So would bar trivia and meta crosswords mix? Let's see

[woozy]

https://crosshare.org/crosswords/FOhK00 ... this-world
(Out Of This World)-- CrossHare

This is an idea for something different. I enjoy pub trivia and wonder how it would go over if at the start of a trivia night a simple meta puzzle would be handed out and the teams given the length to the quiz night to complete it. The problem of course is trivia teams may not be familiar with the concept of a meta puzzle or be crossword fans at all. But this could be accompanied with an answer sheet:


1) What is the hidden theme of this crossword puzzle (the title, and everything about the title, is a hint) (1 pt).
2) What are the four example of the themes that are hidden within the puzzle grid (1 pt each)
A)
B)
C)
D)
3) Who are the authors who created the four themes in question 2 (1 pt each)
A)
B)
C)
D)
4) THE META: There is a word not in the puzzle itself but coded and puzzled in a certain way. Answering the questions above might (or might not) help you find it. It is: an animal William Blake wrote about in "Songs of Innocence; and Songs of Experience" (5 pts)


Throughout the night many of the clues could be given (and answered) as quiz questions to aid those who are paying attention.
So... would that fly?

[benchen71]

Love the concept, but you will need to provide a really clean crossword, as far as fill goes.

I had some trouble filling in a few entries. I got naticked at 12 down / 14 across.

I would try and avoid the clues where you essentially give people the answer using initials (5 down and 47 across). I know, I know, I do this all the time with my puzzles! But if you are dropping this crossword on people who haven't done a lot of crosswords they might not make the jump? Or, I could be completely wrong and these will be the ones they get immediately! (I might partially venture into cryptic territory. For example, 5 down: "Household insect that's lost its tail?")

And I found three mistakes:

• 34 down should be "On a compass rose it is 67.5 degrees"

• I think 6 down is misspelt? You have NOTADIC in the grid but you've clued it as for NOTACID (unless, of course, this is meta-related, which I haven't started looking at yet.)

• 43 down should indicate "3 words" not 4

[whimsy]

I almost accidentally spotted this at the bottom of the Other Meta Crosswords listing, where I had to scroll down, and I'm glad I discovered it as early in the game and the evening as I did! Fun and clever with a lot of interesting tidbits in it.
Thanks, woozy!

Off this, um..? ...blue guy...

[benchen71]

Discussion re the meta:

I would change the title to make it more obvious what you have hidden in the grid: perhaps, "Fictional Geography" or is that too obvious? "Not of this world"? "Out of this world" had me thinking about extra-terrestrials. If you're using capitalisation as the meta key, then you really should avoid capitals in the other clues (other than people's names). For example, "Portland" in 12 across; and 47 across.

And I probably should point out that you use semicolons when you should use colons. For example, 47 across, 48 across, 52 across. (The semicolon is used correctly in 1 across, 3 down, 38 down, and 46 down.)

[woozy]

And I found three mistakes:

• 34 down should be "On a compass rose it is 67.5 degrees"

• I think 6 down is misspelt? You have NOTADIC in the grid but you've clued it as for NOTACID (unless, of course, this is meta-related, which I haven't started looking at yet.)

• 43 down should indicate "3 words" not 4

Owch. Those are mistakes! I'm embarrassed to admit CrossHare suggested NOMADIC and in my dyslexic state I assumed it was suggesting NOMACID as in Non-organic-material Acid and I *really* didn't like it (nor did I like TCM as 15 across). Gor! I don't think there is a way to edit the grid of a crosshare once published, is there.

I figured Apollo's mother was a straight up trivia question albeit a fairly hard one. I did the same with STEIGER. I'd agree with you about abbreviations but my thinking was due to the "do it now on the spot" there'd be some gimmes. I was think during the night those would be quiz questions. Those who got the puzzle would get a freebie quiz question and those who didn't get the puzzle.... would get it after hearing the answer.

Basically I figured the puzzle needs to be easier than usual (almost TV guide level) except... when it isn't.... as they should be able to do straight up trivia questions.... except hard trivia questions usually drop hints....

[benchen71]

Unfortunately there is no way to edit the grid once a puzzle has been published. You can't even edit one that is private.