"Pre-Order Your Copy Now" - March 11, 2021

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.
Locked
Jace54
Posts: 497
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2020 7:38 pm
Location: Iowa

#361

Post by Jace54 »

flyingMoose wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 10:33 am After the merger of Random House and Penguin Group, do the Penguin Classics allude to the answer description? Or is it just that some of the Random House titles are regarded as classics? Or is it just my imagination? :)
I think the “classic American company” descriptor for the solution is because Random House used to be a U.S company but is now owned by a foreign company.
User avatar
hunkra
Posts: 265
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2020 6:35 pm
Location: Hudson Valley, NY

#362

Post by hunkra »

I also fell down the SHOES hole initially. And when I finally got HOUSE, I couldn’t stop thinking about that music mail order company, Columbia House (Records) 😂
Channeling Molly Weasley on a good day.
xwordcoco
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 5:27 pm

#363

Post by xwordcoco »

This puzzle was so fun because it was the first time I felt like it was coming natural. I totally got lost in the SHOE, but I couldn't figure out why there was a "u" in the middle of the "shoe" scramble in FAMOUSHEXES. Or why the clues were made-up titles for books. The clues didn't connect, but it obviously meant the answer would be related to books. So I was like what company has a book/shoe them? I eventually wrote it all out, compartmentalized SHOE and found RANDOM, which I knew meant only one thing: RANDOM HOUSE! Loved it, but I'm a newbie :)
Attachments
63743417382__7974C3FE-737E-4A2B-A938-3EC78E2F6B6B.jpeg
User avatar
Colin
Posts: 546
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:57 pm

#364

Post by Colin »

RDaleHall wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 10:07 am My roundabout path included asking myself "there are all these mixed up SHOEs in the answers... what is a classic SHOE ordering company? Zappos?" But one of them had a U in the midst of them. Then went to the "PRE" in the puzzle title, found "RANDOM" and then realized... duh.... it's RANDOM HOUSE.
Likewise! But I was still stuck in that rut after finding the U, convincing myself it was US SHOE which is a US classic company. A couple of the theme answers even had the additional S next to them. Then I put it down, picked it up later, focused on the title and got to the correct
sole-ution.
Last edited by Colin on Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
One world. One planet. One future.
User avatar
KayW
Moderator
Posts: 3123
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#365

Post by KayW »

sharkicicles wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 6:01 am
Believe it or not (and, believe it, due to that map...) I am in the 2nd ward!
Well, howdy "neighbor"!

Maybe if/when things get back to normal, we can meet to chase rabbits down The Rabbit Hole... a 2nd ward watering hole :)
RabbitHoleAvatar.JPG
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
User avatar
TPS
Posts: 721
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:19 pm
Location: Florida

#366

Post by TPS »

boharr wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:32 am
Jeffrey wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 1:38 am Enjoyed the meta. Only issue is that Random House is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann, a European conglomerate, in contrast to a "classic American company".
Bertelsmann bought Random House in 1998 and more recently ate up Simon & Schuster.
And has now been rebranded as Penguin Random House. I didn’t initially see the RANDOM so while I figured the answer was Random House especially since when ai Googled the Puzzle Title + Random House one the first things that came up was a RH ad with that exact verbiage. But that RH is now called PRH gave me pause.
Nlobb
Posts: 296
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:46 pm

#367

Post by Nlobb »

I also found Shoes right away and immediately saw Randum because of the word "pre" in the title. I saw that the letters for Shoe are in each themer and also in the word "house." So, I thought the answer was Random House and submitted it! But I never did see the word "house" in all the themers. I just figured it was house since that was the logical addition to Random. In any case, not a very elegant solution on my part but it did get me the right answer. Now I just need the mug!!
Scraps
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:15 pm
Location: Gulf Coast of Florida

#368

Post by Scraps »

Anita wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 10:53 am I was stuck at the same place as Wendy, seeing HORS D'OEUVRE and trying to transform the other theme entries the same way. I didn't ask for a nudge, so I was never able to shake that.
I was stuck there, too. And with the Harsh/Lars dead end.

But I did ask for help.
PQ63
Posts: 138
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2020 4:17 pm

#369

Post by PQ63 »

Wow. I too completely missed the word RANDOM spelled out although I did submit the correct answer. Very clever indeed.

Was thinking about exploring the Jane Fondue rabbit hole but resisted the temptation.
Pembroke
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2021 4:25 pm
Location: Broomfield, CO

#370

Post by Pembroke »

I enjoyed a little time in the Jane Fonda rabbit hole.
FamousHexes anagrams to “He’s Famous Ex”. Oh, Ted Turner…TCM, Turner Classic Movies!
ANDDD - there were three other networks in the crossword: CNBC, SHO and HBO.
But that’s where it ended and I got on track.
Olaf
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Sep 20, 2019 7:12 pm

#371

Post by Olaf »

Gaaaah! This is one of those I should have been able to to get but didn’t. Word scrambles are usually easy ones for me.

I know there is a kas rating for this - is that a 2 or 3?
User avatar
LadyBird
Posts: 872
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 4:20 pm
Location: Chicagoland

#372

Post by LadyBird »

KayW wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 12:36 pm
sharkicicles wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 6:01 am
Believe it or not (and, believe it, due to that map...) I am in the 2nd ward!
Well, howdy "neighbor"!

Maybe if/when things get back to normal, we can meet to chase rabbits down The Rabbit Hole... a 2nd ward watering hole :)

RabbitHoleAvatar.JPG
Hey (waving hand), I'll come in from the burbs!
MikeMillerwsj
Posts: 286
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:46 pm

#373

Post by MikeMillerwsj »

Greetings and happy Ides. We are continuing to see a surge of entries--2123 this week, about 87% correct. I wonder how many, like your correspondent, figured out the answer but didn't catch the additional black-belt maneuver that the letters RANDOM (in order) preceded all the scattered letters of HOUSE.

Some other guesses from the world of publishing and beyond, including Harper Collins (14), Xerox (14), Oshkosh (10 + 2 Oshkosh B'Gosh), Hershey (5) and Anheuser-Busch (2) among others.

And congrats to this week's winner: Jennifer Palmer of Grass Valley, Calif.!
User avatar
DBMiller
Posts: 536
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:59 pm
Location: New Hampshire

#374

Post by DBMiller »

I too, missed the pre-order of RANDOM. I noticed all the book related clues for the themed answers and the title also pointed in the direction of a book seller. I immediately thought of Amazon, Random House, and Barnes and Noble. Tried to make Amazon fit, and when that didn't work, I thought about random house, and it all fell into place.

I also then noticed what I felt was a spoiler on the WSJ site. Someone posted the common HOUSE letters but didn't know what to do with them.
If I'm around, I am willing to join the Muggle Zoom room at other times to lend a hand to those in need.
User avatar
LadyBird
Posts: 872
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 4:20 pm
Location: Chicagoland

#375

Post by LadyBird »

So, was I all alone in the ADOBE rabbit hole?

First, I noticed the initial H for one word of the theme answers. Then the O-U-E. And eventually the scrambled HOUSE'S. But then I thought Matt was doing a throwback to last springs puzzle. So I was trying to find connections between the remaining letters in the theme answers and other clues/ answers. There was CABO and CAB. But getting nowhere.

I was stuck in the mother of all traffic jams on Saturday (ALMOST wishing for early covid shutdown lack of traffic) when the answer hit me.
User avatar
auee89
Posts: 1068
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2021 10:55 am
Location: Indiana

#376

Post by auee89 »

LadyBird wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 4:58 pm So, was I all alone in the ADOBE rabbit hole?

First, I noticed the initial H for one word of the theme answers. Then the O-U-E. And eventually the scrambled HOUSE'S. But then I thought Matt was doing a throwback to last springs puzzle. So I was trying to find connections between the remaining letters in the theme answers and other clues/ answers. There was CABO and CAB. But getting nowhere.

I was stuck in the mother of all traffic jams on Saturday (ALMOST wishing for early covid shutdown lack of traffic) when the answer hit me.
No, you were not alone! See my earlier post from today. I also saw ABODE in 11A & 16A. Reaching, I know.
Kevin
User avatar
whimsy
Posts: 2716
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Hopkinton MA

#377

Post by whimsy »

I liked the way that when you took away the letters H-O-U-S-E, and D from FONDUEHOST, you were left with FONT. Looked to see if the other 5 theme entries did something similar, but hey...... you can't have everything! :)
(Although FAMOUSHEXES did produce FAXES, FWIT!)
Last edited by whimsy on Mon Mar 15, 2021 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
BethA
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:44 pm
Location: Beaver, PA

#378

Post by BethA »

My wild guess before starting to fill the grid was XEROX, emphasizing “copy” in the title. Didn’t seem likely once I saw that there were 6 theme entries...
User avatar
DrTom
Posts: 3763
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#379

Post by DrTom »

Wow! I never got the answer, just couldn't see it. Kept trying to line up the rows of letters but that really was fruitless. I mean you could get all kinds of words. I did NOT see the 5 houses unfortunately and now that I see the solution it is of course as clever as heck. It does not make the crow taste any sweeter but it sure makes me marvel at the sheen of the feathers.
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
User avatar
CPJohnson
Posts: 1078
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:38 pm
Location: Kingsport, TN

#380

Post by CPJohnson »

Olaf wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 4:33 pm Gaaaah! This is one of those I should have been able to to get but didn’t. Word scrambles are usually easy ones for me.

I know there is a kas rating for this - is that a 2 or 3?
I think it's a 4.
Cynthia
Locked