"Love Letters" February 14, 2025

[Faust]

That leads to a question I had as well… the instructions state to send the answer in a direct email, but I’ve been sending the answers on the form directly on the wsj website that becomes available when the contest puzzle is completed… can anybody confirm if that is an acceptable alternative to send answers?

[Joe Ross]

That leads to a question I had as well… the instructions state to send the answer in a direct email, but I’ve been sending the answers on the form directly on the wsj website that becomes available when the contest puzzle is completed… can anybody confirm if that is an acceptable alternative to send answers?

Yes. Both ways are valid and generate an email message to the WSJ Puzzles team.

Due to glitches that can happen with the online submission form, many choose to email their submissions directly, which has far fewer issues.

All email messages are sorted by sender address, then double-entries are eliminated. Random entries are selected until the first correct entry is selected giving WSJ their winner.

SUGGESTION: Show your work. The WSJ Puzzles team has allowed multiple answers on several occasions, if reasoned.

[DrTom]

Crazy. Isn’t that like the third double mug winner in a row?

As someone who has won exactly zero mugs in 7 years, it makes me wonder if maybe my emails are going into the WSJ’s spam folder or something.

This is exactly why I no longer fret about not having one of the coveted mugs. You might be a first time submitter or have sent in the correct answer hundreds of times, but if there are others who submit, whether by guess or by solve, and the random choice is not you, then no mug. It says nothing about your ability, just about randomness and indeed you could be the random choice once or twice or, truthfully, every time. SO let your joy be the solve (when I finally solve solo I am ecstatic, something I cannot profess this week unfortunately, and if I do not win the mug then, well I did not win the mug. Some people win the lottery more than once, some are hit by lightning more than once. It says nothing about you (unless your name is "Lucky" or "Rod") just about the chaos and randomness of our world.

I also don't worry about people who submit after a nudge (I don't do it but that is a personal choice) because I KNOW that does not decrease my chances. Yes if it were a week when ONLY I got the answer and then I nudged one other person who submitted and they got the mug; then that would upset me. However, the chances of that happening are about the same as me winning the mug at all.

The true value and prize is, and always will be, this community of solvers and friends. I can count on the care and well wishes of soooo many people I have never even met in person but feel like I have known all my life. That my friends is special, and better represented by a hug than a mug.

[DennyB]

To confirm to all my fellow muggles, I submitted my guess before receiving any nudges. Hopefully those who have never won a mug will soon have that surprise bestowed upon them. Good luck to all in future Friday contests.

[BarbaraK]

To confirm to all my fellow muggles, I submitted my guess before receiving any nudges. Hopefully those who have never won a mug will soon have that surprise bestowed upon them. Good luck to all in future Friday contests.

You won?!! Woo hoo!! Congratulations!!!!

[LadyBird]

You would think that going on a Vietnamese food tour in Saigon--with a company called XO tours--would have helped my solving. Nope.