"Three by Three" - November 5, 2021

[pjc]

Stuck on the ship - and with the rest of my weekend filled, that's where I'll stay.

Congrats to those on the beach!

[DrTom]

on shore thanks to the Zoom group solve. Thanks that was fun!

Me, too....on shore thanks to the Zoom group. Some of us (not me) contributed to the solve much more than others of us (including me). It's a pleasure to see how great puzzle-solving minds work.

Ditto what Cynthia said, I sat there in awe of the abilities of that group! It went from "no clue" to "solved" in a matter of minutes as people bounced ideas off each other and others tried solutions. Next thing you know there was an "I got it!" and that was that, the Bismarck was sunk....

Now we gotta get that group together and discuss Global Warming, I'm positive it doesn't have a chance with these guys..."OK, solved, what's next!"

Love my Muggles, yes I do!

Warm Fuzzies

[whimsy]

on shore thanks to the Zoom group solve. Thanks that was fun!

Me, too....on shore thanks to the Zoom group. Some of us (not me) contributed to the solve much more than others of us (including me). It's a pleasure to see how great puzzle-solving minds work.

Ditto what Cynthia said, I sat there in awe of the abilities of that group! It went from "no clue" to "solved" in a matter of minutes as people bounced ideas off each other and others tried solutions. Next thing you know there was an "I got it!" and that was that, the Bismarck was sunk....

Now we gotta get that group together and discuss Global Warming, I'm positive it doesn't have a chance with these guys..."OK, solved, what's next!"

Love my Muggles, yes I do!


warm fuzzy.jpg
Warm Fuzzies

Echoing Cynthia and DrTom -- Only way I would have ever seen the solution!

PS - Wasn't being snubby when I disappeared from zoom somewhat abruptly -- My connection is often poor, my camera is always lousy (maybe that's just as well! ), I've never had the knack of doing more than one thing at a time, and I still haven't figured out how to send a chat message!

[MMe]

Wow. That was very hard but very rewarding. Hall of famer.

[HeadinHome]

Me, too....on shore thanks to the Zoom group. Some of us (not me) contributed to the solve much more than others of us (including me). It's a pleasure to see how great puzzle-solving minds work.

Ditto what Cynthia said, I sat there in awe of the abilities of that group! It went from "no clue" to "solved" in a matter of minutes as people bounced ideas off each other and others tried solutions. Next thing you know there was an "I got it!" and that was that, the Bismarck was sunk....

Now we gotta get that group together and discuss Global Warming, I'm positive it doesn't have a chance with these guys..."OK, solved, what's next!"

Love my Muggles, yes I do!


warm fuzzy.jpg
Warm Fuzzies

Echoing Cynthia and DrTom -- Only way I would have ever seen the solution!
Capturebackoftheboat.PNG
PS - Wasn't being snubby when I disappeared from zoom somewhat abruptly -- My connection is often poor, my camera is always lousy (maybe that's just as well! ), I've never had the knack of doing more than one thing at a time, and I still haven't figured out how to send a chat message!

Well several of us had pieces of the puzzle that happened to fit together, and others had good pieces that just didn't fit this particular solve. If you were one of the latter, betcha next time YOUR piece will be important! I think the groups work because we all have different brains and different approaches! It really is fascinating.

[Joepickett]

Got to shore with some help. I was stuck in a hole and was pulled out to safety.

[woozy]

..... we all have different brains and different approaches! It really is fascinating.

Apparently. What I found amazing was that on page one there was a commentator who said "the grid was harder than the meta" and another who said it was nice to have a meta that took a "direct approach".

C'EST WHA????

[ship4u]

On shore with some nudges, pushes and drags by fellow muggles. It seems to me that each week the meta is getting more difficult and complex!
The zoom idea was great and it was wonderful participating in a more personal interaction and seeing faces, although I did not feel that I had anything of importance to add to the conversation. And, I had some difficulty with audio and video issues. It was still great fun.
On a personal note, I underwent total knee replacement surgery early Friday morning and I anticipated that the only puzzle I would be working on would be how to get back on my feet. It turned out that working on the meta and interacting with muggle friends was the perfect antidote to keep my mind off the pain.
Thanks everyone!

[Annabelle]

No clue on this meta so far. Got the grid, and enjoyed the cleverly constructed key answers, but have no idea where to go with them, even with the numbers added to the grid clues. And French? I think I need the Coneheads on this one, they are from France.

[woozy]

No clue on this meta so far. Got the grid, and enjoyed the cleverly constructed key answers, but have no idea where to go with them, even with the numbers added to the grid clues. And French? I think I need the Coneheads on this one, they are from France.

I hope it's not a spoiler [IT IS] to say [REDACTED] and the clue that you will need [REDACTED] after you figure where to go with the cleverly constructed (and surreal) key answers.

[HeadinHome]

..... we all have different brains and different approaches! It really is fascinating.

Apparently. What I found amazing was that on page one there was a commentator who said "the grid was harder than the meta" and another who said it was nice to have a meta that took a "direct approach".

C'EST WHA????

SERIOUSLY. That comment made me laugh… i thought the grid was pretty easy, but at that point had an hour in on the meta, and no clue.

Y’know… on the WSJ, there’s no way to know whether those first-pagers have ACTUALLY solved, or are posing. Just sayin’.

[Bob cruise director]

Good afternoon muggles

First a warm welcome to our newest muggles - Mme (appropriate because of 1A), Eckless, and Danimal (note the Oxford comma that has been discussed here too much)

Next before we get onto any dart throwing, the subject of teaming, collaboration, hints, nudges and such has been discussed a lot over the years. How you solve the meta and with whom (Wendy is it whom or who?) is a very personal decision. Some prefer to solve solo and some prefer to collaborate. And as you may have seen from the comments, do not confuse solving, being on shore and sending in an answer to the WSJ. This is a judgement call for each of us so just enjoy the moment.

And Matt is trying to keep up with Matt from last week. A most challenging contest that has left 34 on the ship and 44 on the shore.

Unfortunately after last week, I have run out of pins to stick in my Matt voodoo doll as they are still firmly embedded in my Mike voodoo doll. I think that the reason Matt gave us this challenge is that he knew that we have an extra hour to solve the meta this week!

So without further ado, the roster from the ship's bar is

phofer
Peter
rosiegirl
dplass
Tina
hunkra
Josh
C=64
Mike H
sharkicicles
Colin&Chuck
joe
Debbie
Thurman8er
Danimal
Zach
GTIJohnny
SReh26
JeanneC
Annabelle
escapeartist
mrmd
minimuggle
Henry Paul
Moi
TeaJenny
MatthewL
Jace54
MaineMarge
CallMeShane
Gman
Peter L
Susan G
mntlblok

And those toasting on the shore are

RobM
Beth A
BEACHEDWHALE
Meg
darth
Miki
Cindy
Omnibus
spotter
MajorDomoTom
David K
oldjudge
Tom Wi
BrennerTJ
CAe39
Ed S
Eckless
boharr
Chris
Joe R
Eric P
RPardoe
Les
meowmiao71
Homer
Heidi
ZooAnimalsOnWheels
Dow Jones
pjc
auee89
benchen71
pipster
Kay
DrTom
ship4u
Al
Wendy
woozy
ajk
Mme
CPJohnson
HeadinHome
Barbara K
Joepickett

[ky-mike]

For the Captain's roll call, I am still aboard the ship, staring hopelessly into the horizon.

[JaneGummy]

I'm stuck in the ship bar as well, tried a number of (what I thought) promising tacks, but alas, no luck. Congrats to all who solved.

[LadyBird]

On the ship--again. I wish that I COuld suMMON the correct bunny to lead me to shore. Thursday afternoon started with such optimism as I printed the puzzle. That CHIpper attitude was quickly turned oFF when I spotted those numbers in parentheses. Figured those out but can’t figure out any other steps. My CHAnce of solving is pretty iFFy at the moment. My solving percentage--and my ego--are taking a beating.

The stern garden has been put to bed for the fall and there are no birds to spot flying off-shore. Anyone for a game of euchre at the corner table?

[Joe Ross]

On the ship--again. I wish that I COuld suMMON the correct bunny to lead me to shore. Thursday afternoon started with such optimism as I printed the puzzle. That CHIpper attitude was quickly turned oFF when I spotted those numbers in parentheses. Figured those out but can’t figure out any other steps. My CHAnce of solving is pretty iFFy at the moment. My solving percentage--and my ego--are taking a beating.

The stern garden has been put to bed for the fall and there are no birds to spot flying off-shore. Anyone for a game of euchre at the corner table?

I'll swim back to the ship & skip watching my Bearcats play for an afternoon of euchre. I'm hitting Isaac's bar for the first 3 rounds. Deal'em.

[LadyBird]

Sick construction.

Is that sick or slick?

[lbray53]

Made the beach with navigational assistance. The meta pursuit inspired pages of notes. I was dancing all around it.

[Wendy Walker]

FYI, we have a Muggle running in the New York City Marathon tomorrow: Mini-Muggle! Let's all cheer her on from wherever we are this week, ship or shore!

[KFB]

In French or English...I'm stumped in two languages. Had thought of a few four letter words...but couldn't move far with the three. Any nudge from a more distinguished person of letters would be helpful.