"Three by Three" - November 5, 2021

[HeadinHome]

I had similar scratchings that yielded BOOK SALE as my Hail Mary. It was actually helpful to have this in mind when figuring out the ACTUAL answer by the ACTUAL method!

[mheberlingx100]

I also went at the _______ rabbit hole with pick and shovel.

I am going to steal this much sooner than is appropriate and will act as if I coined it. Well-turned!

Be my guest! It’s not copyrighted.

[Katiedid]

Cool puzzle.
I remember there was a previous puzzle (not sure if it was MGWCC or WSJ) that required letters to be arranged in a box. I didn't get that one either!

[CPJohnson]

I think ARE = R in most sections of the country. (In my section, the following words: flower, flour, and flare....are all pronounced FLARE by a segment of the population.)

[hoover]

I can't believe no one has yet mentioned the LADDER that leads down into a very deep rabbit hole. I tried a mechanism that was used a few months ago, where we had to build a word ladder and fill in missing words, and the missing words provided the puzzle pieces to assemble into the final answer.

[PHOFER]

So let me get this straight. To solve I had to:

1. Figure out that each of the four answers consisting of four three-letter words could be put into a mini crossword puzzle of their own
2. Create those puzzles
3. Supply a missing letter to complete each puzzle
4. Realize that that gets you nowhere
5. Realize that the new words formed with the new missing letters sound like (but in some cases only more or less sound like) *other letters* including only if you know how to pronounce French
6. Arrange those letters per the dreaded numbers in parentheses

Is there a Kas 6?

[BarbaraK]

I'm rather embarrassed to say that I submitted an educated guess Hail Mary at about 11:40 last night, and it was correct!

I never did figure out the actual mechanism, but instead crossed out duplicate letters in each theme answer and the results kind of looked like BOOK TOUR, if I squinted and ignored the X and Y. The pic is just a small fraction of my scribblings throughout the weekend.

Kudos to everyone who figured it out! This was a doozy.

This is why I almost never submit guesses - even if I were ever right, I wouldn't feel good about it if I didn't actually have the mechanism. And if I actually won with a guess... ugh, no, not worth it.

(Not suggesting that those who enjoy guessing and would be happy to win that way should change. As with nudges, everyone can do what feels right to them. The only rules that matter are those posted by the people running the contest.)

[Barney]

I'm rather embarrassed to say that I submitted an educated guess Hail Mary at about 11:40 last night, and it was correct!

I never did figure out the actual mechanism, but instead crossed out duplicate letters in each theme answer and the results kind of looked like BOOK TOUR, if I squinted and ignored the X and Y. The pic is just a small fraction of my scribblings throughout the weekend.

Kudos to everyone who figured it out! This was a doozy.

This is why I almost never submit guesses - even if I were ever right, I wouldn't feel good about it if I didn't actually have the mechanism. And if I actually won with a guess... ugh, no, not worth it.

(Not suggesting that those who enjoy guessing and would be happy to win that way should change. As with nudges, everyone can do what feels right to them. The only rules that matter are those posted by the people running the contest.)

I’d call this one “an inch is as good as a mile.”

The coffee might taste even smirkier.

[Dplass]

I think ARE = R in most sections of the country. (In my section, the following words: flower, flour, and flare....are all pronounced FLARE by a segment of the population.)

My mind's blown that flower and flour are pronounced FLARE anywhere (no rhyme intended). In my area, flower (the plant) and flour (the white powder) are distinguishable in that the former usually has a more distinct W than the latter.

If people are interested in accents/pronunciation I highly recommend Erik Singer's YouTube videos (e.g., in which he analyzes (mostly) English accents.

[mntlblok]

I think ARE = R in most sections of the country. (In my section, the following words: flower, flour, and flare....are all pronounced FLARE by a segment of the population.)

Reminds me that a buddy in Alberta pronounces "garage" as "gradge".

[Kris Zacharias]

63A "2 for 1 and 3, say" seemed important and did help me figure out the meta, after a couple of rabbit-hole adventures. Did anyone else view this as help?

[HunterX]

So let me get this straight. To solve I had to:

1. Figure out that each of the four answers consisting of four three-letter words could be put into a mini crossword puzzle of their own
2. Create those puzzles
3. Supply a missing letter to complete each puzzle
4. Realize that that gets you nowhere
5. Realize that the new words formed with the new missing letters sound like (but in some cases only more or less sound like) *other letters* including only if you know how to pronounce French
6. Arrange those letters per the dreaded numbers in parentheses

Is there a Kas 6?

Yup. KAS 6 for me. Never would have gotten it, and have enough issues with the solution that I'm upset, though not so much at the puzzle-maker as at myself for spending so much time on it.

[MatthewL]

Yeah, this was a never for me. I barely understand the solution. Congrats to all who solved! Hopefully, with the holiday season approaching, the constructors will take the spirit of the season to heart and toss us an easy one now and again.

[Susan Goldberg]

So, there were 16 three letter words in the theme answers and 16 three letter words in the remainder of the puzzle. I spent hours trying to match them up, translate them to French, and manipulate them in every other way possible. Never got out of that hopeless tangle. Hats off to those who solved correctly. On to the next!!

[woozy]

63A "2 for 1 and 3, say" seemed important and did help me figure out the meta, after a couple of rabbit-hole adventures. Did anyone else view this as help?

That sure looked like something but I couldn't get it to mean anything and even now don't see how you could?

How did it help?

=====

FWIW, I figured immediately the pairs of number went from 1 to 8 with no repeats and no skips. The usually means the answer is eight letters wrong and the numbers indicate we will get letters from the entries and if we place the in the positions indicated they will spell out the eight letter answer.

This bugged me as 8 is about the must un-three-ish number there is (well, 8 = 2^3 but that'd be.... weird ....and my impression is that most cruciverbalists dislike that level of mathematics). I also was bugged the answers had *four* words. In hind site it *should* have made sense because although 3 by 3 is 9 letters and three rows vs. the entries' 12 letters and 4 words.. a 3 by 3 grid if you consider the rows and columns is 18 letters (each counted twice) and 6 words. So now the each entry with 12 letters and 4 words is each missing 2 words and the six letters that form them. And four sets of 2 is 8 which account for the eight items indicated in the answer. So each missing word make a letter.

Now did I use any of that thinking to solve the puzzle? Of course not! What kind of weirdo do you take me for?

[Geezer Weezer]

I was so close - like the opposite ends of the universe. Matt Gaffney, the Mug Nazi.

[Barney]

Yeah, this was a never for me. I barely understand the solution. Congrats to all who solved! Hopefully, with the holiday season approaching, the constructors will take the spirit of the season to heart and toss us an easy one now and again.

On the other hand, Mike Miller & crew have so much less to sort through the last couple of weeks.

[Kris Zacharias]

63A "2 for 1 and 3, say" seemed important and did help me figure out the meta, after a couple of rabbit-hole adventures. Did anyone else view this as help?

That sure looked like something but I couldn't get it to mean anything and even now don't see how you could?

How did it help?

=====

FWIW, I figured immediately the pairs of number went from 1 to 8 with no repeats and no skips. The usually means the answer is eight letters wrong and the numbers indicate we will get letters from the entries and if we place the in the positions indicated they will spell out the eight letter answer.

This bugged me as 8 is about the must un-three-ish number there is (well, 8 = 2^3 but that'd be.... weird ....and my impression is that most cruciverbalists dislike that level of mathematics). I also was bugged the answers had *four* words. In hind site it *should* have made sense because although 3 by 3 is 9 letters and three rows vs. the entries' 12 letters and 4 words.. a 3 by 3 grid if you consider the rows and columns is 18 letters (each counted twice) and 6 words. So now the each entry with 12 letters and 4 words is each missing 2 words and the six letters that form them. And four sets of 2 is 8 which account for the eight items indicated in the answer. So each missing word make a letter.

Now did I use any of that thinking to solve the puzzle? Of course not! What kind of weirdo do you take me for?

2 as a mean between 1 and 3 suggested the middle letter in three-letter words. I guess the clue was more a confirmation of the process after forming the squares.

[woozy]

2 as a mean between 1 and 3 suggested the middle letter in three-letter words. I guess the clue was more a confirmation of the process after forming the squares.

Oh....

That could work and that was probably the intent of the clue. I'm just a bit too literal to have thought of it in that way.

[hcbirker]

63A "2 for 1 and 3, say" seemed important and did help me figure out the meta, after a couple of rabbit-hole adventures. Did anyone else view this as help?

That sure looked like something but I couldn't get it to mean anything and even now don't see how you could?

How did it help?

=====

FWIW, I figured immediately the pairs of number went from 1 to 8 with no repeats and no skips. The usually means the answer is eight letters wrong and the numbers indicate we will get letters from the entries and if we place the in the positions indicated they will spell out the eight letter answer.

This bugged me as 8 is about the must un-three-ish number there is (well, 8 = 2^3 but that'd be.... weird ....and my impression is that most cruciverbalists dislike that level of mathematics). I also was bugged the answers had *four* words. In hind site it *should* have made sense because although 3 by 3 is 9 letters and three rows vs. the entries' 12 letters and 4 words.. a 3 by 3 grid if you consider the rows and columns is 18 letters (each counted twice) and 6 words. So now the each entry with 12 letters and 4 words is each missing 2 words and the six letters that form them. And four sets of 2 is 8 which account for the eight items indicated in the answer. So each missing word make a letter.

Now did I use any of that thinking to solve the puzzle? Of course not! What kind of weirdo do you take me for?

I took it to mean to use the second three letter word at the top of the mini puzzle. That seemed to make the correct alignment. Maybe Matt will see our comments and clarify.