The Devil Lived in the Details

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

#21

Post by Dplass »

lbray53 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 14, 2022 6:44 am I solved as well. Maybe you are still reading my LONG private message.
Or my SHORT pm?
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TeamDoubleTow
Posts: 442
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:58 pm

#22

Post by TeamDoubleTow »

We have not solved... We think we have the first step but don't know what to do next. Looking forward to tomorrow's nudges.
Team DoubleTow=Ali who posts here, Alex & Maya the hound(with occasional assistance from son)
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Anita
Posts: 447
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:55 am

#23

Post by Anita »

We're off the couch pending confirmation. I didn't notice the key thing but my husband did.
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Bird Lives
Posts: 2766
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:43 pm
Location: NYC
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#24

Post by Bird Lives »

DrTom wrote: ↑Mon Jun 13, 2022 11:09 pm
<snip> I am still being surprised by what people are seeing. I actually wish I had been clever enough to insert some of them as red herrings, but you know me, I WANT people to be able to solve. It gives me no pleasure to mislead.

Tom
Not red herrings. They are interesting side trips. Being misled can be a pleasure, and maybe also a path to meta-ideas of one's own.
Jay
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JeanneC
Posts: 629
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:25 am
Location: Florida

#25

Post by JeanneC »

Seeing something. Not quite clear what it is. Will wait for nudge.
“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions”. Lillian Hellman
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DrTom
Posts: 3879
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#26

Post by DrTom »

Here are the nudges. I have an update to the leaderboard BUT the computer I have it on is acting up so I cannot post until it decided it wants to play nice. In the meantime...This puzzle seems to be one of those where you either immediately see the “Oh, so that is what he is doing!” or “What in the world…”?
OK so it is nudge time.

The title of the puzzle contains a good part of the mechanism, and the intro has another instance of the same thing along with yet another nudge

Looking at the clues are there any that seems to be overly forced? Clues worded WAY too heavily when a simpler clue would suffice – they are pointing things out to you!

There are 5 “things” you need and then, since this is a meta and leading you right to the answer would be WAY too easy, there is another step to get to the letters you need to solve.

Even when you get the letters you have one more step, but you have been doing it all along so it should be second nature.

Although they LOOK like they should, MOT, BAAS and SUNUP are NOT part of the solution. Those were inadvertent and missed by all except observant Muggles!”

Oh, and as an addendum, the original prompt on the file, which I thought too “instructive” was “What an observant accountant does to errors in tax filings”
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!
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benchen71
Posts: 2507
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#27

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges helped me to get off the couch (I hope!)
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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DrTom
Posts: 3879
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#28

Post by DrTom »

OK. a few more joined the ranks today, and a lot of people are right on the edge. Hopefully the nudges will help you along.

19 Wendy Walker
20 BrennerTJ
21 ChrisKochmanski
22 Cindy
23 Bob cruise director
24 BarbaraK
25 benchen71
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!
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Ergcat
Posts: 799
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:12 pm
Location: Seneca SC

#29

Post by Ergcat »

Pretty sure I’m off the couch thanks to the nudges!
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ReB
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:34 pm
Location: East Tennessee

#30

Post by ReB »

I'm off the couch after being advised last night at the Tues Meet-Up that I'd caught an unintended red herring, which I had to toss back in. The replacement catch it turns out yielded an alternate solution to what Dr. Tom had in mind, but it got me off the couch.
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CPJohnson
Posts: 1106
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:38 pm
Location: Kingsport, TN

#31

Post by CPJohnson »

Got it, with some direction from DrTom.
Cynthia
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bhamren
Posts: 243
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:15 pm
Location: Urbana, Ohio

#32

Post by bhamren »

Off the couch with the spoilers. Even then it took me too long.
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Joe
Posts: 565
Joined: Sat May 11, 2019 12:45 pm
Location: New Hampshire

#33

Post by Joe »

Pretty sure I'm off the couch!
Happy to give nudges. If you notice I've solved, please tell me about avenues you've explored so I can nudge you in the right direction and not off a cliff.
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ky-mike
Posts: 2025
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:22 pm
Location: Near Louisville Ky

#34

Post by ky-mike »

Off the couch and awaiting confirmation.

Edit - confirmed
Last edited by ky-mike on Wed Jun 15, 2022 4:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TeamDoubleTow
Posts: 442
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:58 pm

#35

Post by TeamDoubleTow »

So the nudges seem to confirm we are on the right path... Just need to figure out the last steps.
Team DoubleTow=Ali who posts here, Alex & Maya the hound(with occasional assistance from son)
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KayW
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Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#36

Post by KayW »

:couch_and_lamp: nudged to submit...

Confirmed :smiling_imp: - great meta, Dr Tom!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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JeanneC
Posts: 629
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:25 am
Location: Florida

#37

Post by JeanneC »

Submitted and awaiting confirmation while hanging out on the couch. Think I’ll gnaw on the tassels for awhile….
“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions”. Lillian Hellman
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TeamDoubleTow
Posts: 442
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:58 pm

#38

Post by TeamDoubleTow »

Made it off the 🛋️! Thanks so much @DrTom for the great puzzle!
Team DoubleTow=Ali who posts here, Alex & Maya the hound(with occasional assistance from son)
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JeanneC
Posts: 629
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:25 am
Location: Florida

#39

Post by JeanneC »

Off the couch! Intriguing puzzle by Dr. Tom! How does he come up with these?!
“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions”. Lillian Hellman
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Dow Jones
Posts: 481
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: Yakima, WA

#40

Post by Dow Jones »

Nudged off the couch. Excellent grid and very creative meta. Thanks, Dr Tom
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