"Fall Classic" October 21, 2022

[sphorning]

On shore with a 66A, cheering on the Phanatic's team. Go Phillies!

[Limerick Savant]

On shore--last night. I had just CREpt under the covers when an idea leapt into my brain. So, of course, I headed downSTairs, turnED on the light by my chair, and quickly CARved out the answer. Boy, was I overthinking this one (but that is one of my life mantras). Then is was bACk to bed. It is early, so I will tap into our cARAfe of coffee and make myself a homemade mocha. What an amazing construction!


San Juan Capistrano Mission, San Antonio TX, March 2018

Crested Caracara is part eagle and part vulture but is listed as a falcon. ???

Wow--you're doing your homework! Which sent me off to do my homework. When we think of falcons, I think that most people think of Peregrine Falcons--sleek and aerodynamic and the fastest animal on the planet. But there are other big and bulky falcons, like the Gyrfalcon. I'm wondering if looking at the genetics is driving the classification. And then my field guide says that falcons and caracara are more closely related to parrots than they are to other raptors. Go figure.

The caracaras may not actually be vultures, but they eat like them. Their biggest source of food is carrion, like roadkill. You don't need to be fast to catch that!

I wondered what hidden avian you would leave for us this week and this one was a real education. Thank you.

Currently I am sitting in the catbird seat after solving grid, meta, and finding safe harbor last night. So while we Muggles wait for confirmation of our solution can we persuade you to address the origin of the odd expression?

[LadyBird]

I wondered what hidden avian you would leave for us this week and this one was a real education. Thank you.

Currently I am sitting in the catbird seat after solving grid, meta, and finding safe harbor last night. So while we Muggles wait for confirmation of our solution can we persuade you to address the origin of the odd expression?

I didn't really go down any rabbit holes while pursuing the meta answer, but these bird questions have got me scurrying through them galore!

I had heard the phrase, but didn't really know much about it. "Sitting in the catbird seat" means being in a position of advantage or superiority or dominance. It refers to our lovely North American Gray Catbird and is thought to refer to its habit of sitting high in a tree and singing away (although I also notice that they like to sing from deep inside a shrub, too). So, "sitting pretty" also applies here.

Reb Barber, a baseball broadcaster for the Reds and Dodgers and Yankees (how appropriate for this week's meta!) liked to use this phrase. "Sitting in the catbird seat" meant "sitting pretty"--like a batter with three balls and no strikes.

There is a short story by James Thurber called "The Catbird Seat" (which inspired the 1960 movie "Battle of the Sexes"). A character in this story likes to use the phrase.

And now for a fun fact about the Gray Catbird. It is a "mimic" bird, so its song just warbles and wanders all over the place and it quite lovely to listen to. It ends its song with a sound like a cat's mew, thus its name.

[Limerick Savant]

@LadyBird you handled the last challenge so well, I am going to pitch you another curve.

There is a artist here in Mobile who creates silhouettes of a local bird out of abandoned political signs and randomly places them around town. Can you identify it? Clue: there may be an allusion to your previous post.

BTW, I deliberately chose the expression because of the Red Barber connection. Thanks for being a good sport. Should be a week for you to shine.

Silhouette

[LadyBird]

@LadyBird you handled the last challenge so well, I am going to pitch you another curve.

There is a artist here in Mobile who creates silhouettes of a local bird out of abandoned political signs and randomly places them around town. Can you identify it? Clue: there may be an allusion to your previous post.

BTW, I deliberately chose the expression because of the Red Barber connection. Thanks for being a good sport. Should be a week for you to shine.

929AB91D-0FF6-4ABC-AC10-1D389B643957.jpeg

Based on your hint, I'm guessing catbird. But that tail also looks very grackle-like. So, I'm hedging my bets!

[SReh26]

Drinking coffee, stone cold sober
Nice and cozy in mid October

Hopefully I will remember
To check this site in mid November

Nice cool weather, lots of snuggles
Fondly missing my favorite muggles

No, I haven’t been two-timin’ 🪩
Just out of practice with my rhymin’

—and metas!

How y’all been, hanging in there? Hope no muggles were affected by the Florida hurricane too badly or the market pullback. Been keeping sharp with Wordle and its variations and work! Miss your cameraderie! Big hugs!

Yes I’ve admitted that I am powerless over the Metas and that my life had become unmanageable. So I confessed my fragility of mind, begged forgiveness and turned to salvation in the far easier and confidence-flattering NYT Wordle, spelling bee and Letterboxed. Forgive me muggles for I have gone to the other side…. From which I send you my fondest regards.

[Limerick Savant]

@LadyBird you handled the last challenge so well, I am going to pitch you another curve.

There is a artist here in Mobile who creates silhouettes of a local bird out of abandoned political signs and randomly places them around town. Can you identify it? Clue: there may be an allusion to your previous post.

BTW, I deliberately chose the expression because of the Red Barber connection. Thanks for being a good sport. Should be a week for you to shine.

929AB91D-0FF6-4ABC-AC10-1D389B643957.jpeg

Based on your hint, I'm guessing catbird. But that tail also looks very grackle-like. So, I'm hedging my bets!

Would you believe a mockingbird?

[SusieG]

Am I officially the last one on shore?! I’m just happy to be here. I made it way to difficult, then realized I was alone with Isaac and found the answer quickly. Lots of crazy rabbit holes. Good luck all!

[Bob cruise director]

@Limerick Savant and @LadyBird

Let me assume that the silhouette is correct which for art is a leap of faith.

It is definitely not a catbird as the head shape and bill are all wrong. A catbird has a much smaller bill

Same thing with a Northern Mockingbird which also has a very needlelike bill

So that leads me to a Common Grackle or Boattail Grackle. Not a perfect beak but closer than the other options. Also the chunk head and very large tail are much closer

[Bob cruise director]

Good evening muggles. Our final count is 232 on the shore

And @SusieG you are not the last muggle on shore. There are 1266 muggles so that means that there are 1034 behind you. I hope that you win the elusive mug however the odds are long

[JerryF]

On Shore

[Ann]

On the shore! Forgot to post

[Joe Ross]

[Joe Ross]

[woozy]

Did anyone else think it was odd that the printed this exactly a week after another with almost exactly the same mechanism?

I don't think this would have been anywhere near so obvious if we hadn't had the puzzle we had the week before. After last week it was clear we had to interpret four out of seven and look for the fourth letter out of seven letter words.

[MajordomoTom]

it's ok to have a week 1 (or week 0.5) in the paper from time to time - it's the "taste" to get people addicted.

[MajordomoTom]

[steveb]

Camden, ME (not to be confused with NJ . . )

Reminds me of a time my girlfriend and I, running through the airport to make our connecting flight to New Haven, CT, boarded a flight to Newark, NJ. Not our only trip to have a hiccup in either the planning or the execution.

You've got nothing on this guy, who flew from LA to Auckland instead of Oakland:

https://apnews.com/article/920201fe8b75 ... 7946039dc4

[mflaminio]

Did anyone else think it was odd that the printed this exactly a week after another with almost exactly the same mechanism?

I don't think this would have been anywhere near so obvious if we hadn't had the puzzle we had the week before. After last week it was clear we had to interpret four out of seven and look for the fourth letter out of seven letter words.

I was thinking the same thing!

[Abide]

Mug schmug...if anyone wants a chance at a REAL prize, the odds are much better at this week's Muggle Meta Monday (collab between myself, @Wendy Walker, and @Cap'n Rick. Check it out at viewtopic.php?t=1906