MGWCC #751 - "Tales from Decrypt"

[Al Sisti]

Just a reminder for those Muggles who need their "Too Spooky" medal (Solve a puzzle on Halloween): Remember to hold off submitting your answer to MGWCC #752 until Monday, the 31st. (The only one I'm missing is Egg-Cellent (Solve a puzzle on Easter), because it was so terribly important to submit my answer immediately. Smart, very smart).

[DrTom]

Just a reminder for those Muggles who need their "Too Spooky" medal (Solve a puzzle on Halloween): Remember to hold off submitting your answer to MGWCC #752 until Monday, the 31st. (The only one I'm missing is Egg-Cellent (Solve a puzzle on Easter), because it was so terribly important to submit my answer immediately. Smart, very smart).

Heck I’ll be lucky to submit this one by then.

[benchen71]

Yay, I've activated my tricorder and now awaiting beam-up, but quietly confident that it will happen!

[Cinny]

Beamed up at #100, but not before being pulled out of a deep rabbit hole by a kindly muggle. I did not find this one as easy as some other solvers.

[HoldThatThought]

As I have noted before, the worst feeling you can have as a meta solver is the sense that "everyone sees it but you". Somewhere along the way, this one has been pegged as "easy" and "obvious ", and "jumps right out at you", and that's making solvers feel obtuse.

This puzzle is not an easy solve, by any means. Obviously, it was for a few clever and fortunate solvers, but the solution requires a very specific observation that is by no means telegraphed or obvious.

If you're beating yourself up for not seeing "something so easy", don't. It's not.

[BarbaraK]

Only 107 solvers two days in definitely does not suggest an easy meta. Some of us just lucked into the right path early on.

[BarbaraK]

1-Across for now. Hope it holds with the web issues - I had to keep refreshing until I got an entry form.

Congratulations!! Looks like that was your last one for the full sweep!

[HunterX]

As I have noted before, the worst feeling you can have as a meta solver is the sense that "everyone sees it but you". Somewhere along the way, this one has been pegged as "easy" and "obvious ", and "jumps right out at you", and that's making solvers feel obtuse.

This puzzle is not an easy solve, by any means. Obviously, it was for a few clever and fortunate solvers, but the solution requires a very specific observation that is by no means telegraphed or obvious.

If you're beating yourself up for not seeing "something so easy", don't. It's not.

As I was one for whom this was easy, but having been, many times, in the situation where the puzzle was very hard whilst others thought it easy, I understand this completely. And, in this case, I would definitely say I was “fortunate,” as opposed to “clever.” I am guessing this could be a classic case of it being easy for those who naturally think along the lines of the metanism. To me, it was just a straight forward, logical, clear path to the answer that didn’t require cleverness. (At least I didn’t feel clever at all.) I don’t know why except to say that it just “was” clear. So I assume my way of thinking, my normal mode of processing things, worked with this particular metanism. My wife, who has not taken to meta puzzles at all, would not have gotten this one. Yet there are times where I struggle and struggle, then ask if I can bounce something off of her, and she looks at the puzzle and says, “Duh! Why can’t you see that?”

It’s only after I try to help a couple muggles who are struggling that I realize it’s not an easy meta for others. You, @HoldThatThought, in particular, have helped me many times, dragging me kicking and screaming from “I still don’t understand” to “Oh, now I see it!”

Which is what’s so wonderful about this forum. We all think a little differently from each other. So there will always be puzzles we find easy that others find hard, and visa versa. And that’s how we can help each other.

So how is a constructor, such as Matt, able to come up with all these different metanisms? That, to me, is a genius: Someone who can create (and presumably “gets”) these puzzles with all the different types of metanisms.

[hcbirker]

I’m on the beam up list I hope from an assist from @BarbaraK !

Edit: officially beamed.

[ricky]

I haven't had the time I might ordinarily have to work on this one, but I still feel like I should have it by now. Got Step 1 pretty quickly and then...??? Not ready for a nudge yet though.

[ReB]

Had a sudden insight. Awaiting confirmation, which may take a while due to the late hour. If so, I would be my first solo week 3 in a four-Fri month, I believe.

EDIT: confirmed.

[DrTom]

Two words - HOLY CRAP!!!

I have submitted what HAS to be the answer but I am absolutely GOBSTRUCK over the concept and path. I am like the featured presenter who arrives without his papers...speechless.

[HoldThatThought]

DrTom, that reminds me of the time that I rented a limo for $300 and it didn't even come with a driver.

All that money and nothing to chauffeur it.

[hcbirker]

This to me was more a week 4 or 5 in my opinion. But that’s how my brain works.

[DrTom]

DrTom, that reminds me of the time that I rented a limo for $300 and it didn't even come with a driver.

All that money and nothing to chauffeur it.

Speaking of rentals, we recently rented a higher end German auto and unfortunately had an accident. I was surprised at how much damage a seemingly small "fender bender" wrought. The garage explained it simply by saying. "that's how the Mercedes Benz"

[minimuggle]

Totally lost on this one and based on the comments above, I will probably have to wait for the reveal next week. But I am enjoying the search for light in the creative grid

[lbray53]

On shore. I needed help. I finally saw the light while typing up what I had in order to ask for even more help! The mechanism and my early nudge make so much more sense after that fact!

[boharr]

Beamed

[MMe]

Matt just sent word by Patreon email that the deadline is extended to Wednesday at noon Eastern.

Also:

If you submitted an incorrect answer because you rushed it thinking the deadline was Tuesday at noon, please e-mail me your new answer to crosswordcontest@gmail.com any time before noon ET on Wednesday for full credit (assuming you got it right). Please include your MGWCC leaderboard name with your email.

... which is a little puzzling inasmuch as there seem to have been no incorrect answers submitted.

[woozy]

This to me was more a week 4 or 5 in my opinion. But that’s how my brain works.

Am I missing something? Isn't this supposed to be a week 4?