"Connect The Dots" - June 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.
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rosiegirl
Posts: 158
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2020 4:26 pm

#281

Post by rosiegirl »

higgysue wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:57 am
zach wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:27 pm Ashore from Asheville! Not too many rabbits along the way, but I did spot this guy…
Love this! Will have to watch for this guy when I make my way to the Range in a couple of weeks.
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Mulligan
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2021 11:04 pm

#282

Post by Mulligan »

I got the perfect nudge that confirmed I was a good part of the way there and gave me enough momentum to get me to shore! Cheers!
DebbieC
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:08 pm
Location: Miami, FL

#283

Post by DebbieC »

On shore
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Scott M
Posts: 454
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:10 pm
Location: Charlottesville, VA

#284

Post by Scott M »

sanmilton wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:03 pm Did anyone else find today's NYT cryptic puzzle by Richard Silvestri a real bear?
I'm new to cryptics, and often have no clue where the answer came from even when I have it. Is there a good resource for breaking down how the annswer fits? Didn't see anything on Wordplay at NYT or on crossword fiend.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
rosiegirl
Posts: 158
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2020 4:26 pm

#285

Post by rosiegirl »

On shore!
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cbarbee002
Posts: 591
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 6:02 pm
Location: Philly Area

#286

Post by cbarbee002 »

Safely ashore. Seems pretty crowded - - anyone seen the server???
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sanmilton
Posts: 178
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 11:44 pm
Location: New York, New York

#287

Post by sanmilton »

Scott M wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:24 pm
sanmilton wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:03 pm Did anyone else find today's NYT cryptic puzzle by Richard Silvestri a real bear?
I'm new to cryptics, and often have no clue where the answer came from even when I have it. Is there a good resource for breaking down how the annswer fits? Didn't see anything on Wordplay at NYT or on crossword fiend.
There are online resources for this, like this one: https://www.dummies.com/games/crossword ... n-edition/.

Clues almost always involve two parts: (1) a definition of the entry, and (2) a way to get to the entry involving wordplay.

The wordplay part of the clue is almost always one (or more) of several set types: anagrams, puns, rebuses, reversals, hidden (embedded) words, etc. It could even be a second definition.

But the resultant clue often reads like nonsense. The trick is to sort out the definition from the rest of it. To do that, you typically have to ignore punctuation (and sometimes even capitalization).

Feel free to bounce cryptic clues off me, and I'll happily parse them for you!
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PeterLeea1a
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 5:49 pm

#288

Post by PeterLeea1a »

Took WAY too long for the final piece to click. Ashore.
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JAQT
Posts: 139
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 4:55 pm
Location: California

#289

Post by JAQT »

On shore after too many weeks on the ship.

Last week's puzzle is still laughing at me. I got the first step, with the four phrases in French with "de" in the middle, but could not figure out what to do next. And even if I had, I still would not have finished it. I gave it a well-deserved 5.
JustAQuickThought
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SReh26
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:48 pm

#290

Post by SReh26 »

JAQT wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 5:47 pm On shore after too many weeks on the ship.

Last week's puzzle is still laughing at me. I got the first step, with the four phrases in French with "de" in the middle, but could not figure out what to do next. And even if I had, I still would not have finished it. I gave it a well-deserved 5.
my vote for Avatar of the Month! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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yourpalsal
Posts: 177
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2020 2:28 am

#291

Post by yourpalsal »

DianeA wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 3:20 pm
Wendy Walker wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:43 am I JUST THIS MINUTE made sense of 50A.
Had the same issue. Enlightenment came after quite the delay.
I was still in the dark when I started to type this reply, and then it came. Sorta like the 4 minute mile: once you know your friends have done it, you can too!
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Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
Posts: 4511
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#292

Post by Bob cruise director »

cbarbee002 wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:47 pm Safely ashore. Seems pretty crowded - - anyone seen the server???
Ask @Meg - she can help you
Bob Stevens
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Meg
Posts: 2136
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#293

Post by Meg »

Bob cruise director wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:31 pm
cbarbee002 wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:47 pm Safely ashore. Seems pretty crowded - - anyone seen the server???
Ask @Meg - she can help you
Cabana Boy is studying his irregular French verbs. He’s got relatives in the Caribbean who speak French. Text him your order and he'll get to it eventually
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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boharr
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Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:57 am
Location: Westchester, NY

#294

Post by boharr »

sanmilton wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:55 pm
Scott M wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:24 pm
sanmilton wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:03 pm Did anyone else find today's NYT cryptic puzzle by Richard Silvestri a real bear?
I'm new to cryptics, and often have no clue where the answer came from even when I have it. Is there a good resource for breaking down how the annswer fits? Didn't see anything on Wordplay at NYT or on crossword fiend.
There are online resources for this, like this one: https://www.dummies.com/games/crossword ... n-edition/.

Clues almost always involve two parts: (1) a definition of the entry, and (2) a way to get to the entry involving wordplay.

The wordplay part of the clue is almost always one (or more) of several set types: anagrams, puns, rebuses, reversals, hidden (embedded) words, etc. It could even be a second definition.

But the resultant clue often reads like nonsense. The trick is to sort out the definition from the rest of it. To do that, you typically have to ignore punctuation (and sometimes even capitalization).

Feel free to bounce cryptic clues off me, and I'll happily parse them for you!
I'm convinced that the only way to learn to do cryptics is to get some tips from folks here about a few that are not impossible. Then wait until the solutions are available. Then go over each clue until you understand the answers. Then if you still don't understand a clue and answer, ask a friendly muggle to parse it. Then repeat this process for, say, 100 years. Then if you are still baffled, move to England to see what they are really like.
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LittleGood
Posts: 209
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2020 9:21 pm
Location: Greater Pittsburgh

#295

Post by LittleGood »

Submitted. Eager for the morning to see if I'm on the right beach
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Zagman49
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri May 14, 2021 3:51 pm
Location: Burlington, VT

#296

Post by Zagman49 »

I know my answer's on land, but I'm not sure if I am.
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Bob cruise director
Cruise Director
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:38 pm
Location: Any golf course within 500 miles of Littleton MA

#297

Post by Bob cruise director »

Our final count is 7 on the ship and 196 on the shore.

Making it to the shore since lunch are

minimuggle
Prozach
yourpalsal
Doug M
Cap'n Rick
Flying_Burrito
iggystan
Mulligan
Peter L
rosiegirl
JAQT
DebbieC
LittleGood
Bob Stevens
Cruise Director
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Thurman8er
Posts: 393
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 3:05 pm
Location: Fresno, CA

#298

Post by Thurman8er »

I'm a late arrival on the beach. Really enjoyed this puzzle.
LuscombeDriver
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 10:02 pm
Location: Toledo, Ohio

#299

Post by LuscombeDriver »

New to the forum.

Done and done. Really like the meta.
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JAQT
Posts: 139
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 4:55 pm
Location: California

#300

Post by JAQT »

SReh26 wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 5:55 pm
my vote for Avatar of the Month! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you! I had fun making it.
JustAQuickThought
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