A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
DrTom wrote: ↑Sat Mar 28, 2020 12:51 pm
OK, I have an answer that I personally love....BUT, in private discussion with another Muggle, they have an answer THEY love and from the way we described how we got there they cannot be the same. I am not even 100% proud of HOW I got there, nor for sake of balance is the other person. This is going to be an interesting Monday coming up.
Therefore, I am announcing that I am on shore, I'm just not sure I'm on shore and if I am not I'll be sore but am willing to see what is in store and slog through all the gore, that's it there isn't any additional (HA, thought you had me figured out didn't ya!)
You have left us wanting. . . more!
All righty then, you asked for it:
More than the time that I’ve spent learning bones
This is the time I’ve spent on Metas alone
More than the simplest words I try to play
I grow more frustrated every day
More than you'll ever know my mind longs to grasp you so
My life is now in your keeping, waking, sleeping, chasing, weeping
Friday to Sunday is a short, short time,
And I’m afraid you never will be mine
It’s like I never solved before and my mind is very sure
I’ve nothing left to give you more
(Thank you Mr. Andy Williams)
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!
I got some help and am now on shore! I was on the right track all along, but some inconsistencies in the method messed me up. Yep, I have quibbles with this one.
Having a hard time falling asleep when I thought of something and had to get up and fiddle with the grid.
The path was littered with red herrings and full of treacherous rabbit holes, but finally it was clear, and there was no going back.
Waited to be tested (100% OK) and then ambled down the gangplank to the shore.
The tiki hut ran out of hand sanitizer so used 151 proof rum both externally and internally. Cheers!
Alright, I got by with a little help from my friends! I was on the right track, and it still doesn't feel very clean for me, so I'll be interested to see the official solution! For now, on shore!
Still here at the very end of Isaac’s bar with a good supply of PPE (paper, pencils, erasers) and mimosas for the long haul. So far I’ve had no luck breaking through the Gaffney Invisible Protective Shield surrounding the meta answer.
readtobe2002 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 28, 2020 9:37 pm
I think I'm ashore . . . but it's my first meta, so I might be at sea and about to be swamped by a tsunami. We'll see!
Welcome to the group. You picked one of the hardest ones to start with so don't be discouraged.
I'm lost at sea. I've got a great ten-letter word stuck in my head and have been trying to back-solve for far too long. I can even justify a few of the letters, but I'm more inclined to believe that I need to somehow back out of this endless rabbit hole that I've been trapped in all weekend. Time to go outside for some fresh air and hopefully some post-enlightenment!
ChrisKochmanski wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 5:00 pm
Ashore. Though slightly worried I'll be hauled off by the meta police (no reference to 38A and 54A intended). That is: I'm not 100% sure of my answer because ... well, for a reason. Any other solvers feeling this way?
We're feeling the same way Chris -- we think we have it, but usually Mike and Matt make it so clear (when you get it), that you don't have any doubt.
We're claiming to have made it ashore --- now, is it 'THE' shore?
Hidden in 3D wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:34 am
I'm lost at sea. I've got a great ten-letter word stuck in my head and have been trying to back-solve for far too long. I can even justify a few of the letters, but I'm more inclined to believe that I need to somehow back out of this endless rabbit hole that I've been trapped in all weekend. Time to go outside for some fresh air and hopefully some post-enlightenment!
I'm in the same boat, as it were. Great word, I can see how to get there from the grid, almost, if I ignore some bits and squint a little. Sara, let me know if you want to compare notes.
On shore. Needed 1 nudge to confirm my initial strategy and 1 other bigger nudge to get me to look at the grid differently. Back solved this one, if that helps anyone. - Susan H
Too much time spent chasing rabbits, trying to eke out something based on comments here (no nudges please). Clearly the solution had to be clever so I abandoned brute force, and tried to "cleverly" backfit a solution. That finally worked after I chiseled around the edges a bit. But I am 85% confident in the answer, more so in the pathway - good enough to declare I am ashore and submitted. Will spend the rest of the day at the bar with my son, around the pool, 100 yards from the rest of the world.
