"The Five W's" - November 12, 2021

[ADS]

I’m ashore! Sat down tonight to give it one last look and it clicked! Past few weeks have been rough - I was starting to worry that I would never solve a meta again.

[FKelly]

On shore.
Well, I found something with a nudge.
I had noted something unusual at the beginning, but didn't see the next step.

[Cbaudhuin]

Ashore with a nudge. In the final hours.
Clever.

[BarbaraK]

Our final report has 57 on the ship and 53 on the shore

Getting to the shore since lunch are

Barbara K

Unless you have some special knowledge of what's going to happen in the near future, I'm afraid you've put me on the wrong list. I'm still quite lost at sea.

[WSJosh]

Still at sea, for another week

[jhseeman]

Enjoying my time with Isaac... giving up and having a nice bourbon to take the edge off

[MajordomoTom]

After staring at this since Friday (late start), sayonara to Isaac, I'm heading to shore.

Hopefully the correct shore, but I'm off this boat.

T

[cbarbee002]

After a looonnnggggg drive today, and a bit of consultation, I think I’m on shore. Unfortunately, the beach chairs and umbrellas have been put away and the cabana boy is home with Meg, so no libations . . .

[rjy]

Been down too many, time to stop digging…

[escapeartist]

Wow, shut down for 3 weeks in a row - def losing my meta mojo

[Deb F]

How many hangovers can one person experience in 4 days? Clearly, quite a few. Thanks, Isaac, for a great weekend.
Good luck, Muggles. I am not among you this week. Again!!!

[hoover]

Don't mind me; I'm just sitting here refreshing the page waiting for the solution.

[MajordomoTom]

Alcohol is a solution

[Colin]

Well, it’s been a heck of a party here in the ship’s bar. Isaac has been incredible, as always, and the drinking games have been exciting! Probably shouldn’t have started the karaoke so late though. Thank you for all the fun, as usual. I wish there were so many folks here to keep me company every week. I am going to sneak out now before Isaac calls last orders and have a wander around the deck before turning in. Might pass by the bar at midnight to make sure nobody drowns in their tears. Good night all!

[Magistra]

Stumped! Three weeks in a row. Us it possible they're moving toward a puzzle only one person can solve??

[Joe Ross]

[ PLACEHOLDER FOR OFFICIAL WSJ SOLUTION ]

[Joe Ross]

[MajordomoTom]

My solution:

Five Double U's

Alt grid answers, all with double Us

21A: Mauritius
32A: Equus
40A: Usurps
49A: Fugues
56A: South Sudan

Anagram to fumes. Which is alt to 1A.

One definition is effluvium. With double Us

[Nadine]

Very clever… I was onto the news theme and the Five W’s of writing (who, what, where…) but the method eluded me. Impressive.

[ajk]

I'm still not totally sure why this was so hard. Maybe because 'double U' is a letter it was too hard to get off letters onto numbers. On the Zoom call we were staring at a blank chunk of grid that just had the U's and numbers and it still took many minutes before someone got it.