"Just Doing My Part" July 26, 2024

[MikeMillerwsj]

The contest answer is MOSES. The four theme answers feature RED and SEA “parted” between their two words, suggesting the contest answer.

This was a sweet and straightforward one, a bit of a respite from several weeks of more labyrinthine challenges. Our solvers figured it out in droves -- we had 1,945 entries with 96% correct. Incorrect answers included EGYPT (9), SINAI (8), OCEAN (4), ACTOR (4), CHINA (2) and a few others.

Congrats to this week's winner: Jim Brooks of Charleston, SC!

[Dickie_Dunn]

Ashore on Friday but didn’t post. Vacation week has seen plenty of cold ones and lake beaches. Back to it now!

[Plymouthrock]

I’ll let you “render” the Rabbit hole verdict -
Not content to go with Moses, way too obvious, I
Noted the four Red Seas and the “open slot” for the fifth letter and dug in.
There must be a letter from each of the Red Sea entries and a letter of our choosing as open slot could only mean one thing. As FRONT was square in the middle of the puzzle the letters needed could possibly be that ones directly in front of Red. So off I go. F E O (letter of my choice, and yours too) and finally A. alas… FEORA. I chose R as Fiona is spelled with an . Now who doesn’t know who Feora is, the priestess of flame. And she leads from the FRONT apparently. There it all was. But at 11 pm on Sunday even I could not submit that. And I certainly wasn’t going to sign off with Moses. Waaaaaaay too easy.

[The XWord Rabbit]

Mr. Gaffney’s “Just Doing My Part” puzzle was about as straightforward as they come: Notice the RED SEA was contained in the four anchor across entries, combine that with the title, and the answer had to be MOSES.

But there was a general feeling of malaise among you Muggles – a big crowd ashore with everyone staring at the sea, wondering “What? No click?”

There are some things in this wondrous world your Rabbit can’t explain, and this is one of them. He does know, however, that there were no nominations this week, sort of an anticlimactic ending to the last six-month’s worth of puzzles before the GOLDEN RABBIT HOLE winners are announced during this Friday’s Zoom call.

But he’ll leave you with this – and hopefully, it will make up for some of the dissatisfaction with this week’s puzzle -

[Joe Ross]

😄

[ship4u]

When I saw the Red Sea references I immediately thought of the movie, "The Ten Commandments" that I saw as a kid. I wanted the answer to be Charleton Heston, but, alas, Heston was 6 letters long....

[Zobo3737]

rsz_dumbfoundedrabbit 25percent copy.jpg


There are some things in this wondrous world your Rabbit can’t explain, and this is one of them. He does know, however, that there were no nominations this week, sort of an anticlimactic ending to the last six-month’s worth of puzzles before the GOLDEN RABBIT HOLE winners are announced during this Friday’s Zoom call.

I thought that plymouthrock's journey was a worthy candidate. Used FRONT and OPEN SLOT to "do her part", leading to FEORA, Priestess of the Flame. Clever and way beyond me, but also deep into the rabbit warren.

[MajordomoTom]

submitted MOSES, was trying to find a way to either confirm it or to change to SINAI

[Kas]

What I’m thinking is that boy, we sure have gotten spoiled.

Seriously, when I think about how truly extraordinary it is that, week after week, the puzzle team has come up with unique puzzle mechanisms time and time again… I have to laugh about how ridiculous it is that I experienced any frustration whatsoever about this week’s puzzle.

It was a perfectly good puzzle, and I am tipping my hat and thanks.

(And yes, maybe it lacked that second “A-ha!”/proof element… But I couldn’t do what they do, so I’m just going to shut up.) lol!!!

[Kas]

What I’m thinking is that boy, we sure have gotten spoiled.

Seriously, when I think about how truly extraordinary it is that, week after week, the puzzle team has come up with unique puzzle mechanisms time and time again… I have to laugh about how ridiculous it is that I experienced any frustration whatsoever about this week’s puzzle.

It was a perfectly good puzzle, and I am tipping my hat and thanks.

(And yes, maybe it lacked that second “A-ha!”/proof element… But I couldn’t do what they do, so I’m just going to shut up.) lol!!!

Actually, I retract that last comment. I’ll stop complaining when I finally get a mug, for Pete’s sake.