XWord Muggles Forum

Hello solvers! There's a new contest puzzle from Fill Me In. I'll rate this one 1.3 bananas on a scale of 5 bananas. (Bananas has nothing to do with the puzzle, it's just a 1-to-5 scale we made up.)

The puzzle is called "A Sporting Chance" and was constructed by me (Brian Cimmet). The solution to the puzzle is the name of a sport.

The crossword can be downloaded from here. You're welcome to solve, you're even welcome to join in the chatter about the puzzle -- but if you want to be eligible for a prize, you have to listen to the podcast for this week's password. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, our own website, or wherever you collect your podcasts.

Once you've solved the puzzle, submit your answer and this week's password by email to fmi@bemoresmarter.com. You can also contact us with any suggestions, questions, comments, or ideas. Thanks for playing along!

Solved

I have the answer. Unless there’s a PAGEANT in there somewhere!

Got it.

One banana tops, if you have any acquaintance at all with the sport. Thanks, Brian!

Easy, but still fun. I always enjoy Brian’s clueing.

Solved... I hope. Could it be that easy?

I'm pretty sure I got it too.

I've just started getting into crosswords and am baffled by this meta thing. I solved the puzzle itself readily, but how do metas work. Does the meta word always literally appear in the puzzle in some way?

fncll wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:14 pm I've just started getting into crosswords and am baffled by this meta thing. I solved the puzzle itself readily, but how do metas work. Does the meta word always literally appear in the puzzle in some way?

Welcome to the wonderful world of metas!

The WSJ has some great resources to get you started. Read https://online.wsj.com/public/resources ... tguide.pdf for a general idea of how these work.

Then check out https://www.wsj.com/articles/contest-cr ... 1625757841 which will walk you through four examples.

After that, you’ll be all set for this Fill Me In meta, and if you have specific questions about it ( which we never discuss publicly until after the deadline) feel free to send me a PM.

Catching up, after traveling.

Easy, but fun.

Hello solvers,

The solution to this contest was GOLF.

The long across entries had nothing to do with the sport themselves, but each included a term relating to golf:

• CLUB SANDWICH
• DRAYMOND GREEN
• DRIVE IN THEATER
• ROUGH AND TUMBLE
• AMERICAN EAGLE
• ARCHIE BUNKER

There's a new contest puzzle, and a new post in this forum for it. I hope you give it a try!