"I've Got Two Words For You" - July 30, 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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woozy
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#441

Post by woozy »

CallMeShane wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:57 am

It didn’t take too long to find the other three double word answers.

Now what?

I wonder. Am I the only one who never found HOT POT?

Ever?


I looked at the puzzle three of for times thinking "There *needs* to be a two word phrase where the words begin with H and P" and simply *never* finding it. I figured the author had to have intended HELI PAD to be two words but I was sorely disappointed as surely the creators are nearly always more precise. And yet after searching the grind four or five more times it was utterly certain there was utterly *no* other possible entry of a two word phrase with words beginning with H and P so I had to figure they meant HELI PAD as two words.

I'm the only one that happened to?
Latest meta: Never forget... and never mind (A WSJ retaliation)
michaelm
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#442

Post by michaelm »

Mentioned somewhat similarly above, but thought the presence of many words twice in the grid "I've got two words for you" was a nice rabbit chase. Some examples:
IPAD in HELIPAD
EWE in SEWERS
USE in WODEHOUSE
ONE in KETONE
even maybe PELE in PEELE?

Also, all of the authors' names in the grid have at least two words in them. Off to the fields again.

Liked the puzzle, but think I've gotten so used to the 100% Aha! mechanisms that the lack of definite confirmation left me wanting just a little more.
Here's to reading some NK Jemisin soon!
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BarbaraK
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#443

Post by BarbaraK »

ksbfl wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:43 am Playing on an iPhone (a tiny old beloved SE no less) in the middle of the Adirondacks is not conducive to grasping the gestalt. I “jotted down” the sets of initials, eliminated the duplicates and was left with J G (Ballard.) Violated my rule of never submitting an answer I have to justify.
Wow, so there is one other iPhone SE user and lover left in the world!

I had to do this one on my phone and scrap paper too. Was really sure I’d find the initials elsewhere in the puzzle, even though that’s the same way it worked last time and it was way more likely this would be totally different. So I wasn’t really surprised to find the two word entries, but I still had to force myself to let go of my empty rabbit hole.
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SReh26
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#444

Post by SReh26 »

Ooooops - was just informed that NK has two words for us, LOL!
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ZooAnimalsOnWheels
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#445

Post by ZooAnimalsOnWheels »

I'm new to the cruise, as you can see by my post count, but I had to come aboard to discuss this one. I quickly noticed the author double initials and the associated answers, but wasn't sure where to go from there, even though NK stood out as an unused two-word entry. I hadn't taken note of NK Jemisin until now.

But I was drawn to the books used in each author's clue. It was always one well-known example, and another seemingly plucked from their works at random. The more well known work was always listed first, except in the case of JD Salinger. Then I noticed the titles of all the books listed second contained 'Out' (for Lovecraft) or 'In' (for the three others).

But like @MatthewL and @woozy above, I had found 'helipad' as my HP clue and never saw 'hot pot'! And it continued to bother me that 'helipad' wasn't really a two-word answer. But I then connected it with the fact that Lovecraft's second work was the only one that contained 'out', and so I thought he shouldn't be part of the grid.

I eventually had to google "NK science fiction" to find Jemisin, but when I saw her name I said, "Oh, Lovecraft is out, and Jem-is-in!" I continued to look around the grid to see if I could find 'JEM' anywhere significant. I was still fairly sure that Jemisin was correct based on 'Nice Kid', but like other solvers said, it wasn't 100%. I'll be interested to see the discussion with the setter and whether those example works had any significance.
RobM
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#446

Post by RobM »

She's probably never heard of you either
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Larrry
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#447

Post by Larrry »

I am in the club of having to google to get to the final step (I also had never heard of KT Oslin), then being concerned there could be more than one "N.K." I went to Google Trends to see if there was a sudden increase of searches for N.K.Jemisin and was amused by the related topics (see screenshot). Since people who searched for N.K.Jemisin also searched for P.G.Wodehouse, the Wall Street Journal, and Coir, I was reassured that if i was on the wrong track at least I wasnt alone. (further down the list were also J.D.Salinger, H.G. Wells, and "Muggle").
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Barney
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#448

Post by Barney »

ksbfl wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:43 am Playing on an iPhone (a tiny old beloved SE no less) in the middle of the Adirondacks is not conducive to grasping the gestalt. I “jotted down” the sets of initials, eliminated the duplicates and was left with J G (Ballard.) Violated my rule of never submitting an answer I have to justify.
The 12 ProMax is worth the spend.
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femullen
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#449

Post by femullen »

I never heard of Margaret Cho either. Can I still play?

Equipe Canuck's smarter half asked me yesterday, after we'd submitted, if I'd noticed that the word LOVE crosses LOVECRAFT if you read 2D backwards, and that WOD crosses WODEHOUSE at 44D backwards. "No," I admitted, "never noticed that. And it's a darn good thing, or I'd still be looking for SAL and LAW spelled backwards somewhere."
For nudges, feel free to PM me. I won't have a clue how to help you, but you might shove me ashore.
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Limerick Savant
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#450

Post by Limerick Savant »

Larrry wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:43 pm I am in the club of having to google to get to the final step (I also had never heard of KT Oslin), then being concerned there could be more than one "N.K." I went to Google Trends to see if there was a sudden increase of searches for N.K.Jemisin and was amused by the related topics (see screenshot). Since people who searched for N.K.Jemisin also searched for P.G.Wodehouse, the Wall Street Journal, and Coir, I was reassured that if i was on the wrong track at least I wasnt alone. (further down the list were also J.D.Salinger, H.G. Wells, and "Muggle").
Anyone else find it disturbing to realize how much they really know about us?
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Limerick Savant
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#451

Post by Limerick Savant »

Limerick Savant wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:50 am It occurs to me Mike could have referenced another famous author in the puzzle by including a clue like:

Scout’s likely confession to her best friend after killing that annoying bird outside the Finch house
JEM I SIN 😉
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Abide
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#452

Post by Abide »

Larrry wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:43 pm I went to Google Trends to see if there was a sudden increase of searches for N.K.Jemisin
There are definite spikes for "nk science fiction" starting last Thursday at 4pm

https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... %20fiction
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TeaJenny
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#453

Post by TeaJenny »

ZooAnimalsOnWheels wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:34 pm I'm new to the cruise, as you can see by my post count, but I had to come aboard to discuss this one. I quickly noticed the author double initials and the associated answers, but wasn't sure where to go from there, even though NK stood out as an unused two-word entry. I hadn't taken note of NK Jemisin until now.

But I was drawn to the books used in each author's clue. It was always one well-known example, and another seemingly plucked from their works at random. The more well known work was always listed first, except in the case of JD Salinger. Then I noticed the titles of all the books listed second contained 'Out' (for Lovecraft) or 'In' (for the three others).

But like @MatthewL and @woozy above, I had found 'helipad' as my HP clue and never saw 'hot pot'! And it continued to bother me that 'helipad' wasn't really a two-word answer. But I then connected it with the fact that Lovecraft's second work was the only one that contained 'out', and so I thought he shouldn't be part of the grid.

I eventually had to google "NK science fiction" to find Jemisin, but when I saw her name I said, "Oh, Lovecraft is out, and Jem-is-in!" I continued to look around the grid to see if I could find 'JEM' anywhere significant. I was still fairly sure that Jemisin was correct based on 'Nice Kid', but like other solvers said, it wasn't 100%. I'll be interested to see the discussion with the setter and whether those example works had any significance.
I wondered about why those particular works were chosen, too, but didn't go as far in my analysis as you did. I'm still curious as to whether there is a significance there that I missed.

Welcome, btw!
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. ~C.S. Lewis
ksbfl
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#454

Post by ksbfl »

Kas wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 12:56 pm
LadyBird wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 12:16 am I got the 4 authors and the double initials and then saw the 4 two-letter answers with corresponding initials. I was then convinced that the answer HAD to be HG WELLS. Try as I might, I could not backsolve that answer from the grid. For some reason, I went looking through the grid for 2-word answers and noticed that there was an "extra".

Wondering if there were a lot of HG WELLS submissions.
Yep. "H.G. Wells" was my top-of-mind answer, too...but I went back to the well, and luckily, my bucket came up with Jemisin. In any event, this illustrates my comment last week about the likelihood of this Meta causing a lot of, uh...back-paddling. (And I'm chuckling at the mental image of a bunch of people putting their Maitais down at the cabana, walking despondently back to the shore and swimming back to the ship...) :)
Wodehouse
E
Lovecraft
Lawrence
Salinger
Where is the fifth author clue? Nope-so off I wandered into a deeper hole
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Limerick Savant
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#455

Post by Limerick Savant »

Jemisin.png
Why are we bickering about whether this author is well known or not?

Without visiting Mr. G, can you tell me what authors are at the top of the NYT Bestseller List?
Name the last 5 Booker Prize winners? The last 5 Pulitzers for fiction?

The clue for the meta clearly stated we were looking for a science fiction writer indicating that the notoriety might be limited to that genre. I would suggest that being a NYT bestseller and the only author to win a Hugo three years straight qualifies Ms. Jesimin despite my ignorance of her fame. After all J. D. Salinger and Harper Lee gained their renown on the basis of a single novel. There is a difference between well-known and time-tested but aren’t we all entitled to our 15 minutes?

Apropos of nothing I am reminded of this limerick I wrote when starting a blog in 2004:

15 Minutes of Irony

If it's true "what is past is prologue,"
Mr. Warhol cut straight through the fog.
If you want to lay claim
To your minutes of fame,
Then your future belongs to the blog!
Last edited by Limerick Savant on Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BrianMac
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#456

Post by BrianMac »

I wasn't going to invoke the New York Times, but since Limerick Savant already did, this review describes her as "[t]he most celebrated science fiction and fantasy writer of her generation..."
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SReh26
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#457

Post by SReh26 »

Who was it who said, I don’t care what the press says about me as long as they spell my name right? 😉

I want to be on my own
I’m independent and grown
my oats have mostly been sown 🌾
I don’t care if I’m not well known

Ive managed my skills to hone
Ive sailed down the Rhone
Ive eaten many a cone 🍦
I don’t care if I’m not well known

I never cast the first stone
My sun has often been shone
I’ll throw a dog a bone 🦴
I don’t care if I’m not well known

As I become a crone
chewing a corn pone 🌽
or playing on my trombone
I don’t care if I’m not well known

Talking on the phone ☎️
getting into the zone
one thing I’ll never moan
I wish I were very well known

To solitude I am prone
I relish being alone
I don’t even need a loan
I don’t care that I’m not well known

But this I would never condone
I say in a strenuous tone
of this author there should be a clone
her works are very well done 📚
This author is very well known
Last edited by SReh26 on Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:06 pm, edited 8 times in total.
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Janet
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#458

Post by Janet »

Greetings all! I sneaked out of the ship and forgot to inform our Captain I was ashore. I really enjoy Jemisin's work. I wonder if she knows she was the puzzle's meta?
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KayW
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#459

Post by KayW »

ZooAnimalsOnWheels wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:34 pm
I eventually had to google "NK science fiction" to find Jemisin, but when I saw her name I said, "Oh, Lovecraft is out, and Jem-is-in!"
Thank you! That mnemonic will help me spell her name correctly in the future (should I ever need to). I had to triple-check my submission against search engine results to make sure I wouldn't get disqualified on a mis-spelling on the mug draw ...that I never ever win anyway.
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.
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pjc
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#460

Post by pjc »

Tom Shea wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:49 am

I had JG Ballard via a similar route.

On to next week.
That's what I had first, too.

But it didn't feel solid, so I kept looking, noticed the five two-word entries, saw NICE KID as the outlier and Google led me to the answer.

I was expecting more of a confirmation in the grid or the answers - since all of the other authors had two works listed, I was hoping to see two of her works somewhere, but, no. That kept it from being a solid CLICK for me. I tried to convince myself that the clue 'Groundbreaking' could refer to 'Broken Earth' - or that 'Great Cities' could be coaxed from the slightly odd 'wrestling great' clue and the city names crossing NICE KID. But I was just fooling myself :-)

Anyway, I submitted what turned out to be the correct answer, so all's well that ends well...
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