"Looking for that Spark" - February 12, 2021

[dudeski]

On shore

[Hidden in 3D]

On shore! Now I'll have no meta distractions during the Great Backyard Bird Count!

[mattythewsjpuzzler]

On shore! Barolo tonight with home made Detroit-style pizza!

I’m familiar with Barolo (and fond of it) but not Detroit-style pizza. Thin, pan, stuffed, Sicilian or other?

It is a thickish pizza in a metal pan with lots of crispy cheese crust. Anything spelled "PIZZ_" is good. Meta?

[rosiegirl]

Totally lost on this one...which I can't understand since everyone is saying it is so obvious! Will look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow.

[KRM]

Maybe done, not sure. Since this one is being given a fairly high difficulty rating of 1.5 stars, my meta answer is probably wrong.

Btw, there is a post by a WSJ staff member mentioning a course that will teach how to get to the meta answer. This note is for those who solve the puzzle on paper and may not be reading through the conversation on the WSJ site.

[whimsy]

Well that's the last time I stop off at the bar for "just a quick one".....

Am now finally & safely ----

ASHORE

[MajordomoTom]

yep - this is #2 of what looks to be 4 puzzles to help get more people into solving these - they're in effect a course to get you addicted to meta puzzles.

A "free taste, just one little taste, it couldn't hurt, could it?"

[TPS]

Totally lost on this one...which I can't understand since everyone is saying it is so obvious! Will look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow.

I did not find this one “easy” per se. Some times if you are attuned to looking for tough mechanisms you jump right into looking for tricks and reading into clues...when really if you take a step back there are some obvious things that jump out.

[BeTheLight]

Easily on shore. You don't even need to get the mechanism for this one.

[C=64]

You don't even need to get the mechanism for this one.

I'm wondering whether this month's puzzles are going to be *too* accessible and therefore not good examples to teach newbies how to solve metas.

[escapeartist]

Ashore

I figured out the answer but was lost on the mechanism until...

I really like the construction of this one.

But with wsj pushing the contests with these easy-ish metas and explosive turnout, my hopes of achieving mug-dom are diminishing quickly.

[Toby]

Ashore on page 4. 33A could also fit into the theme answers, for you lit nerds out there.

Another poem by 21D could also relate (loosely) to the theme.

[Franklin.Bluth]

Ashore on page 4. 33A could also fit into the theme answers, for you lit nerds out there.

Another poem by 21D could also relate (loosely) to the theme.

I didn't know that one, but boharr pointed it out to me in a PM. So yeah...not a bad little Easter egg there.

[TPS]

Easily on shore. You don't even need to get the mechanism for this one.

If there is a mechanism other than what is obvious on its face - I didn’t get it and even after getting the answer I still don’t see it - So I guess my answer is sorta a Hail Mary that happened to be right!

[ajk]

If there is a mechanism other than what is obvious on its face - I didn’t get it and even after getting the answer I still don’t see it - So I guess my answer is sorta a Hail Mary that happened to be right!

If you understand how an obvious clue (whose # has been redacted, please don't post spoilers - thank you! ) works then you've got the mechanism.

Edited to hide something that might be a spoiler.

[seahawks_seashanty]

Made it ashore! That was a fun one!

[Eric Porter]

Like many here, I had the answer before fully understanding the mechanism being discussed in recent posts. If you get that, you'll have even less doubt.

I pondered whether Matt had that mind for the actual answer but dumbed the meta down a little because as Mike Miller explained, this month's puzzles are tailored to beginners.

[billkatz]

I am safely on the beach.

[DrTom]

Ok, this time for sure? Of course that is what I said last week and only got half of it. This is, to those of us who have been doing it for a while, a rather easy trip to the beach, but I can tell you that if I had seen this back when I first started I would be pondering it still. I first thought to submit "12:08 East of Bucharest" or "I Do not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians" but then I surmised that it was not Romanian Comedies that Matt was looking for after all.

Oh, and to be clear I am declaring myself ashore amongst that proverbial throng. I'll stay out of the sand though because it makes me act silacy, guess it's ingrained.

[Mister Squawk]

Not being a romcom guy, it took a little help from Mrs. Squawk, but there you are.