"Backdrops" - November 1, 2019

[Bird Lives]

Muggles, did anyone else do Patrick Berry's Variety Puzzle, "Valley of Tears," from Saturday's paper? It was really fun. After reading the instructions I thought, no way, this is impossible -- too many variables! -- but once I got started I managed to figure it out. Highly recommended!

I'll second Wendy's recommendation. I really enjoyed it, too!

I hadn't seen this (I was out of town and busy), but I did it just now. Thanks. It didn't take too long to get the idea.

[rolias]

Ashore. Lots of interesting coincidences tried to lead me astray.

[MajordomoTom]

new to doing WSJ puzzles. Just started this week.

I've solved the puzzle, but have no idea how "Backdrops" and the five letter noun part of the "meta" works. Any help?

Do I somehow take apart those compound words in those five clues?

EDIT: PM me if it's against forum rules to answer this before the deadline in this chat.

[Trey]

Marion and I are on shore...........98% credit to Marion and the rest proudly to me! Regardless, we're looking for mugggggggggs!

[Hector]

new to doing WSJ puzzles. Just started this week.

I've solved the puzzle, but have no idea how "Backdrops" and the five letter noun part of the "meta" works. Any help?

Do I somehow take apart those compound words in those five clues?

EDIT: PM me if it's against forum rules to answer this before the deadline in this chat.

Welcome! Check out the FAQs in the Welcome part of the Board index for voluminous advice on solving strategery. Meta puzzles have a very steep learning curve, meaning you're typically completely at sea at first, and then after you've seen several examples, you quickly start to catch on. But ... the whole point is that there is no recipe for success. One thing that helped me early on was to browse Matt Gaffney's website http://xwordcontest.com/, which contains explanations of many, many meta puzzle solutions (none very current, because it has gone subscription, but still very useful as examples of the kinds of thing to expect).

Almost all of us DNF (do not finish) on occasion, or accept hints to get there, which we find makes these challenges more rather than less worthy.

[MajordomoTom]

thx, I just spent some time reading through that ... and this will take a while to ponder. Perhaps time to put my head on a pillow and "think".

[billkatz]

I made it to shore. I had a rough spot, but once past it, it was quick.

[DaveKennison]

Okay ... once again ... a little late to the party ... but I just swam ashore. A very logical meta, once you see it. (But then, aren’t they all? )

[CallMeShane]

Might have been in the Atlantic.

Might have been in the Pacific.

Might have been in Mare Tranquillitatis.

After spending a long time in the same rabbit hole as many others, I at long last saw the light. Have abandoned ship.

[Bob cruise director]

Ashore. Lots of interesting coincidences tried to lead me astray.

Another new muggle. Welcome aboard and good luck

[howardl]

Ashore. Attracted by some rabbit holes, but I quickly determined that they could not be correct because they were too complicated.

[LLinNC]

Whew! After two weeks of frustration, I was worried I had lost my meta mojo. This one took me a while, but the aha moment finally came. On shore at last!

[Bob cruise director]

Good Saturday morning muggles.

First a welcome to our two newest muggles: rollas and MajorDomoTom.

We have 7 of us on the ship who apparently can't see what others are seeing clearly as there are 68 on the shore. But that is the way the meta crumbles.

Keeping Isaac in business are
sharkicicles
GlennG
Barry
Deb F
Janet P
Olaf
and your humble cruise director

On the shore are
Hector
Al
Les Y
Frankie
Meg
Tmart
Eric P
Brian M
Scott M
Wendy
Darryl
Cindy
ky-mike
BarbaraK
Julie O
streroto
Jazzvibist
joequavis
Cynthia J
Beth T
Tina
docison
Mike H
Chris
31 down
darthdriessen
troysail
Brian
burd
Heidi
Bird Lives
ImOnToo
marl
Ed S
damefox
Fred
Tom Shea
ALS
Frank
oldjudge
MaineMarge
Leslie
tim1217
Juliet
Jeanrosz
Paul
John V
Tom Wilson
Beth A
inca
Laura M
DBMiller
JakeorJacob
Commodore
spotter
Jacksull
the Thurman8er
David R
Kay
Billkatz
Trey and Marion
David K
CallMeshane
rolias
MajorodomoTom
LLinNC
and Howard H

Good luck to all in winning the mug and stay safe if you are in California

[hcbirker]

Thanks Bob. I'm in California but not near the fires. Pretty awful. My nephew and his family had to evacuate this week. Luckily they were allowed back after only one day staying with friends. (Heidi)

[MajordomoTom]

I'm not yet on the beach, I'm tumbling in the surf, struggling to get dry.

[JJD]

new to doing WSJ puzzles. Just started this week.

I've solved the puzzle, but have no idea how "Backdrops" and the five letter noun part of the "meta" works. Any help?

Do I somehow take apart those compound words in those five clues?

EDIT: PM me if it's against forum rules to answer this before the deadline in this chat.

Expect to be humbled for many weeks before you start to recognize the hints and patterns. I’m still struggling and don’t find the correct answer most weeks. I don’t know if it’s worse when I get no answer or discover a vaguely workable wrong answer.
Hang in there.

[JJD]

Lost at sea, with a nonsensical answer.

[FirstMax]

On shore. That rabbit hole led me right to the answer.

[MajordomoTom]

new to doing WSJ puzzles. Just started this week.

I've solved the puzzle, but have no idea how "Backdrops" and the five letter noun part of the "meta" works. Any help?

Do I somehow take apart those compound words in those five clues?

EDIT: PM me if it's against forum rules to answer this before the deadline in this chat.

Expect to be humbled for many weeks before you start to recognize the hints and patterns. I’m still struggling and don’t find the correct answer most weeks. I don’t know if it’s worse when I get no answer or discover a vaguely workable wrong answer.
Hang in there.

yep, my wife and grown daughter aren't able to help either.

I'm in a deep rabbit hole, wondering if this is just a tetris game in print.

[Bird Lives]

new to doing WSJ puzzles. Just started this week.

I've solved the puzzle, but have no idea how "Backdrops" and the five letter noun part of the "meta" works. Any help?

Do I somehow take apart those compound words in those five clues?

EDIT: PM me if it's against forum rules to answer this before the deadline in this chat.

You can find all the contest puzzles here https://blogs.wsj.com/puzzle/category/c ... d-contest/. And you can see the solution for each and a brief explanation by looking at the answer down in the lower right corner on the following Monday.