"Looking for that Spark" - February 12, 2021

[wildjed]

Second week in a row that my partner and I have made it easily go shore! Ready to enjoy a cocktail with the crowd! (Might need to make it a hot toddy though, with all this snow out here in western Washington.. )

[Olof]

Happy to be on shore! Snowed in and enjoying a nice hot mug.

[BarbaraK]

I looked through all of the pages up to now and don't see this addressed...

I know what 24A should be in the grid, but is it true? Prof. G doesn't agree with the answer.

Seems like a pretty big whoops by Matt Gaffney if it's not. Am I missing something?

Since acting awards are given early in the year but based on the previous year's work, it's often unclear which one people are talking about. You have to read the prepositions carefully - the winner IN a year is not the winner FOR the year. And sometimes even that doesn't help, so I always check both when this comes up in a meta puzzle.

[Secret Adversary]

Ah! Thank you!

[Secret Adversary]

I looked through all of the pages up to now and don't see this addressed...

I know what 24A should be in the grid, but is it true? Prof. G doesn't agree with the answer.

Seems like a pretty big whoops by Matt Gaffney if it's not. Am I missing something?

Since acting awards are given early in the year but based on the previous year's work, it's often unclear which one people are talking about. You have to read the prepositions carefully - the winner IN a year is not the winner FOR the year. And sometimes even that doesn't help, so I always check both when this comes up in a meta puzzle.

Ah, thank you very much!

[stmv]

I looked through all of the pages up to now and don't see this addressed...

I know what 24A should be in the grid, but is it true? Prof. G doesn't agree with the answer.

Seems like a pretty big whoops by Matt Gaffney if it's not. Am I missing something?

It's the old problem of whether one uses the year of the film, or the (following) year of the ceremony. Matt is using the year of the film here, not the year of the ceremony.

[norrin2]

On shore. There's one loose end that sorta bothers me, but maybe I'm missing something.

It may be what I was missing also for a while. PM me and we fill fill in the blanks

PM sent. I'm anxious to tie up that loose end.

[Sara Dacus]

Got the MGWCC but going to reprint this for a fresh grid. I know it's supposed to be easy this week . . .

[EmilyW]

On shore! I got to visit the actual beach in Florida this week which was wonderful. Now I'm back home just in time for subzero temps. At least I'm on the meta beach.

[cpelster]

Arrived onshore yesterday!

[Scraps]

... I read that one a few years ago and need to find it, it is probably one of the most perfect novels of all time.

That and Great Expectations.

David Copperfield's worth a read as well. Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities were required reading in my high school; because I liked those so much I elected to read David Cooperfield and I was not disappointed.

If the category is Dickens novels, Bleak House is my favorite--even though it's 80% longer than Moby Dick. So many memorable characters.

[Colin]

Last night martini...
No meta. Tonight, just wine
Hoping for better.

[LesY]

Solved. I think I forgot to post earlier. Disembarked from Puzzle Boating with good friends to a curious case of deja vu.

But it’s all good because the newest Gaffney is so cute!!

[Jaclyn]

Finally got a chance to puzzle, got it (I think?!) fairly quickly. Either that or I fell for a very obvious trick.

[Kevan]

On shore! Cute puzzle.

[Bob cruise director]

On shore! Cute puzzle.

Welcome to the land of the muggles. Good luck winning the mug.

[BrianMac]

I also think I forgot to post, but I am on shore.

[Bob cruise director]

I also think I forgot to post, but I am on shore.

You are #200 on the shore

[ADS]

I’m ashore. Nice puzzle.

[Geezer Weezer]

The beach seems crowded.