MEOW #52: You Are In A Maze Of Twisty Little Passages, All Alike

A weekly meta crossword on the forum started by member Josh (aka madhatter5). These puzzles are often very creative with solving mechanisms out of the norm and skewing towards the more challenging. Puzzles are posted every Wednesday, and the solution appears the following Tuesday.
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benchen71
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MEOW #52: You Are In A Maze Of Twisty Little Passages, All Alike

#1

Post by benchen71 »

Hi all and welcome to the 52nd installment of the MEOW!

As you know from yesterday's MOAT, madhatter5 challenged me to a forum swap. Now MEOWs definitely skew to the difficult side, so I have tried to give you a decent challenge. But I've also noticed that madhatter5 is not afraid to break the "rules" of crossword puzzle conventions. I have therefore followed suit. In fact, in what might be a first in the world of meta crosswords, you will have to solve the meta before you can complete the grid! Consequently, if you are solving online, please don't reveal the central entry - you'll definitely spoil the fun.

Without further ado, here is "You Are In A Maze Of Twisty Little Passages, All Alike". The meta answer is a short story illustrated by the grid. PM me with your meta answers, not madhatter5: he's going to have to solve the meta just like the rest of you!

Lynx:

Online

PUZ

PDF

Excel

Good luck!


Kitten

Calico

Persian

Puma

Lion

The nudges are available here.
The solution is available here.
Last edited by benchen71 on Mon Nov 29, 2021 6:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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#2

Post by benchen71 »

By the way, the puzzle title is a quote from Colossal Cave, the first text adventure game, which is playable here: https://grack.com/demos/adventure/
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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oldjudge
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#3

Post by oldjudge »

I think the cat is free from the bag.
1DC73CB2-EBDA-4246-B987-0EA66A3FE8A7.jpeg
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hoover
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#4

Post by hoover »

Cat is out of the bag and running around like a madman, and it's not even cat:30 yet!
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Schmeel
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#5

Post by Schmeel »

The cat's gone.
Thanks for the puzzle!
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benchen71
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#6

Post by benchen71 »

I'm heading off to bed now (Wednesday evening here in Australia!) So there may be some delay getting to your meta submissions. Catch you in the morning!
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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RPardoe
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#7

Post by RPardoe »

Solved, submitted, and confirmed on Crosshare
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Meg
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#8

Post by Meg »

Cat left so fast that the cat door is still going FWAP FWAP FWAP.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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boharr
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#9

Post by boharr »

Cat is free. Confirmed on Crosshare.
Last edited by boharr on Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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whimsy
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#10

Post by whimsy »

Knight has fought his way out of the paper bag --
outofthebag.PNG
Thanks, Ben!
As many often say, TIL...!
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Darth
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#11

Post by Darth »

The cat has stormed the castle or has jumped over the couch...or has had too much catnip maybe? ...
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KayW
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#12

Post by KayW »

benchen71 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 1:04 am By the way, the puzzle title is a quote from Colossal Cave, the first text adventure game, which is playable here: https://grack.com/demos/adventure/
...a cheering band of friendly elves carry the cat out of the bag and into the sunset.


EDIT: I celebrated a little early. It took me a few tries to get the correct answer :oops: but the cat is finally out of the bag!
Last edited by KayW on Wed Nov 24, 2021 5:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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Laura M
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#13

Post by Laura M »

Definitely jumped the gun with my first two submissions, but my next two were more considered and still incorrect. Maybe I made a typo... But I don't want to keep trying the same wrong things so I'm going to stop now and wait for the eventual reveal. Fun puzzle!
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BrennerTJ
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#14

Post by BrennerTJ »

I believe the cat is out of the bag... and I'm now gonna go searching for the title in the Colossal Cave because who can resist?
-Tamara
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boharr
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#15

Post by boharr »

Laura M wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 1:05 pm Definitely jumped the gun with my first two submissions, but my next two were more considered and still incorrect. Maybe I made a typo... But I don't want to keep trying the same wrong things so I'm going to stop now and wait for the eventual reveal. Fun puzzle!
I believe that my correct answer was at first rejected because of a typo.
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Bird Lives
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#16

Post by Bird Lives »

I got the author in two seconds, before putting a letter into the grid. But I completely misremembered story titles and submitted a title which was not only wrong but does not exist. I was not famaliar with this story, so once I had done the grid, I had to Google in order to open the catsack.
Jay
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ChrisKochmanski
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#17

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

boharr wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:41 pm
Laura M wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 1:05 pm Definitely jumped the gun with my first two submissions, but my next two were more considered and still incorrect. Maybe I made a typo... But I don't want to keep trying the same wrong things so I'm going to stop now and wait for the eventual reveal. Fun puzzle!
I believe that my correct answer was at first rejected because of a typo.
Funny!
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ChrisKochmanski
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#18

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Across the moat, in the castle, a cat has wrestled free of the bag.

Fun!
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Cap'n Rick
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#19

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Castle sacked.
Cat unsacked.
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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Dplass
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#20

Post by Dplass »

I have no idea what this is about. Sigh.
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