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KayW
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#29

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :european_castle: Whew!! FINALLY found my way out! (with the nudges)
Image

Very clever, Ben. Thanks!
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whimsy
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Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Hopkinton MA

#30

Post by whimsy »

Never solved since I've been traveling in Lithuania since Tuesday.
I have done orienteering in the past, and here's a plaque from a park in Vilnius we happened upon!
(I seriously doubt there are any spoilers here!)
lithuania orienteering.png
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benchen71
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#31

Post by benchen71 »

Solver update:

HeadinHome
Mg305
LarsCaine
Pair O Ducks
DrTom
DCBilly
kymike
lbray53
omnilynx
Johnny Luau
Cindy Weatherman
Meg
MatthewL
Tyler Stokes
rjy
Abide
Danny K Bernstein
kurtalert
atsiricajr111191
KayW
G1ng3rBr43d

That's a total of 32. Final update before the answer reveal in less than 24 hours...
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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benchen71
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#32

Post by benchen71 »

One additional solver:

Laura M

That's 33, and it's time for the answer reveal...
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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benchen71
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#33

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the solution to "Let's Go Orienteering":

Let's Go Orienteering (solution).png

This one proved more difficult than I anticipated. Hopefully, though, the next time you are lost in the woods with a compass you will be prepared! :D

I had a lot of trouble finding an entry for SOUTH. It had to be a word or phrase that fitted into a 5-letter entry once the direction was omitted. In the end, I stumbled across this movie quote and breathed a sigh of relief:

he's out here.gif

And I have a surprise for you! A bonus MOAT puzzle that's related to this one!
Last edited by benchen71 on Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta! :D
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sharkicicles
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Location: Chicago, Walter the Shih-Tzu's home town

#34

Post by sharkicicles »

Apparently I don’t know how a compass works. Figured the needle was pointing southwest or northeast depending on how you interpreted the direction of the needle…

Then again I don’t go to any woods and don’t own a compass so… ;) still a very nicely constructed meta. Nice job, Ben!
If you like Rows Gardens check out my mini ones here: viewforum.php?f=41. Nudges are free on the off chance I’ve solved the meta.
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