"Go With The Flow" - October 11, 2019

[Richard]

True Story

I was an event Thursday early afternoon. They offered dessert. I chose lava cake. Maybe the second time in my many years that I had lava cake. Come home and start the WSJ puzzle. Hmm under the volcano, volcano leads to lava leads to lava cake. I remember there is Vietnamese lava cake. But that can't be it. Then I see etna and can then the rest just flows.

[billkatz]

I made it safely to shore before the deadline, but it appears that the website didn't accept my post, and I returned home tonight to an error message. Now that the contest has closed, I can say it is one of my favorite desserts!

[oldjudge]

True Story

I was an event Thursday early afternoon. They offered dessert. I chose lava cake. Maybe the second time in my many years that I had lava cake. Come home and start the WSJ puzzle. Hmm under the volcano, volcano leads to lava leads to lava cake. I remember there is Vietnamese lava cake. But that can't be it. Then I see etna and can then the rest just flows.

LOL, whatever works

[MarkL]

True Story

I was an event Thursday early afternoon. They offered dessert. I chose lava cake. Maybe the second time in my many years that I had lava cake. Come home and start the WSJ puzzle. Hmm under the volcano, volcano leads to lava leads to lava cake. I remember there is Vietnamese lava cake. But that can't be it. Then I see etna and can then the rest just flows.

Let's hope next weeks meta answer is LOTTERY!!

[Colin]

Arrrggghhhh! Lava cake was the first food that came to mind, but the meta just would not erupt for me.

[KayW]

Thanks, Joe! That’s still a big help!

You're welcome, Beth! It seems that the solutions for the WSJ Saturday Puzzles are only published in print. If you wish, I can post each week's solution to the Non-Meta Crosswords & Other Puzzles.

Don't hesitate to remind me to post the solutions.

How'bout them BEARCATS?

I can do that as well. In fact I almost created a page for Shifty Business and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't. Because I STILL haven't figured out the shifting mechanism. And usually the WSJ prints both explanations of individual entry answers as well as any overall meta mechanism. This week they did NEITHER! They just showed a completed grid which given the shifting did not even give you all a complete set of clue entries!

[Bird Lives]

For anyone who’s wondering how Spahn, Sain, Burdette, et al. came into the discussion. The MOLT in the meta came from the entry MOLTS. This did not seem to me like an elegant disguise, and I suspected that Matt felt the same way. But what other word might yield these letters to start off the meta? The only thing I could think of was the pitcher for the Braves, a guy with an ERA a shade over 3, a Cy Young, and more than 3000 strikeouts — Greg Maddux, er, I mean John Smoltz. (The description fits both pitchers btw. The Braves in those days had a dynamite rotation.)

Unfortunately, given the placement of the volcanos, there was no way SMOLTZ could be the starter.

[BethA]

I started off on a couple of wild rabbit chases because the puzzle had the look of one not having main theme answers. First started looking for rivers or other water flowing past cities named in either the grid or the clues. Also pursued all the foods listed in the grid, and where they intersected long answers. Nothing. Finally circled back to the way I normally start to solve a meta, writing down the long answers on a clean sheet of paper. ETNA immediately jumped off the page! Others soon followed, with google confirmation.

I always thought that LOA was for low, and KEA for high, but learned loa is long and kea is white!

[ChrisKochmanski]

After rather oversleeping this morning, I awoke to this email note from one Mike Miller, Senior Features and WSJ Weekend Editor:

"Congratulations! You are the winner of this week's WSJ Crossword Contest. Your correct solution was selected randomly from more than 1,350 entries. To claim your prize, a WSJ coffee mug, please ... " (it goes on from there)

Assuming this isn't a prank ... I WON THE MUG!!!

So cool! I'm pleased that it was a solo solve for me this past weekend. No help from Lynne or hints from other Muggles. Just me, on early Thursday evening, on the back deck, under the umbrella, iced tea in hand, madly searching around the squares ...

In four to six weeks, when the prize arrives, it will of course become THE MUG THAT MUST NEVER BE DRUNK FROM.

"No, don't touch it ... Well, I wasn't going to drink from it. I was just pointing at it ... Well, don't point. It can't be drunk from ... Don't point, okay, Can I look at it? ... No, no. That's it. You've seen enough of that one ..."

[Janet P]

After rather oversleeping this morning, I awoke to this email note from one Mike Miller, Senior Features and WSJ Weekend Editor:

"Congratulations! You are the winner of this week's WSJ Crossword Contest. Your correct solution was selected randomly from more than 1,350 entries. To claim your prize, a WSJ coffee mug, please ... " (it goes on from there)

Assuming this isn't a prank ... I WON THE MUG!!!

So cool! I'm pleased that it was a solo solve for me this past weekend. No help from Lynne or hints from other Muggles. Just me, on early Thursday evening, on the back deck, under the umbrella, iced tea in hand, madly searching around the squares ...

In four to six weeks, when the prize arrives, it will of course become THE MUG THAT MUST NEVER BE DRUNK FROM.

"No, don't touch it ... Well, I wasn't going to drink from it. I was just pointing at it ... Well, don't point. It can't be drunk from ... Don't point, okay, Can I look at it? ... No, no. That's it. You've seen enough of that one ..."

WooHoo! Another Muggle mug win!! Congratulations!!!

[Deb F]

Yay, Chris. Congratulations. Another one for the Muggles!!! From a Mugless one!

[Bob cruise director]

After rather oversleeping this morning, I awoke to this email note from one Mike Miller, Senior Features and WSJ Weekend Editor:

"Congratulations! You are the winner of this week's WSJ Crossword Contest. Your correct solution was selected randomly from more than 1,350 entries. To claim your prize, a WSJ coffee mug, please ... " (it goes on from there)

Assuming this isn't a prank ... I WON THE MUG!!!

So cool! I'm pleased that it was a solo solve for me this past weekend. No help from Lynne or hints from other Muggles. Just me, on early Thursday evening, on the back deck, under the umbrella, iced tea in hand, madly searching around the squares ...

In four to six weeks, when the prize arrives, it will of course become THE MUG THAT MUST NEVER BE DRUNK FROM.

"No, don't touch it ... Well, I wasn't going to drink from it. I was just pointing at it ... Well, don't point. It can't be drunk from ... Don't point, okay, Can I look at it? ... No, no. That's it. You've seen enough of that one ..."

Congratulations. Great to have another muggle get the mug

[Tony S]

Thanks, Joe! That’s still a big help!

You're welcome, Beth! It seems that the solutions for the WSJ Saturday Puzzles are only published in print. If you wish, I can post each week's solution to the Non-Meta Crosswords & Other Puzzles.

Don't hesitate to remind me to post the solutions.

How'bout them BEARCATS?

I can do that as well. In fact I almost created a page for Shifty Business and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't. Because I STILL haven't figured out the shifting mechanism. And usually the WSJ prints both explanations of individual entry answers as well as any overall meta mechanism. This week they did NEITHER! They just showed a completed grid which given the shifting did not even give you all a complete set of clue entries!

Shifty Business was a tough cryptic. The meta was "moving the goalposts." The goalposts were represented by the letter "H." All answers which had an "H" were entered with its "H" somewhere else in the word. All but 9 answers had an "H" so there was a lot of "shifty business."

[Tony S]

After rather oversleeping this morning, I awoke to this email note from one Mike Miller, Senior Features and WSJ Weekend Editor:

"Congratulations! You are the winner of this week's WSJ Crossword Contest. Your correct solution was selected randomly from more than 1,350 entries. To claim your prize, a WSJ coffee mug, please ... " (it goes on from there)

Assuming this isn't a prank ... I WON THE MUG!!!

So cool! I'm pleased that it was a solo solve for me this past weekend. No help from Lynne or hints from other Muggles. Just me, on early Thursday evening, on the back deck, under the umbrella, iced tea in hand, madly searching around the squares ...

In four to six weeks, when the prize arrives, it will of course become THE MUG THAT MUST NEVER BE DRUNK FROM.

"No, don't touch it ... Well, I wasn't going to drink from it. I was just pointing at it ... Well, don't point. It can't be drunk from ... Don't point, okay, Can I look at it? ... No, no. That's it. You've seen enough of that one ..."

Congratulations! By all means drink from the mug. I recently won a crossword prize from the Financial Times --- it was a book and I'm currently reading it. Prizes should be used!

[Joe Ross]

"No, don't touch it ... Well, I wasn't going to drink from it. I was just pointing at it ... Well, don't point. It can't be drunk from ... Don't point, okay, Can I look at it? ... No, no. That's it. You've seen enough of that one ..."

Congratulations, Chris!

Different strokes, or, more likely, a noobie lack of respect, but I'd stain that mug hard with every stout, bock, dunkel, Irish, Oktoberfest, porter, amber, red, & schwarz beer I can lay my hands on. I'd even forego the extra 25% I get at my local brewery using my personal Mug Club mug. And Guinness? YOU BET!

[ChrisKochmanski]

No, I'm thinking trophy room. Or maybe a museum gallery.

Take one of the grown kids' rooms, strip the walls of the sports and Star Wars posters ... paint the room bright white ... lit from above, a single display case, the mug under protective glass ... a single note card extolling my puzzling prowess ...

Nah, just teasing. I'll happily drink from the mug!

[Joe Ross]

"No, don't touch it ... Well, I wasn't going to drink from it. I was just pointing at it ... Well, don't point. It can't be drunk from ... Don't point, okay, Can I look at it? ... No, no. That's it. You've seen enough of that one ..."

Thank you for the chuckle! I've been chortling for 15 minutes.

[DrTom]

YAY Chris - please post a picture of you and the "MUG" so that the rest of us Mugless Muggles can live vicariously. I'm with you, I'd encase it in Lucite and put it in a trophy case. (I'd gladly drink form mug #2 though if that ever happened !)

[BarbaraK]

No, I'm thinking trophy room. Or maybe a museum gallery.

Take one of the grown kids' rooms, strip the walls of the sports and Star Wars posters ... paint the room bright white ... lit from above, a single display case, the mug under protective glass ... a single note card extolling my puzzling prowess ...

Nah, just teasing. I'll happily drink from the mug!

Unless they've changed things, the mug comes with a note card extolling your puzzling prowess. So you're all set - better start painting.

Congratulations!!

[ron]

I got the answer and submitted, but spent quite a bit of time going in circles because there were more volcano names in the puzzle, if you allowed for "flow" which can always go downhill and change directions. Anyone else notice those others? If one didn't grasp the "under" aspect, a lot of time could be spent trying to do something with the 7 (at least) volcano names.

I'd say Arenal and Ararat are reasonably well known ones. Meru not so much.

I suppose if they wanted us to consider names that followed crooked paths, all of the names would have done that, and Hood didn't/couldn't. And Ararat would have required reusing the A in Etna. But I was far from sure about all that until I saw the actual answer.