"Swap Meet" - April 16, 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.
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DrTom
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#381

Post by DrTom »

Loved this meta (well mainly because I got it) but I have to admit I tried LOTS of combinations of what the numbers might stand for before finally hitting the magic formula. I had the alternate "phrases" early but it was quite some time before i arrived at the "deal", Monty Hall would be proud.
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!
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escapeartist
Posts: 419
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 12:24 am

#382

Post by escapeartist »

I believe the typo above in the "unofficial" solution is meant to say "breaD and vinEgar"
* 2022 WSJ Mug Winner - I bask in its Glory *
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LadyBird
Posts: 872
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 4:20 pm
Location: Chicagoland

#383

Post by LadyBird »

Can we agree that we are done with the puns? Deal or No Deal?
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DrTom
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#384

Post by DrTom »

mikeB wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:05 am BREAD AND VINEGAR?
Sure add onion, cucumber, bell pepper and some olive oil and you have panzanella! That might not seem important, but it salad a help.
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!
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DrTom
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#385

Post by DrTom »

LadyBird wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:06 am Can we agree that we are done with the puns? Deal or No Deal?
28-289800_happy-sad-face-png-sad-faces.jpg
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!
Bill Bovard
Posts: 49
Joined: Mon Dec 23, 2019 12:18 am
Location: Pasadena, CA

#386

Post by Bill Bovard »

Bah.
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DannyWalter
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:14 pm

#387

Post by DannyWalter »

I was close. I submitted "Trunk sale later on. Eye girl went to the dea with an axe to buy a new car."
burak
Posts: 246
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:15 pm

#388

Post by burak »

I'd guess this was very straightforward for experienced solvers and not so much for newbies. I liked it.
Laura M
Posts: 1384
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am

#389

Post by Laura M »

Laura M wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 7:40 pm
Omnibus wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 7:23 pm Ashore - good mechanism. Had the answer halfway through working the meta, but the OCD in me forced me to put everything in place before submitting. But then the submission function wasn’t working, so I had to email it in.
I've run into this before; you have to be careful about what you submit through the website. (Email is a perfectly good alternative though.)
I was being circumspect before, but I suspect that problems submitting through the website were due to the apostrophe in IT'S. Unless something has changed recently, the online submission form doesn't like apostrophes. It pained me to submit ITS A DEAL but sometimes you have to make sacrifices :-)
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Gman
Posts: 349
Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2020 2:47 pm
Location: Encinitas CA

#390

Post by Gman »

This was the first time I was able to solve a meta that had parentheses (although it still took the help of a nudge from a fellow muggle). Something about those numbers in parentheses makes my brain cramp. Next time I see them I hope to solve it without any help, but I probably won't 😥😟😜.
Scraps
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:15 pm
Location: Gulf Coast of Florida

#391

Post by Scraps »

It's just as well visiting family kept me too occupied to attend to the meta. Now that I've seen the solution, it's clear there was no way a beach was going to factor into my weekend plans: my time was going to be spent either with family or with Isaac!

I'd have been too hung up on doing something immediately with the numbers ever to reach the final step when they mattered.
Dplass
Posts: 1739
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#392

Post by Dplass »

Joe Ross wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:00 am Swap Meet solution JPR.png


20210416 WSJCC Swap Meet highlighted.png
I love the weekly colorful solution!
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femullen
Posts: 448
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:02 pm
Location: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

#393

Post by femullen »

OVER AND OUT (1,2/8)

DOWN
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For nudges, feel free to PM me. I won't have a clue how to help you, but you might shove me ashore.
ChrisWill
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:53 am

#394

Post by ChrisWill »

I really enjoyed this one. After trying a lot of different things with the numbers to start, I realized that there was some first step I was missing. Sometimes I've caught myself trying to jump into whatever explicit clue seems to be provided, when sometimes you have to transform the puzzle answers in some way. I'm still trying to get better at figuring out when those changes are needed. Still very much a meta rookie at this point!
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TPS
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#395

Post by TPS »

1. I like Patrick Berry's puzzles better than Mike or Matt's but that is just because I've never not solved one on my own AND they are not throw away puzzles that I solve in 15 minutes - they are of moderate difficulty. Granted my sample size is much smaller but that is where I am at.

2. I gave a fair number of nudges this week and most were to people who got to where I first got stuck before figuring it out. I got the first 4 swaps and stopped thinking I was done - hence my comment that I was lazy but then I went back and saw the rest. (I frequently get stuck on the meta because I forget to look at the Down answers)). I think the numbers intimidated people so they were anxious to get to the point where they are employed but in my limited experience when there are numbers they are almost always part of a 2nd or 3rd step never the 1st step so that might be something to keep in mind for future puzzles.
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Wendy Walker
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Location: Unionville, PA

#396

Post by Wendy Walker »

WB93 raised the bar (as it were) on Muggle playfulness this week.
WB asked for a nudge, and at the end of my reply, as always, I said, "Please let me know how you do!"
WB's reply: "Thanks. It’s a deal. Will let you know when I figure it out.

Just kidding. I got it."
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
MaineMarge
Posts: 1597
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:57 pm

#397

Post by MaineMarge »

Great meta from our one and only PB!

Ooh, I love show and tell, so I’ll show you this great photo, then tell you the story:
15C15E45-7647-4244-BB6D-967B09C48F10.jpeg
My veterinarian husband had taken care of this horse since his sweet owner here had been a little kid. When she asked if she could bring him( her best friend) to the garden for graduation photos, of course we said yes.
He nailed that photo op- never harmed a single leaf.
Clematis Pink Champagne.
July 2009 photo
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whimsy
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#398

Post by whimsy »

DrTom wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:44 pm
HunterX wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 5:22 pm

"Calling Dr. Tom... Calling Dr. Tom... You're needed in the Muggles wing, STAT!"
Here as paged! I was playing Hide and Seek with a drug rep....... Plus I was also busy trying to counsel a patient with bladder control issues, seems he cannot always control his elimination and sometimes manages to wet his hand, he called it his pee knuckle.....
To paraphrase Sam Cooke -- Don't know much about urology, but in my amateur opinion, this could be a symptom of the problematic results of holding back too long......
Pembroke
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2021 4:25 pm
Location: Broomfield, CO

#399

Post by Pembroke »

The alternate second half of the four phrases jumped out at me immediately. Then I focused on the numbers in parentheses because who would’ve thought any constructor could fit additional relevant words into this puzzle!

I don’t ask for nudges because I’ve solved metas on the last day and that feels very rewarding. Plus, I’m pretty new at this and mistakes are tremendous learning experiences. I tried lots of things (when words like open, early and saving show up as anagrams you’re encouraged to dig further down that rabbit hole). I will never forget how I struggled over this. Lesson thoroughly learned.
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DrTom
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#400

Post by DrTom »

femullen wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:03 am OVER AND OUT (1,2/8)

DOWN
O
N
E
W
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Love it!

META DOH.jpg
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!
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