MGWCC #738 - “All Over the Map” by Brooke Husic

An excellent puzzle written by one of the innovators of the meta crossword format. It comes out every Friday at noon and increases in difficulty throughout the month. Available for modest subscription (worth every cent) here: www.xwordcontest.com
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Joe Ross
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MGWCC #738 - “All Over the Map” by Brooke Husic

#1

Post by Joe Ross »

MGWCC #738 — Friday, July 22nd, 2022 — Guest Constructor Month, Puzzle #4 — “All Over the Map” by Brooke Husic

We’ve got 262 metas to go, so maybe he’ll step back up to the plate again one day. But for now, let’s move our attention to today’s guest meta…

GUEST CONSTRUCTOR MONTH 2022, WEEK 4:

Image

Our Week 4 puzzle is by Brooke Husic. She writes:

I would’ve never dreamed I had a meta puzzle in me but, alas, Matt gets to say “I told you so”! I’m extremely grateful to him for encouraging me to branch out of my comfort zone and I hope you enjoy the results. You can find my indie themelesses on my blog, mainstream themelesses at The New Yorker, and easy themed puzzles at USA Today. I edit for AVCX, Inkubator, and Lollapuzzoola — my 2021 Lolla puzzle is what led Matt to reach out to me about this guest spot, and 2022 Lolla is happening in NYC and online in a mere 5 weeks!

Thanks, Brooke! Now let’s see what she’s planned for our Week 4 meta.

THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:

This week’s contest answer is what I used for my road trip around the country

NOTE: Today’s puzzle is going up a few hours early since I’ll be on the road until early this afternoon and don’t fully trust autopost. You can enter before noon but entries might not be verified until I get back later today.


Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.

Matt Gaffney / @MattGaffney



WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY CROSSWORD CONTEST?:
MGWCC is available only to subscribers at my Patreon page. A subscription costs $3/month
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JeffPrug
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#2

Post by JeffPrug »

A lot of clever cluing by Brooke! I haven't even thought about the meta yet but I do have one spot in the grid that I'm not quite sure about - would anyone who is done with the grid mind PMing me so I could verify?

Edit: Thanks to hashbrown and MikeM000, I got the help I needed with the grid. On to the meta!
Last edited by JeffPrug on Fri Jul 22, 2022 12:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JordanianTomlinson
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#3

Post by JordanianTomlinson »

I liked this one! Took me a minute to realize what to do and was a little nervous about hitting submit but seemed too much to be coincidental.
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ky-mike
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#4

Post by ky-mike »

I really liked it as well. Nice one Brooke!

On the board at #13
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markhr
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#5

Post by markhr »

On board at #20.
Cool puzzle. Very elegant.
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Katiedid
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#6

Post by Katiedid »

I got the email at 8:56 am CDT, and thought this a chance to try for the only achievement I don't have - being first to solve. The grid was hard, and I was excited to see my first idea come together. But then I was stuck. Oh well.
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oldjudge
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#7

Post by oldjudge »

Late start and then a tough grid for me. I liked the meta though. I think it was very well constructed—hats off to Brooke.
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Betty Cistman
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#8

Post by Betty Cistman »

I have an answer, but I think it’s a clue to the answer not THE answer
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SJMcK
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#9

Post by SJMcK »

I’ve got a completed grid, but I can’t get a handle on the meta. I’ll have to give it another look when I’m home from work.
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Steven McKinney
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joequavis
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#10

Post by joequavis »

I'm also stuck at step 2 (step 1 for me was filling in the grid).
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Wendy Walker
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#11

Post by Wendy Walker »

Beamed up at #41. Well done, Brooke! Wow!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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dudeski
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#12

Post by dudeski »

Beamed up at 43. Great job Brooke.
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HeadinHome
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#13

Post by HeadinHome »

well it looks like it will be a well attended zoom powwow tomorrow evening .. what time y’all ?

UPDATE - I think I have it, but not a solid click for me. Waiting to think this over.

UPDATE AGAIN - submitted. Thanks to the original Wendy for helping me focus on the correct line of investigation!
The other Wendy. :roll:
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boharr
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#14

Post by boharr »

Beamed up. Congratulations and thanks to Brooke for a great puzzle.
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MarkWoychick
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#15

Post by MarkWoychick »

I think I have it - submitting now

Edit: Beamed up at 57. As noted by others, an elegant mechanism. First ever week 4 solo solve for me, on the heels of last week's first ever week 3 solo solve. I expect to be brought back to earth next week, but I'll enjoy it for now! :D
Last edited by MarkWoychick on Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 contest-style (meta) crosswords that we've created to help raise money for cancer-related organizations - get the bundle at http://crosswordsforcancer.com
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lbray53
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#16

Post by lbray53 »

Will there be a Zoom meeting today? I have inklings but nothing that looks like a solution.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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TeamDoubleTow
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#17

Post by TeamDoubleTow »

Depending on timing I would love to Zoom... not that I have much more than the obvious to contribute
Team DoubleTow=Ali who posts here, Alex & Maya the hound(with occasional assistance from son)
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Schmeel
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#18

Post by Schmeel »

I'm pretty sure I got it. I finally looked for what I should have to begin with. If it's it, which I'm pretty sure it is, it's an amazing contruction! Submitted. We'll see.
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MikeM000
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#19

Post by MikeM000 »

TeamDoubleTow wrote: ↑Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:32 pm Depending on timing I would love to Zoom... not that I have much more than the obvious to contribute
There's an obvious element in there? Uh-oh...
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ChrisKochmanski
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#20

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Beamed! With a bit of help. Good one!
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