A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
ZazooD wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 3:48 am
EXCEPT! Shoulder is not a hinge joint.
BUT! Fun puzzle, nonetheless!
Cheers!
I was also looking for hinge joints. Found ankle, knee and elbow but couldn't find any more.
Zoom group let me know that it didn't have to be a hinge joint.
A grin of chagrin. Is the cross on the Swiss flag green? And what's a nordsman? I saw the elbow and went looking for the knee. There's gotta be a knee! Oh well, no knee for me, and no solve.
So... I got an interesting email yesterday.
In 4-6 weeks, I will officially be a muggle with a mug.
Bespoke nudges available upon request (if I'm on shore, off the couch, in the castle, petting an un-bagged cat, ...).
Let me know how small or large a hint you want, or hit me with a specific question(s).
ELSavage wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 6:58 am
So... I got an interesting email yesterday.
In 4-6 weeks, I will officially be a muggle with a mug.
Woo hoo!! Congratulations!!!!
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
The contest answer is MATE. As suggested by the clue for HINGE, look for places in the grid where a body joint bends. Those joints are SHOULDER, ANKLE, KNEE and ELBOW, and the “hinge” letters spell the contest answer.
A tricky one that our solvers nevertheless cracked in large numbers. We had 1,445 entries, with 92% correct, well above our usual level (around 75%). INMATE (close) received 11 votes, plus WIFE (2), COUPLE (2), and HUSBAND, TAX EXPERT, TEAM DOCTOR and a handful of others.
Congrats to this week's winner: Eric Savage of Exeter, NH! (A Muggle on this board -- see above!)
ELSavage wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 6:58 am
So... I got an interesting email yesterday.
In 4-6 weeks, I will officially be a muggle with a mug.
WONDERFUL! Congratulations!
Don & Cynthia
We are always happy to get to know other muggles and help in any way! PM's are always welcome. The next best thing to winning a mug is helping a fellow muggle win a mug!
Bob cruise director wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 3:14 pm
Congratulations to @ELSavage Love to see a muggle on board and even better a NE muggle who will bring his prized mug to our June get together.
...
Yeah, Eric! (@ELSavage) You can just pass it around the table. We won't drop it or anything! Honest!