"Choices"

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
dudeski
Posts: 371
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:56 pm

#21

Post by dudeski »

Off the couch
JeanneC
Posts: 616
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:25 am
Location: Florida

#22

Post by JeanneC »

Off the couch, lounger or whatever. A well constructed puzzle! (Mr. G was consulted by this mature individual on Mr. Styles.)
“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions”. Lillian Hellman
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lbray53
Posts: 1194
Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 8:34 am
Location: Elkhorn, WI

#23

Post by lbray53 »

Off the couch! I made a bad choice at one point which kept me on the couch for a bit longer than I needed to be.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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TMart
Posts: 816
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:13 am
Location: Malvern, PA

#24

Post by TMart »

Fun one, Ben. I like the meta mechanism - I don't think I've seen that before.
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MamaE
Posts: 334
Joined: Tue May 05, 2020 6:15 pm
Location: Maryland

#25

Post by MamaE »

Off the couch! Had 80% of it for a long time, finally realized I had missed one of the relevant items. Fun one!
- Just puzzling it out here in Delmarva :D
Laura M
Posts: 1384
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am

#26

Post by Laura M »

Late start but off the couch! Excellent! I was traveling and too brain-dead yesterday to do metas.
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hcbirker
Posts: 1985
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#27

Post by hcbirker »

Finally got to this. I believe I’m off the couch!
Heidi
MaineMarge
Posts: 1596
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:57 pm

#28

Post by MaineMarge »

Confirmed off the couch. Good one! And glad to make your acquaintance, Harry.

Well, not Harry, but Carrie. And here’s one of her better styles
17D088ED-B1A5-443A-B19C-35F9A7C1B9D8.jpeg
September 7, 2019
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benchen71
Posts: 2378
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#29

Post by benchen71 »

There have been lots of successful solvers of the meta. Here's the list so far:

hashbrown
FrankieHeck
Al Sisti
bhamren
Tyrpmom
DIS
Meg
Jason
oldjudge
Wendy Walker
RPardoe
joequavis
hoover
boharr
auee89
CPJohnson
cshabsin
jack b
Hector
ChrisKochmanski
markhr
KayW
Anita
Bird Lives
Cindy Heisler
CAe39
whimsy
Darth
Mike D
dudeski
Dave C
JeanneC
lbray53
TMart
photosurrealism
MamaEllen
MaineMarge
StartChoppin
Laura M
hcbirker
Sue Adams
Bbaack
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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cbarbee002
Posts: 591
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 6:02 pm
Location: Philly Area

#30

Post by cbarbee002 »

OTC. Nice one. Unconfirmed, but a lock.
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woozy
Posts: 2148
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:40 am

#31

Post by woozy »

What the......? Huh?

Nothing is *weirder* than when you just don't see something. It must be there but.... wow... don't see anything.
Latest meta: Never forget... and never mind (A WSJ retaliation)
Dow Jones
Posts: 472
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: Yakima, WA

#32

Post by Dow Jones »

I'm pretty sure I'm off the couch. That was entertaining !!
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DrTom
Posts: 3763
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#33

Post by DrTom »

Took me what seemed a lifetime to connect. I thought I knew what to do, and kind of did but nothing clicked until it did. Fun puzzle and welcome Ben…that said I’m not sure I need a Tuesday Meta, that is usually my “rest and lick your wounds day”.

We are going to need more days!

So, off the incredibly tiny couch in this very tiny but charming rental and getting ready for an excursion in the city.

Tom
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!
Dplass
Posts: 1739
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#34

Post by Dplass »

woozy wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:23 am What the......? Huh?

Nothing is *weirder* than when you just don't see something. It must be there but.... wow... don't see anything.
Same.
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MikeM000
Posts: 579
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2020 11:31 am
Location: Metro Detroit

#35

Post by MikeM000 »

I had an idea what this might be before I started it...helps to have a teenage daughter who owns a t-shirt with the name of this song on it. :)
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whimsy
Posts: 2716
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Hopkinton MA

#36

Post by whimsy »

DrTom wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:27 am Took me what seemed a lifetime to connect. I thought I knew what to do, and kind of did but nothing clicked until it did. Fun puzzle and welcome Ben…that said I’m not sure I need a Tuesday Meta, that is usually my “rest and lick your wounds day”.

We are going to need more days!

So, off the incredibly tiny couch in this very tiny but charming rental and getting ready for an excursion in the city.

Tom
As has been paraphrased in other situations -- boats, islands --
We're going to need a bigger week!
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benchen71
Posts: 2378
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#37

Post by benchen71 »

Here are the Wednesday nudges (coming to you from Thursday morning Australia):

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy: (don't feel like you have to click them all, at least not all at once!)

1. There are 5 entries with clues of the form X or Y or Z, which seems significant in a puzzle with a title "Choices".

2. There is also a hint in the long answer, THE ROAD NOT TAKEN.

3. Did you work out how these special clues worked? The central word Y can go with either X or Z but not both at the same time. The grid shows one choice.

4. You need to reexamine the special clues and work out what word would fit if the other choice was taken.

5. Some of these choices are easier than others. I readily admit that 1A hinges on a meaning of the word SHOUT that may be specifically Australian.

6. One meaning of the word SHOUT is to pay for something for someone else. It's often used in Aussie pubs: "My shout - whaddaya want?"
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#38

Post by benchen71 »

I can also add the following to the list of successful solvers:

cbarbee002
Dow Jones
DrTom
BarbaraK
Sommersmith
Brookz180
MikeyG
Last edited by benchen71 on Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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Meg
Posts: 2136
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#39

Post by Meg »

5. Some of these choices are easier than others. I readily admit that 1A hinges on a meaning of the word SHOUT that may be specifically Australian.

6. One meaning of the word SHOUT is to pay for something for someone else. It's often used in Aussie pubs: "My shout - whaddaya want?"

I deduced that SHOUT was a way to pre-TREAT laundry, though I wondered if the product was sold in Australia. I’m happy to increase my small set of Aussie idioms.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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benchen71
Posts: 2378
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#40

Post by benchen71 »

Meg wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:54 pm I deduced that SHOUT was a way to pre-TREAT laundry, though I wondered if the product was sold in Australia. I’m happy to increase my small set of Aussie idioms.
No, I've never heard of that laundry product. But glad you were able to make your own way to the correct answer!
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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