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21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2022 12:58 pm
by MikeyG
PDF and PUZ
Crosshare
Hope you like blackjack (that's not the meta answer) - it's meta #21!
Super shout-out to
@whimsy for another great test-solve; she and I agreed this would be a Level
3 of 5.
The answer to the meta is a six-letter word.
The deadline is
Tuesday, May 10 at noon EST
Leaderboard of Destiny:
0. whimsy
1. Frankie
2. Hector
3. LesY
4. oldjudge
5. LuckyGuest
6. Darth
7. Schmeel
8. Meg
9. boharr
10. benchen71
11. Abide
12. DIS
13. lbray53
14. DrTom
15. Alex R
Good luck!
Mikey G
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 12:48 am
by oldjudge
Job filled—really a clever puzzle Mikey!
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 1:56 pm
by Darth
Loved it! And a perfect start to the day!
[Confirmed on Crosshare]
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 2:23 pm
by Schmeel
Nice puzzle.
Thanks Mikey!
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 2:58 pm
by Meg
Fun! It’s so nice when you have a thought and it turns out to be the bunnyful tunnel.
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 3:39 pm
by boharr
Tough but enjoyable. Thanks Mikey.
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 6:21 pm
by benchen71
Solved, after a couple of sleeps gave me a chance to think about things differently. Thanks for the puzzle (and the shout-out), Mikey!
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun May 01, 2022 11:18 pm
by Abide
Nice puzzle! You know what they say about the last place you look...
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Tue May 03, 2022 9:56 am
by lbray53
I was definitely in a Help Wanted situation. Fortunately I got some great help to reel me in from a very, very deep and convoluted rabbit hole.
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Fri May 06, 2022 6:14 pm
by MikeyG
lbray53 wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 9:56 am
I was definitely in a Help Wanted situation. Fortunately I got some great help to reel me in from a very, very deep and convoluted rabbit hole.
As always, I look forward to hearing what that rabbit hole was after deadline!
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 12:08 pm
by MikeyG
Answer:
MAYDAY
Solvers:
15 - a little tougher!
Winner:
@boharr - congrats!
Path to success:
- The only spanner is MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, which is clued referencing its mistitled name.
- Due to its refrain, the song is often (incorrectly) titled "Sending out an SOS."
- This, along with the title, suggests that "SOS" is going to be important.
- Six clues have the letter string "SOS" appear in some way: MEMBRANES (lySOSomes), ALAS (SO Sad), YOUN (ActresS OScar), DISPLAY (pompouS, OStentatious), ANGLES (iSOSceles), YOUTH (PicasSO Said)
- The first letters of those clues spell MAYDAY, the answer to the meta!
That's all for right now - get ready for the
Summer of Solves, coming soon to a computer near you! Until next time, happy puzzling!
Mikey G
Re: 21. Help Wanted
Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 3:03 pm
by lbray53
MikeyG wrote: ↑Fri May 06, 2022 6:14 pm
lbray53 wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 9:56 am
I was definitely in a Help Wanted situation. Fortunately I got some great help to reel me in from a very, very deep and convoluted rabbit hole.
As always, I look forward to hearing what that rabbit hole was after deadline!
Here you go!
Help Wanted - I noticed tha I could "help" MANY entries around the edge of the grid by adding one letter. Clockwise:
(F)AIRE, (S)ALAS, TRAS(H), YOUN(G), DAS(H), YEAS(T), HEAT(H), (S)CRAM, (R)STU, (G)LEN, (P)ERMA (A)LIEN
Many of these "new" words were more common, which seemed to support my theory. The clue for 62A seemed like a nudge.
Then I found SOS. So close to ESSO and LESSSO.
Should I look at COS, SYS, MOS only one letter off.
How about the ABA pattern found within words. L(OGO), CATS(EYE)S, ORTH(ODO)XY, B(EHE)ST