Just a Number - January 2022

[jbird]

I'm with @auee89 and @HunterX - see some possibilities but nothing concrete....Happy New Year everyone

[Jeremy Smith]

A nice easy start to the 2022 MMMM. The answer seemed ovbious to me and I can’t imagine what the alternate answer is.

[Laura M]

I submitted what I thought was an easy answer but learned it's not correct.

I can empathize! I jumped the gun (and was wrong) with the January 2021 MMMM. And I couldn't figure out the most recent WSJCC, so I'm really trying not to see that as an inauspicious start to 2022... On the plus side, it takes the pressure off trying to have a perfect year :-) We'll get 'em next time!

[MMe]

I think this is going to be a tough one for people who are unacquainted with the key info; I don't see how I could have found the answer if not.

[MamaE]

On the board and curious about the alternate answer!

ETA: apparently what I submitted *is* the alternate answer! Who knew? (And feeling dumb that I didn’t see the intended answer.)

[rjy]

Slammed! Thought I had the correct answer, must’ve been the alternate… maybe??

[rjy]

And just now figured out what probably is the correct answer… he accepts both

[Cinny]

On the board. I had another answer I thought was correct. I doubt it was the correct alternative, though.

[Al Sisti]

Sorry to hear about the rough start!

I think I learned my lesson about not rushing to submit on these last year when I sent in "Unite" instead of "Come Together". I think of it as my "Grilled Cheese" moment.

Ouch, Beth... you went there? So "Grilled Cheese" is now part of the lexicon now?

[HunterX]

Oh duh! Just realized the answer. Though I agree with @MMe about certain knowledge.

Not sure if my original "thought" as far as an answer was the alternate. May ponder that subject a bit before submitting.

[BethA]

Sorry to hear about the rough start!

I think I learned my lesson about not rushing to submit on these last year when I sent in "Unite" instead of "Come Together". I think of it as my "Grilled Cheese" moment.

Ouch, Beth... you went there? So "Grilled Cheese" is now part of the lexicon now?

Yeah, Al. Sorry, but I love that story! I thought it was already part of the lexicon, but I'll try not to overdo it...

[jbird]

Once I dug myself out of the rabbit hole I was able to get it. Thanks @RPardoe for the nudge

[HeadinHome]

Solved, submitted, successful. This is MY FIRST YEAR actually signed up and on board with the MMMM, though I've done a few of them before. Another alert to add to my crossword-ful calendar...

P.S. - when I completed the puzzle and reviewed it for potential red herrings etc., I recalled that the title word "NUMBER" was an entry in a puzzle very recently (and the clue used the musical meaning). Does anyone remember seeing that? where was it?

It is so interesting to me when one crossword has the same unique idea/word/obscure name in it as another puzzle had that week or last few weeks. Coincidence? Prolly. (to wit: the double overlap of the "bottoms up" puzzle from last week or two.)

[auee89]

Solved and confirmed. Made this harder than it needed to be. Thinking about the alternative now.

[stmv]

I struggled a fair amount with this one, feeling increasingly desperate in a "how could I not be getting the easiest MMMM of the year" sense, and following lots of fruitless rabbit holes. Then last night while brushing my teeth I got a flash of inspiration (not the first time that a solution came to me while brushing), and now I can hold my head high, as I'm safely on the board. Reading through the comments on this board has made me feel better, as it's clear that other solvers had roughly the same experience as me. As @MMe wrote "this is going to be a tough one for people who are unacquainted with the key info"; I did pull the "key info" out of my memory, but it was touch and go.

[Louis D]

I second what @stmv said almost exactly (everything but the teeth brushing part).

Add me to the list of people curious about the alternate solution (can you PM me if you got the alternate?). I came up with a real stretch of an alternate solution and I would be surprised if it's the one others came up with.

[Wendy Walker]

Neither Mark nor I could get anywhere with this puzzle, so for lunch we chose the place where we had solved a particularly tough MGWCC a few months back. Sure enough -- thanks to Google -- we got it! Oh, and BTW the restaurant is Pat's Pizza in Oxford, PA, in case anyone needs inspiration.

[rjy]

I second what @stmv said almost exactly (everything but the teeth brushing part).

Add me to the list of people curious about the alternate solution (can you PM me if you got the alternate?). I came up with a real stretch of an alternate solution and I would be surprised if it's the one others came up with.

Will do... but I've since found out that mine is an alternate alternate - don't know if it'll be accepted or not. Will be anxious to hear all the post-game commentary tho!

[Louis D]

Thanks to those of you who PMed me about the alternate solution. It turns out that @rjy and I came up with the same alternate alternate. In fact, I think you could make the case that the alternate alternate is stronger than the alternate for reasons I can elaborate on after the deadline.

[joequavis]

Got the intended answer (after stewing for common reasons), and have *an* alternative that is clever, but imo not as good of an answer for a crucial reason (will reveal post-deadline if I remember).