"Under Wraps" December 20, 2024

[Cindy N]

Ashore! Might need to doctor up the eggnog!

[newbymar]

ASHORE! Brothers and I had the right answer through the wrong meta....after the zoom call, we got the right meta and the same answer!

[ELSavage]

Ashore.
This is one I like to think I would have seen on my own, eventually, but someone saw me flailing and pulled me out of a rip tide.

[RDaleHall]

On the shore as I 17A. Time for the true celebration libation… Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Go Bucks!

[Mirage]

Whatever gift Shenk has given us this week I have yet to unwrap. Count me at sea.

[ship4u]

Brand new here and definitely needing a nudge. I’ve seen posts referencing a discord? A link share would appreciated.

Welcome to the group! It's very easy to get a nudge here. Simply PM another muggle. Cheers!

[RVAtoOBX]

After Friday's Zoom call I thought I'd just not get it this week. But this morning a comment from yesterday made me look at something a different way and presto the mechanism became clear. So serve me up a mimosa on this lovely beach.

[Bob cruise director]

Sipping a lovely egg nog liqueur with Isaac as I am still on the ship. I'm hoping that I won't be sMACking my head again in frustration. I haven't had much time yet to wander AROund the grid and clues yet, so there's still a chance to NIp this losing streak in the bud. I was liking twenty-one across and TWENTY-SIX ACROSS, but that doesn't seem to lead anywhere (except to some fun memories).


IMG_0495.JPG


They do fly--in their own way (photo cred to my husband Dave--one of his best pictures from this vacation).

To add to what @LadyBird said, Macaroni Penguins got their name from 18th century men in England who dyed their hair yellow while pushing the limits of fashion

And even underwater penguins propel themselves by flapping their wings in a similar manner to birds flapping their wings through the air.

[auee89]

Still at the bar. Still foggy and not seeing the path.

Enjoyed Patrick’s Candy Canes this morning. So glad to see it again after several years of not being published! https://www.wsj.com/articles/candy-cane ... 1-47edac89

[Bob cruise director]

Good Saturday morning muggles

An interesting meta from Mr. Shenk. As @Joe Ross puts it SAD - simple and devious

Welcome to our newest muggles @powerpuffgirls, @chopkins828, @SMarlin and @lymanrpaden Always great to have more muggles

Before we get to the week's status, I want to thank everyone here for making it the most enjoyable group around. Among those who are not always visible are the ones who create/test solve and provide technical support for the SSS, MMM, MOAT, MEOW, Pun of a Kind, MGWCC, Sunday Crosswords, MMMM and any that I missed. They keep our brains going in ways we never thought of them going.

And the comments that I get to read each week are precious - humorous, informative and clever.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all.

So far we have 16 on the ship enjoying Isaac's holiday brunch and 114 on the shore enjoying the Tiki Bar buffet

On the ship are

LittleGood
Janet
Beccabecca
Katiedid
Mirage
Tom S
Mikey and puzzle buddy Jane
scrabbler
femullen
PlymouthRock
altosax
madhatter5
jwilkerson
powerpuffgirls
chopkins828
auee89

And on the shore are:

Jace54
MikeyG
Meg
MatthewL
Joe R
dpl11
NebFaninCA
ky-mike
Kay
michaelm
jhseeman
Sheila
benchen71
Beth T
Mike H
darth
elvanya
Eric C
Ed S
docison
Cindy
Ergcat
flepper
DavyGravy
charliewentling
joe
Wendy
boharr
Eric P
ajk
straffin
sharkicicles
Flying_Burrito
Peter
Bird Lives
ArthurD and wife
SingleMalt
MarkWoychick
Al
Don and Cynthia
Scott M
Jeremy
D B Miller
BrennerTJ
mattythewsjpuzzler
oldjudge
Merry Potter
Char
Rita and George
woozy
Guffman
Joepickett
MajorDomoTom
Deb
DaveG
ErikThor
SMarlin
Dickie_Dunn
Schmeel
DCBilly
Chris
HeadinHome
Berto
Miki
minimuggle
SamKat9
Sleepy
BigPear
halseymac
Mister and Mrs. Squawk
girubato1
Googly
DeuceMTN
schmidzy
M and M
whimsy
ladybird
Beth A
CPJohnson
Al Laubenstein
sjm
Dannyvee
RDaleHall
Bill
Heidi
Cruise Director
Don and Lisa
Jean
Fred
InAJelly
Acarl
turbotron
Nlobb
jimbo1
newbymar and brothers
Birdbrain
JaneGummy
DrTom
Gman
skutner
Bob B
Cindy N
ELSavage
clonefitz
Mbutterfly
Cinny
batfella
relic (and Maggie)
Libbypibby
scott
Mamaneej
seans
lymanrpaden
RVAtoOBX

[Streroto]

Ashore! Just got to it now as we went down to Baltimore to take grandkids on the Polar Express. Such fun and such joy.

Bald eagles out in force at Conowingo if anyone in the area is interested!!!

Happy holidays to all muggles and muggle families!!!!!

[Ann]

On the shore!

[Joe Ross]

An interesting meta from Mr. Shenk. As @Joe Ross puts it SAD - simple and devious

I purloined Simple And Difficult from @MattGaffney. I don't know if it originated with him.

[DrTom]

I did everything right in my thinking, I just did not carry it far enough, and I got warned off the most likely route, though admittedly I asked the wrong vague question. At any rate I ended up finding the answer with a nudge and am sorry to say I needed it. Thank you @Cinny I can now rest (on the beach, but nowhere near the "real" solvers who saw what I did but did the right thing with it the first time) peacefully and not have to worry about being picked for the mug because I am not submitting.

[Kevin L]

Made it to shore. Nice holiday puzzle.

[rorriMgnizamA]

Ashore. Like some others have said, deceptively simple meta, and the aha moment was very satisfying. I quickly understood WHERE the key clue to the solution was, but at first I MASSIVELY overthought it and got nowhere.

[oldjudge]

Duh, Guinness me.

According to the WSJ, your request is becoming more difficult. Due to popularity, Guinness is becoming difficult to get!!

Nectar of the gods--say it ain't so!

[HunterX]

Ashore. And no nudging, unlike last week.

Session with kids last night resulted in nothing. Then, after much staring in all the wrong places (and there were many, though shallow), I got that satisfying "Ah HA!" moment. While SAD, I was HAPPY to get it. Well, happy to get it before the kids. Sent my gloating, victorious, not-at-all-humble text to the kids and am now seeing how long before they catch up.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to everyone! May your holidays be meta and bright!

(Who am I fooling? They aren't working on it after our zoom chat. I think they let me solve it first. Which is fine with me.)

[Laurab]

Finally ashore.

[HunterX]

Duh, Guinness me.

According to the WSJ, your request is becoming more difficult. Due to popularity, Guinness is becoming difficult to get!!

Nectar of the gods--say it ain't so!

'Tis. I also saw an article in the Times talking about the Instagram craze of "Splitting the G" that's got all the youngsters (um... relatively speaking) chugging the stuff.