"Three by Three" - November 5, 2021

[Colin]

I also went at the French rabbit hole with pick and shovel. I tried listing all the three letter French words I could find in the grid to no avail. I thought the lower right “surrey” might be “sur riz” (on rice) or “sur ris” (on and laugh) which of course was nonsense. I also spent some time on Louis XIV (le roi soleil) trying to make SAL ATE into “soleil”. Nothing there, nor from “Apres moi, le deluge”.

Me too! Still can’t believe the blatant use of a decoy in the clue to 1A. Seemed like it had to indicate the first step of the meta and was excited to brush off my high-school French - to no avail. Tipping my hat to all who solved this sans aide!

C’etait tres difficile!. I also poked around the ooh la la rabbit hole given all the la’s.

Moi aussi! … or is that Australian? Either way, this meta made me Laa-Laa

[bhamren]

Man! So last week, I had a one-in-143 chance of a mug; this week it was one in 205. Pete Muller's was even worse: one out of 47. And yet, I'm still drinking coffee out of an "Over the Hill" mug that's almost 30 years old now.

You do realize that 1 in 47 odds are .... actually terrible...., don't you?

but so much better than 1 in 327, which was the average coming into November.

It's all luck!. I got my mug about 4 years ago on a month when there were over 1000 correct entries. And I hadn't been doing them for very long by then either - I had only discovered the contest maybe a year earlier.

[Al Sisti]

You do realize that 1 in 47 odds are .... actually terrible...., don't you?

but so much better than 1 in 327, which was the average coming into November.

It's all luck!. I got my mug about 4 years ago on a month when there were over 1000 correct entries. And I hadn't been doing them for very long by then either - I had only discovered the contest maybe a year earlier.

Maybe I'm emailing my answers to the wrong address. It *is* crooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooswordcontest@ wsj.com, right?

[hoover]

but so much better than 1 in 327, which was the average coming into November.

It's all luck!. I got my mug about 4 years ago on a month when there were over 1000 correct entries. And I hadn't been doing them for very long by then either - I had only discovered the contest maybe a year earlier.

Maybe I'm emailing my answers to the wrong address. It *is* crooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooswordcontest@ wsj.com, right?

Probably just sending them too early.

[escapeartist]

Looking for some redemption this week after getting skunked the last 2 contests.

Bring it on!

[Dplass]

Looking for some redemption this week after getting skunked the last 2 contests.

Bring it on!

Looks like it'll be a three peat...

[LadyBird]

It has been almost 5 hours since the puzzle posted and only 5 people are ashore! I would post my frustration on this week's forum but it may be several days before I wouldn't be accused of Page One Encroachment.

[Dplass]

It has been almost 5 hours since the puzzle posted and only 5 people are ashore! I would post my frustration on this week's forum but it may be several days before I wouldn't be accused of Page One Encroachment.

Same. That's why I posted here.

[Joepickett]

These metas have jumped the shark.

[Joepickett]

Ok. Time for the zoom call. Who's with me? Jk

[sharkicicles]

Man these last couple have kicked my butt.

[escapeartist]

Looking for some redemption this week after getting skunked the last 2 contests.

Bring it on!

Looks like it'll be a three peat...

hahahaha! You're totally right! (so far - 3 days left to figure this one out!)

[MajordomoTom]

but so much better than 1 in 327, which was the average coming into November.

It's all luck!. I got my mug about 4 years ago on a month when there were over 1000 correct entries. And I hadn't been doing them for very long by then either - I had only discovered the contest maybe a year earlier.

Maybe I'm emailing my answers to the wrong address. It *is* crooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooswordcontest@ wsj.com, right?

There's an S missing in that email address.

THAT'S your problem.