XWord Muggles Forum

kurtalert wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 12:37 pm Hah, sorry - usually I'm a total dunce with the WSJ metas, so I was quite surprised that I hit page 1 here. Although, it might just be Mike Shenk's puzzles- I'm much more on Gaffney's wavelength, apparently, as nearly all of the WSJ ones that I manage to solve are his, and I rarely get Shenk's.

I was curious, so I looked at my data since I started doing the WSJ in late '22 and early '23. I average about 20 minutes on a Gaffney (average level: 2.1) and 25 on a Shenk (average level: 2.4), indicating that I might speak Gaffney's language a bit more! (I've had more time speaking it with MGWCC!).

Good luck to all those still working on cracking this conundrum, and congrats to those who have already!

Ashore! Two in a row... feeling less and less the newbie that I felt over the course of the last couple months!

At least I'm pretty sure that I made it... Either way, can I please have a tall IPA to try and warm the soul in this CO snow?

SewYoung wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:47 am

woozy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:18 am

PHOFER wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 9:26 am On the shore, and it looks like it will be crowded. After Sunday midnight I’d be interested in seeing proposals for the best clue for the contest answer words (that is, a clue like the clues for the other theme answers).

Well, just concatenating the given clues for the entries (with a little allowance for grammar/syntax tweaking) is an acceptable clue.

But we're a creative bunch. We can do better.

I love this bunch of folks. I have learned, yet another new word. When I saw "concatenating" I thought surely it was a typo, but looked it up and Lo and Behold, it was a real word that I had never heard of.

Whoa.... just as Charles Schulz once assumed everyone knew what a ZAMBONI was (Snoopy as the WWI flying ace accidentally shot one and all the readers in the SF Bay area went "?????"), I assumed everyone knew what concatenate meant.

CON=with or together
CATENA= chain

concatenate= to chain together.

FWIW I didn't think this grid was particularly difficult (certainly within one degree of standard deviation) but I didn't think the meta was particularly easy either. Not a natural thing that leaps visually out at you. It took me well-past the time when I start to sink and figure that means I will never get it without a nudge. But, unusually, this is one that *can* be solved by chewing and tying all possibilitys the the hints could possibly mean. I wouldn't say it was a tough one but, for me, it seemed more comfortable hanging out with the tough kids and being a poseur.

I'm ashore. I will have an alcohol free Heineken. They're not bad!

Holy s***!!! People who said this was easy just have warped brains!!!
Having said that, I am VERY pleased with myself for my second pure solo solve in a row. I feel my brain warping. It must be the mid-day single-malt. (I don’t believe in the term “too early”). Ashore!!!

Lots of fun! Relaxing ashore. I hope to be back shortly -- with a mug!

Ashore. Beer me!

woozy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 2:07 pm

SewYoung wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:47 am

woozy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:18 am

Well, just concatenating the given clues for the entries (with a little allowance for grammar/syntax tweaking) is an acceptable clue.

But we're a creative bunch. We can do better.

I love this bunch of folks. I have learned, yet another new word. When I saw "concatenating" I thought surely it was a typo, but looked it up and Lo and Behold, it was a real word that I had never heard of.

Whoa.... just as Charles Schulz once assumed everyone knew what a ZAMBONI was (Snoopy as the WWI flying ace accidentally shot one and all the readers in the SF Bay area went "?????"), I assumed everyone knew what concatenate meant.

CON=with or together
CATENA= chain

concatenate= to chain together.

I haven't followed hockey in years. As a kid, I thought driving the zamboni would be so much fun!

Ashore - the grid took me longer to complete than the meta!

SewYoung wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:47 am

woozy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:18 am

PHOFER wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 9:26 am On the shore, and it looks like it will be crowded. After Sunday midnight I’d be interested in seeing proposals for the best clue for the contest answer words (that is, a clue like the clues for the other theme answers).

Well, just concatenating the given clues for the entries (with a little allowance for grammar/syntax tweaking) is an acceptable clue.

But we're a creative bunch. We can do better.

I love this bunch of folks. I have learned, yet another new word. When I saw "concatenating" I thought surely it was a typo, but looked it up and Lo and Behold, it was a real word that I had never heard of.

I think that was (and may still be) a function you could select on a copy machine.

Janet wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 3:45 pm

SewYoung wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:47 am

woozy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 11:18 am

Well, just concatenating the given clues for the entries (with a little allowance for grammar/syntax tweaking) is an acceptable clue.

But we're a creative bunch. We can do better.

I love this bunch of folks. I have learned, yet another new word. When I saw "concatenating" I thought surely it was a typo, but looked it up and Lo and Behold, it was a real word that I had never heard of.

I think that was (and may still be) a function you could select on a copy machine.

CONCATENATE is also a function in Excel for putting text strings together (of course).

Ashore, unfortunately needed help on this one.

Whew! Just made it ashore. Another solo solve.

Ashore!
Jane, my puzzle buddy, had it solved within 90 minutes of yesterday's release. I had to set it aside to attend other matters and couldn't solve until this morning. Sigh. Then 9 holes of golf and home to post. I think a pale ale is on the menu this afternoon.

Ashore.

Ashore!!
Took me forever to figure out the grid especially the themers… good grief, Charlie Brown!!

What a fun ZOOM today! Great to see everyone! Have a wonderful weekend.

Tough grid, fun meta, great Zoom call!

Ashore, thanks to the zoom tow in. Never would have gotten this one otherwise!