Here's the full list of successful solvers (who either submitted on Crosshare or PMed me directly):
noneuclidean
rjy
markhr
Darth
boharr
ChrisKochmanski
oldjudge
CPJohnson
BrennerTJ
Laura M
Mwoychick
Bbaack
Gutman
Well done! Puzzle solution coming imminently...
"Rotating S-Y-M-M-E-T-R-Y" by benchen71
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benchen71
- Posts: 2450
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
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! 
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benchen71
- Posts: 2450
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
Here's the solution to "Rotating S-Y-M-M-E-T-R-Y":
Yes, this was a difficult one. You had to realise that the title implied that only letters found in the word SYMMETRY had to be roatated from two of the long entries into the other two entries. But when you did this, it gave you the instructions you needed to obtain the meta answer, which was CUBE. (I actually thought people might guess that this was the answer based on the clunky clue for CUTBETTY!)
Now, consider the harder version of this puzzle, the one that Abide bravely test solved. First, the original title was "Rotational Symmetry", so no help there that the letters of the word SYMMETRY are involved, and the adjective "Rotational" offers no clue that you are supposed to do something. Second, there were no additional hints on 58 A and 28 D. You just had to guess that the long entries were involved and that you had to rotate the letters of SYMMETRY around by 180 degrees. If you chose to do that with 17 A and 11 D, though, you ended up with gibberish in 58 A and 28 D: it only worked the other way. If I had run the puzzle in its original form, I'm not sure if anyone would have persevered through to the end. So my heartfelt thanks to Abide!
This week's puzzle will be a nice, easy, "week one" puzzle - at least, that's my hope!
Yes, this was a difficult one. You had to realise that the title implied that only letters found in the word SYMMETRY had to be roatated from two of the long entries into the other two entries. But when you did this, it gave you the instructions you needed to obtain the meta answer, which was CUBE. (I actually thought people might guess that this was the answer based on the clunky clue for CUTBETTY!)
Now, consider the harder version of this puzzle, the one that Abide bravely test solved. First, the original title was "Rotational Symmetry", so no help there that the letters of the word SYMMETRY are involved, and the adjective "Rotational" offers no clue that you are supposed to do something. Second, there were no additional hints on 58 A and 28 D. You just had to guess that the long entries were involved and that you had to rotate the letters of SYMMETRY around by 180 degrees. If you chose to do that with 17 A and 11 D, though, you ended up with gibberish in 58 A and 28 D: it only worked the other way. If I had run the puzzle in its original form, I'm not sure if anyone would have persevered through to the end. So my heartfelt thanks to Abide!
This week's puzzle will be a nice, easy, "week one" puzzle - at least, that's my hope!
Last edited by benchen71 on Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:02 pm, edited 1 time 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!
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madhatter5
- Posts: 673
- Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 1:48 pm
Brilliant
https://pandorasblocks.org/crosswords-for-cancer
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rjy
- Posts: 1032
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2021 12:52 pm
- Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Thoroughly enjoyed this one, with a great AHA! after going thru those the intricate steps. Really clever construction, and ridiculous to think through all the steps involved on your part.
Stay devious!
Stay devious!
Ray
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whimsy
- Posts: 2788
- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
- Location: Hopkinton MA
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benchen71
- Posts: 2450
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
Love that image!
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!
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benchen71
- Posts: 2450
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
Every so often I like to do a hard one. Yesterday, for example, I completed a very tricky grid / subtle meta combo. But you'll have to wait for May of next year to see it! That said, there will be the occasional harder one between now and then (like at the end of this month...
)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!
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Dplass
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am
What does the GIBED hint mean? I thought that would mean to write the 2nd letter on top of the 1st (they're togehter in the same box) instead of replacing.
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benchen71
- Posts: 2450
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
The GIBED hint came right at the end when I saw that word being suggested by the auto-filler. Given that it was the central entry, I thought how could I somehow incorporate a hint into the clue. Basically, the idea is that the letters of SYMMETRY from 28 D and 58 A "gibe" with the letters of 11 D and 17 A "as if they were made for each other" - which, of course, they very much had been.
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!
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Abide
- Moderator
- Posts: 1308
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:16 pm
- Location: Biloxi
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FWIW, I did not get it the second time either
. I did remember that CUTBETTY was involved, but needed all nudges and the reveal.
. I did remember that CUTBETTY was involved, but needed all nudges and the reveal.The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
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Al Sisti
- Posts: 2068
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
- Location: Whitesboro NY
Yeah, me too. I was pretty sure I test solved -- I seem to recall you suggested separating the letters of Symmetry in the title? -- but I couldn't find it anywhere, and I couldn't figure it out this time.
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Dplass
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am
This non-solver is on a multi-week streak of non-solves.
, even with nudges/hints.-
DrTom
- Posts: 3782
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Gosh Ben, I took as long reading and trying to understand the reveal as doing the puzzle. It is brilliant, and obviously doable, but WAY beyond my pay grade.
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!