"Some Real Duds In There" - August 27, 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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hcbirker
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#381

Post by hcbirker »

I just Googled “thread movie” and up it popped. I then checked to see if it had been nominated, and submitted my answer.
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Franklin.Bluth
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#382

Post by Franklin.Bluth »

pizzapizza123 wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 2:34 pm
Al Laubenstein wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:30 pm Ok, hear me out. If Sacagawea were spelled correctly, it leads to designer genes instead of designer jeans, and the missing letters spell THREE D. Clearly the movie is DREDD, no?
If Sacagawea were spelled correctly, yes it leads to designer genes, yes it leads to 3D, and it leads to BLACK PANTHER. It is 3D, an Academy Award nominee, and it won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. I'm shaken that this isn't the correct answer. :shock:
So it wasn't just my imagination then! As I completed it, I thought aloud: Is THAT how it's always been spelled?? I got the J via the association with Jens Psaki and Aniston, but it was a puzzle.

Edited to note that Hardcore History podcaster Dan Carlin pronounces it with a hard G as suh-cah-ghuh-WEE-uh (versus how I used to hear it as sah-cah-juh-WEE-uh).
Screenshot_20210830-151026.png
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mikeB
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#383

Post by mikeB »

I got caught up in the premature publication frenzy. Saw the post about the pre-leak; looked for it Wednesday but I was too late. Concluded this might be a unique opportunity for some groundbreaking paranormal research. I picked a quiet time, darkened the room, and concentrated in silence – hoping to pick up emanations from among such a highly affinitized and focused group already occupied with the pre-leaked puzzle. Crickets, unfortunately. But then I had a very vivid dream Wednesday night: At least a dozen Muggles Forum avatars were zombie-walking toward me, moaning something in unison. I couldn’t make it out until they got closer, and then it was unmistakable – they were chanting “Thousand Island Dressing”. Aha! Come morning, I scrambled to confirm it on the web, but no movie by that name – at least not nominated for Best Picture. (And to think it appeared as such a robust consensus.) Flummoxed, I was forced to wait and solve after (re)publication, as so many others here were. It was a quick solve, but I was crestfallen not to have made paranormal history. Lesson learned: Ignore advice from visiting apparitions – lotto numbers and relationship guidance are okay, but not the important stuff like puzzle contest answers.
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Henry Paul
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#384

Post by Henry Paul »

Franklin.Bluth wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:10 pm
pizzapizza123 wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 2:34 pm
Al Laubenstein wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:30 pm Ok, hear me out. If Sacagawea were spelled correctly, it leads to designer genes instead of designer jeans, and the missing letters spell THREE D. Clearly the movie is DREDD, no?
If Sacagawea were spelled correctly, yes it leads to designer genes, yes it leads to 3D, and it leads to BLACK PANTHER. It is 3D, an Academy Award nominee, and it won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. I'm shaken that this isn't the correct answer. :shock:
So it wasn't just my imagination then! As I completed it, I thought aloud: Is THAT how it's always been spelled?? I got the J via the association with Jens Psaki and Aniston, but it was a puzzle.

Edited to note that Hardcore History podcaster Dan Carlin pronounces it with a hard G as suh-cah-ghuh-WEE-uh (versus how I used to hear it as sah-cah-juh-WEE-uh).

Screenshot_20210830-151026.png
Memories of growing up in North Dakota and going boating on "Lake Sakakawea" (Garrison Dam, which made that lake, is the 5th largest earthen dam in the world.)
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CPJohnson
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#385

Post by CPJohnson »

Joe Ross wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:29 am
Franklin.Bluth wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:08 am
hoover wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 1:12 am I got PAGEANTed. The instructions didn't specify Academy Award nomination, just "Best Picture."

Thread (2016) was nominated for Best Film at the 2017 Hellenic Film Academy Awards.
"Best Picture" is a category that is, if not exclusive to the Oscars, highly associated with them. Most other awards use "Best Film", or some specific appellation (Palme d'Or, Grand Prix, etc.). Even the Golden Globes say "Best Motion Picture".
I was PAGEANTed, too, in this exact way & was told by the puzzle's creator Franklin's explanation, which is fair. (The Hellenic Film Society's Academy Awards aren't global news.)

Like others, my initial IMDB interwebbing did not yield PHANTOM THREAD, or I ignored it. Antiundisfortunately and less better, along with solving early (due to WSJ's mistake), I also submitted early & incorrectly when copying Mike Miller to alert him of the early posting of the contest's PDF.
Me, too, Joe...exact same experience. I know so little about movies. Never heard of Phantom Thread (or any other Thread movie). Should have looked at the Oscar nominations list.
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ZooAnimalsOnWheels
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#386

Post by ZooAnimalsOnWheels »

Hidden in 3D wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:53 am I had seen Phantom Thread during a special event that AMC Theatres used to host just before the Academy Awards presentation in pre-COVID days. The Best Picture nominated films were shown back-to-back on the two Saturdays just prior to the Oscars presentation for those who bought the package ahead of time.
Those AMC Oscar showcases are a lot of fun. It was easier when there were just five nominees and they could show them all in one day. Now I always hope they will split them into a weekend with films which I haven't seen or want to see again, and another weekend with those I have little interest in. But I never seem to get that lucky. And I'm not quite dedicated enough to go to the 24-hour marathon screenings of all the nominees. :)
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Randy
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#387

Post by Randy »

Is just one WSJ coffee mug awarded to a randomly drawn name ? We should take up a collection to do better than that. Do you announce who the random selectee is?
For what do we live but to make sport for our neighbours and laugh at them in our turn?
- Mr Bennet
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SReh26
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#388

Post by SReh26 »

Randy wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:48 am Is just one WSJ coffee mug awarded to a randomly drawn name ? We should take up a collection to do better than that. Do you announce who the random selectee is?
Tiffany & Co. has a beautiful, outrageously priced selection of coffee mugs - don’t ask me how I know, I had to get a retiring coworker a gift and I found out!.

Think what they could do to boost profits if one had a crossword puzzle image on the side.

But this group is too smart for such indulgence. Anyway, its not the cup per se we do it for the Glory!!
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joequavis
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#389

Post by joequavis »

Randy wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:48 am Is just one WSJ coffee mug awarded to a randomly drawn name ? We should take up a collection to do better than that. Do you announce who the random selectee is?
Yes Mike Miller from WSJ typically posts the puzzle's stats and the winner on this forum either late Monday or sometime on Tuesday, and only after the winner is contacted and confirmed.
MikeMillerwsj
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#390

Post by MikeMillerwsj »

This was a huge end-of-summer blockbuster! We had 3563 entries--our statisticians can tell us whether that's a record or just close to one. And a very high 90% success rate.

Also a big turnout for THREAD and THREADS (142), on the right trail but not quite. Plus THE BIG SHORT (funny idea, 12), JOKER (7), ARGO (4) and many others.

Congrats to this week's winner, Tim Boyle of Munhall, Penn.!
madhatter5
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#391

Post by madhatter5 »

Franklin.Bluth wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:10 pm
pizzapizza123 wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 2:34 pm
Al Laubenstein wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 12:30 pm Ok, hear me out. If Sacagawea were spelled correctly, it leads to designer genes instead of designer jeans, and the missing letters spell THREE D. Clearly the movie is DREDD, no?
If Sacagawea were spelled correctly, yes it leads to designer genes, yes it leads to 3D, and it leads to BLACK PANTHER. It is 3D, an Academy Award nominee, and it won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. I'm shaken that this isn't the correct answer. :shock:
So it wasn't just my imagination then! As I completed it, I thought aloud: Is THAT how it's always been spelled?? I got the J via the association with Jens Psaki and Aniston, but it was a puzzle.

Edited to note that Hardcore History podcaster Dan Carlin pronounces it with a hard G as suh-cah-ghuh-WEE-uh (versus how I used to hear it as -cah-juh-WEE-uh).

Screenshot_20210830-151026.png

Glad I'm not the only one to have put a G in there and scoured for 3D films!
https://pandorasblocks.org/crosswords-for-cancer
hoover
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#392

Post by hoover »

SReh26 wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:00 pm
Randy wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:48 am Is just one WSJ coffee mug awarded to a randomly drawn name ? We should take up a collection to do better than that. Do you announce who the random selectee is?
Tiffany & Co. has a beautiful, outrageously priced selection of coffee mugs - don’t ask me how I know, I had to get a retiring coworker a gift and I found out!.

Think what they could do to boost profits if one had a crossword puzzle image on the side.

But this group is too smart for such indulgence. Anyway, its not the cup per se we do it for the Glory!!
And for the Internet points, don't forget those!
flyingMoose
Posts: 827
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 2:35 pm

#393

Post by flyingMoose »

MikeMillerwsj wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 2:36 pm We had 3563 entries--our statisticians can tell us whether that's a record or just close to one.
Two of the Crossword Contest 101 puzzles had 3998 and 3762 entries. Someone, I forget who, has more than my eighteen months of data, so there may be others with more entries.
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Billy M
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#394

Post by Billy M »

SReh26 wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 7:53 pm
Billy M wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 9:29 am Despite still doing the daily wsj grids over a cup of coffee each morning, I've taken a few months off from the metas as I found it necessary with returning to full time work. Excited to dive in to what I've missed.

That being said I can confidently say that I'm both happy to be back and also to be on shore this fine Sunday morning with this quick one. Bloody Mary for me since it's Sunday and well before noon :).
Congrats on returning to full time work, assuming congrats are in order, and welcome back!
Thank you so much. Everyone's had it hard over the last year and a half, but I'd wager to say that those of us who find our financial sustenance in the restaurant world have had it particularly tough. I'm glad to be back "behind the stick," as us bartenders call it, and I'm glad to have time to work on the metas again. I've very much missed it.
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SReh26
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#395

Post by SReh26 »

Billy M wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:08 pm
SReh26 wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 7:53 pm
Billy M wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 9:29 am Despite still doing the daily wsj grids over a cup of coffee each morning, I've taken a few months off from the metas as I found it necessary with returning to full time work. Excited to dive in to what I've missed.

That being said I can confidently say that I'm both happy to be back and also to be on shore this fine Sunday morning with this quick one. Bloody Mary for me since it's Sunday and well before noon :).
Congrats on returning to full time work, assuming congrats are in order, and welcome back!
Thank you so much. Everyone's had it hard over the last year and a half, but I'd wager to say that those of us who find our financial sustenance in the restaurant world have had it particularly tough. I'm glad to be back "behind the stick," as us bartenders call it, and I'm glad to have time to work on the metas again. I've very much missed it.
Yes, congrats on getting through this terrible, godawful time. I agree restaurant and bars were among the hardest hit.

I’m always abashed around bartenders, who are always asking me things that stump me, like, “what’ll ya have” (I don’t drink very often, so I don’t really know) or “what kind of gin?” if I say gin and tonic (I don’t have a favorite brand).

BUT - I do know a few things: prosecco, sweet riesling, a watermelon drink with white rum, Chilean red, pomegranate margaritas and cider. And I had a mixed drink with grapefruit, strawberry and campari once. And I adore iced lattes with Baileys so I stopped.

Do you have a favorite?
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SReh26
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#396

Post by SReh26 »

How is our Gulf Coast Muggle contingent? Can we get a roll call? Hope all y’all are safe and sound!!
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Joe Ross
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#397

Post by Joe Ross »

Reminder of the Tuesday ZOOM meeting starting in 10 minutes.

Click on Muggle Zoom Room below Isaac, at top of page.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME & INVITED.
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DrTom
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#398

Post by DrTom »

SReh26 wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:27 pm
Billy M wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:08 pm
SReh26 wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 7:53 pm

Congrats on returning to full time work, assuming congrats are in order, and welcome back!
Thank you so much. Everyone's had it hard over the last year and a half, but I'd wager to say that those of us who find our financial sustenance in the restaurant world have had it particularly tough. I'm glad to be back "behind the stick," as us bartenders call it, and I'm glad to have time to work on the metas again. I've very much missed it.
Yes, congrats on getting through this terrible, godawful time. I agree restaurant and bars were among the hardest hit.

I’m always abashed around bartenders, who are always asking me things that stump me, like, “what’ll ya have” (I don’t drink very often, so I don’t really know) or “what kind of gin?” if I say gin and tonic (I don’t have a favorite brand).

BUT - I do know a few things: prosecco, sweet riesling, a watermelon drink with white rum, Chilean red, pomegranate margaritas and cider. And I had a mixed drink with grapefruit, strawberry and campari once. And I adore iced lattes with Baileys so I stopped.

Do you have a favorite?
Yes I particularly like wine with letters in its name and alcohol that comes in a container.....
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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#399

Post by DrTom »

mikeB wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 4:02 pm I got caught up in the premature publication frenzy. Saw the post about the pre-leak; looked for it Wednesday but I was too late. Concluded this might be a unique opportunity for some groundbreaking paranormal research. I picked a quiet time, darkened the room, and concentrated in silence – hoping to pick up emanations from among such a highly affinitized and focused group already occupied with the pre-leaked puzzle. Crickets, unfortunately. But then I had a very vivid dream Wednesday night: At least a dozen Muggles Forum avatars were zombie-walking toward me, moaning something in unison. I couldn’t make it out until they got closer, and then it was unmistakable – they were chanting “Thousand Island Dressing”. Aha! Come morning, I scrambled to confirm it on the web, but no movie by that name – at least not nominated for Best Picture. (And to think it appeared as such a robust consensus.) Flummoxed, I was forced to wait and solve after (re)publication, as so many others here were. It was a quick solve, but I was crestfallen not to have made paranormal history. Lesson learned: Ignore advice from visiting apparitions – lotto numbers and relationship guidance are okay, but not the important stuff like puzzle contest answers.
Hmm. my group of zombie avatars were moaning Spandex, Purple, Devil. Hero and I just assumed there was a Phantom thread running through that....besides it had such a nice ring to it!

phantom-skull-ring.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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DrTom
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#400

Post by DrTom »

MikeMillerwsj wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 2:36 pm This was a huge end-of-summer blockbuster! We had 3563 entries--our statisticians can tell us whether that's a record or just close to one. And a very high 90% success rate.

Also a big turnout for THREAD and THREADS (142), on the right trail but not quite. Plus THE BIG SHORT (funny idea, 12), JOKER (7), ARGO (4) and many others.

Congrats to this week's winner, Tim Boyle of Munhall, Penn.!
Well the initials are at least getting closer! Congratulations Tim! (the "other" TB)
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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