"For The Help" by benchen71

Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
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Dow Jones
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Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: Yakima, WA

#21

Post by Dow Jones »

The castle has been stormed. Nice construction. Happy New Year to all !!
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Jeremy Smith
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Location: Tampa Bay area

#22

Post by Jeremy Smith »

Confirmed on Crosshare. Thanks for the puzzle, Ben!
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benchen71
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Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
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#23

Post by benchen71 »

And some more solvers to add to the list:

cwillmore
DJB
DrTom
SewYoung
Dow Jones
LB800
Jeremy Smith
rjy

Keep 'em coming!
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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HeadinHome
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Location: Charlotte, NC

#24

Post by HeadinHome »

whimsy wrote: ↑Tue Dec 28, 2021 12:06 pm Oh, and I remember reading some 29As -- probably when I ran out of Nancy Drews and Cherry Ames! :)
Ditto that! Knew that one without looking it up, and it took me back. I’ll add the Donna Parker mysteries to the list too!

I’ve got the grid worked and starred answers highlighted, but can’t make sense of the wording of 68A yet. If anyone wants to clue me in a little, I’ll take it!
The other Wendy. :roll:
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benchen71
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#25

Post by benchen71 »

Just for Wendy (and anyone else stuck on the lower side of the MOAT!) here are the nudges early!

1. The meta hint is in 68 and 69 across: DAY AFTER. But the hint needs to be read in combination with the clue: "occasion hidden in the starred entries following the occasion it follows".

2. There are therefore two occasions hidden in the starred clues.

3. The same number of letters from each occasion can be found in each starred entry. But the number may differ from entry to entry.
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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vandono
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Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2021 7:15 pm
Location: Texas

#26

Post by vandono »

Confirmed on Crosshare! Honestly a complete guess, though. I felt I could see it, but couldn't quite make out the mechanism. lol I just noticed the hints but still haven't figured it out. I just don't have my head wrapped around metas yet but it's fun trying.

I enjoyed the puzzle - thanks, Ben!

edit: I see it now! I'm such a maroon. :D
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HeadinHome
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Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:06 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

#27

Post by HeadinHome »

Yes, got it now! Actually didn’t use the spoilers, just kept looking. And had an idea of what it might be, to start with, and indeed there it was. ( :

The relation to the title was some learning for me… thanks!
The other Wendy. :roll:
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benchen71
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#28

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the last batch of solvers before the answer reveal:

vandono
CPJohnson
Gutman
Chaddog

Well done, everyone!
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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#29

Post by benchen71 »

And here is the solution:

For The Help (solution).png

So, yes there were two occasions hidden in the grid: CHRISTMAS followed by BOXING DAY, but spread out across the grid.

As for why the title of the puzzle was "For The Help", as DrTom said in his intro to last week's MMM, Boxing Day was originally a day off for the servants who had probably been working harder than ever on Christmas. (I think I remember seeing this on a Downton Abbey Christmas episode!) That might have given things away for some; so might the hint involving two occasions that follow one another. But that's OK! Back-solving is a perfectly valid meta-solving method. In fact, I'm endeavouring to make my puzzles more accessible - there are a lot of difficult metas out there! - because I prefer metas in which the path to the answer is more obvious. If you guess your way there, then well done you!

Welcome to 2022, everyone. I have lots of seriously fun puzzles coming your way - lots of castles to be stormed!
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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