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Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:31 am
by boharr
No need to apologize, @DrTom , we value your puzzles, your wit, and your wisdom.

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:18 am
by edestlin
I was dragged off the couch with some confirmation from @DrTom and a clever nudge from @HoldThatThought .

Fun puzzle, tough meta, and I will file that mechanism away for future puzzles! Thanks, @DrTom !

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:18 am
by DrTom
Well, the new version seems to have opened the tap. This is what happens when you get so close to a topic you are familiar with and assume that everyone else is too. I would have the same problem (often do) with "Breaking Bad" references. Apparently I am one of about 100 people in the world who did not watch that.

Anyway, thank you all for not gathering with torches and pitchforks.

Tom

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:33 am
by hcbirker
DrTom wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 12:17 am My household name will be mud...

Ok, I have 10 solvers and that is not the fault of any of you, it is my error. I assumed the same rabid fandom for a particular program that I had. If you are a fan you will probably get it, if not then it is a toss up. Some very good solvers are struggling and that is never my intent. I also misunderstood my tester's comments when they said it was a simple mechanism to mean it was a simple puzzle. They did NOT mean that and if I led anyone to believe it was in any way their fault I am sorry and wrong. This was all me.

So my solvers so far:
1. MMe
2 boharr
3. HoldThatThought
4. Mark Woychick
5. markhr
6. meg
7. edestin
8. HeadInHome
9. woozy
10. Whimsy

I am going to ask Joe to load an amended puz and PDF tomorrow they will be available on the site. Look at these ONLY if you want a much easier path to the solve because the amendment provides a major nudge.

Tom
You forgot me Dr. Tom.

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:02 am
by CPJohnson
Got it from the original version, with help from @DrTom and @Cinny. Whew.....so many possibilities!

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:12 am
by Dave C
I was on the right track, but didn’t get there until the easier version was provided.

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:17 am
by DrTom
hcbirker wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:33 am
You forgot me Dr. Tom.
Darn it, this is not my week! Yes, you were solver #2 using the old version!

Tom

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:25 am
by ChrisKochmanski
Off the couch!

Finally. Using the original version, but with help from other solvers.

Thanks, Dr. Tom!

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:32 am
by MikeyG
boharr wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:31 am No need to apologize, @DrTom , we value your puzzles, your wit, and your wisdom.
Echoing this wholeheartedly. I am a better solver, constructor, and - most important - person today because of @DrTom!

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:38 am
by MMe
While it could definitely have used some tip-off about the show, it's nonetheless a very smoothly constructed grid and meta.

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:48 am
by DrTom
MikeyG wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:32 am
boharr wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:31 am No need to apologize, @DrTom , we value your puzzles, your wit, and your wisdom.
Echoing this wholeheartedly. I am a better solver, constructor, and - most important - person today because of @DrTom!
Thank you Mikey, you are WAY too kind.

Tom

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 1:09 pm
by KayW
boharr wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:31 am No need to apologize, @DrTom , we value your puzzles, your wit, and your wisdom.
My sentiments EXACTLY!!

I'm off the settee with the level 1 version. But given my utter ignorance of the subject matter, I think got pretty darn far on this with the original version!

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 2:26 pm
by Ergcat
My daughter and I stared and stared at the puzzle yesterday…. Nada.But I’ll look again today after reading the additional comments/info! Cheers!

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 3:32 pm
by Dplass
DrTom wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:18 am Well, the new version seems to have opened the tap. This is what happens when you get so close to a topic you are familiar with and assume that everyone else is too. I would have the same problem (often do) with "Breaking Bad" references. Apparently I am one of about 100 people in the world who did not watch that.

Anyway, thank you all for not gathering with torches and pitchforks.

Tom
I'm with you. Never seen a single second of Breaking Bad or Walking Dead or any Kardashian show. (Or the topic of this MMM, for that matter...)

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:40 pm
by hoover
I have filled in the grid and I think I know what I need to do, but there are far too many British TV shows that fit this theme, and the one/two I picked, had far too many instances of the roles I'm looking for... I'll poke around a bit more, but if I don't find something definitive, I may have to open the simplified version.

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 6:09 pm
by ajk
Got it from the simplified version, though I have enough of the requisite knowledge that I probably could have gotten it from the original if I'd been a bit more patient. :)

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:51 pm
by eagle1279
Off the couch but I needed the simplified version and lots of internet info! I’d rate the original a 4 as I think it was eminently solvable by smarter solvers than I. Great puzzle!

Re: Household Names

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:15 pm
by HeadinHome
Forgot to post here but YES I was an early-ish solver. Right up my alley, this one. Not sure if i would have gotten it without the page-1 hints — but i think so. Thanks for the fun!

Re: Household Names

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2022 4:20 pm
by DrTom
We can apparently post again

HOORAY

No pictures though, at least until we figure out if it was a space or a technical issue.

T

Re: Household Names

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2022 11:14 pm
by hoover
hoover wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:40 pm I have filled in the grid and I think I know what I need to do, but there are far too many British TV shows that fit this theme, and the one/two I picked, had far too many instances of the roles I'm looking for... I'll poke around a bit more, but if I don't find something definitive, I may have to open the simplified version.
I have now looked at the simplified version and I'm no closer. I see one clue whose wording changed and five clues that now have asterisks.