MGWCC #770 — “It Takes Two”

[Berto]

Submitted awhile ago, started looking for my name - and then panicked when I didn’t see it thinking I had massively underestimated the week 1 trickiness…
Now I realize the board hasn’t been updated since about the time I submitted. Shows how obsessed I’ve become with this whole thing

Edit And there it is with the update, and the phewee!

[HunterX]

Beamed up. What number? I don't need no stinkin' number!

Actually, was at a concert. Then went to lunch. Yada yada yada... Always finish the grid... Yeah, some number.

[HunterX]

6th on the board - one of these days I will get over my need to finish the grid before submitting, but not today. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

So... You have to finish the grid, yet you submitted at 12:03???

Time machine? Illegal stimulants? A team of crossword specialists drinking lots of coffee?

Got it.... AI.

Oh, just re-read your post. "Not today." PHEW! Was wondering...

[Kwyjibo]

Submitted and was beamed up a couple minutes later.

[benchen71]

Awaiting the beam up...

[woozy]

You know. I can't do the downs only.... But... okay when I give up on them.

[Katiedid]

YAY! Beamed up and got my !

[Bird Lives]

Without the prompt, I wasn't confident. Found the prompt and I'm sure I'll be beamed up shortly.

Same here. Downs only. I was pretty sure what the prompt would be, but I downloaded the .puz just to be sure. I didn't want my streak to reset to zero. A Ten badge is nothing to sneeze at, right?

Update: I was unconfirmed when confidently posted the above. I am now on the board. Top 500 is pretty good, isn't it?

[HeadinHome]

That one fell quickly — just got that submitted and confirmed.

[Barney]

Seems easy

What is a/the prompt, btw?

[cbarbee002]

True Week 1. Maybe week .5. Beamed

[ricky]

6th on the board - one of these days I will get over my need to finish the grid before submitting, but not today. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

So... You have to finish the grid, yet you submitted at 12:03???

Time machine? Illegal stimulants? A team of crossword specialists drinking lots of coffee?

Got it.... AI.

Oh, just re-read your post. "Not today." PHEW! Was wondering...

I think he's saying he *did* finish the grid.

I got the email at 12:04 (couldn't get the Patreon page to load) and submitted at 12:07, which showed up as 12:08, but I definitely did not finish the grid.

It's funny how much the gap between the Patreon post going up and the email going out matters for Week 1 standings and how little it matters by Week 4.

At least for me - there have been Week 4s where I got the .puz right at 12:00, flew through the grid, got to meta solving at 12:05... And finally figured out the meta 2 days later.

[woozy]

Seems easy

What is a/the prompt, btw?

This was easy. It was the first week of the month. They are supposed to be easy.

The prompt is the statement that tells you what type of thing the answer is; a statement like "The answer to this meta is the third track of Joni Mitchell's second album" or whatever.

I can't tell you what this puzzles prompt is because for first week puzzles many people like to solve without knowing the prompt and reading this would tell them. But you know.... no such people would still be working on this and reading this far, and if I put it under a spoiler button they can't read it by accident. So....

So the prompt for this meta is "This week's contest answer is a well-known TV show."

[HunterX]

6th on the board - one of these days I will get over my need to finish the grid before submitting, but not today. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

…….

Oh, just re-read your post. "Not today." PHEW! Was wondering...

I think he's saying he *did* finish the grid.

Yeah, I got it. That was my re-reading. But thanks. Confusion happens.

[HoldThatThought]

"I Don't Know Where I Stand".

Do I win like concert tickets or a t-shirt, or sumthin'?

[docison]

6th on the board - one of these days I will get over my need to finish the grid before submitting, but not today. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

So... You have to finish the grid, yet you submitted at 12:03???

Time machine? Illegal stimulants? A team of crossword specialists drinking lots of coffee?

Got it.... AI.

Oh, just re-read your post. "Not today." PHEW! Was wondering...

I think he's saying he *did* finish the grid.

I got the email at 12:04 (couldn't get the Patreon page to load) and submitted at 12:07, which showed up as 12:08, but I definitely did not finish the grid.

It's funny how much the gap between the Patreon post going up and the email going out matters for Week 1 standings and how little it matters by Week 4.

At least for me - there have been Week 4s where I got the .puz right at 12:00, flew through the grid, got to meta solving at 12:05... And finally figured out the meta 2 days later.

Yeah, to be clear, I did finish the grid. Downloaded off patreon at 12 (if i am at my computer, i may as well go get the puzzle rather than waiting for it to show up) and saw where the answer was going soon enough, but just can't bring myself to submit until all the squares are full.

I like metas just fine, but i really enjoy solving crosswords fast.

[minimuggle]

This one was quite easy but I enjoyed it

[rjy]

I've boldly - er, foolishly - submitted downs-only-no-instructions (DONI) twice so far without ever looking at the prompt, but had to peek this time after musing all weekend about Eleanor Roosevelt and Electromagnetic Radiation. My initial thought was ER or Emergency Room, but did not have the confidence to submit. Waited til the end to peek (and get my Buzzer Beater badge as well!)

Seems a Week 0 for the puzzle proper, but a Week 3+ for DONI. Nearly impossible to submit with confidence......... except the title made it a fair - if difficult - fight. I just didn't interpret it properly.

Anyone out there submit the DONI without ever peeking??

[MikeM000]

I've boldly - er, foolishly - submitted downs-only-no-instructions (DONI) twice so far without ever looking at the prompt, but had to peek this time after musing all weekend about Eleanor Roosevelt and Electromagnetic Radiation. My initial thought was ER or Emergency Room, but did not have the confidence to submit. Waited til the end to peek (and get my Buzzer Beater badge as well!)

Seems a Week 0 for the puzzle proper, but a Week 3+ for DONI. Nearly impossible to submit with confidence......... except the title made it a fair - if difficult - fight. I just didn't interpret it properly.

Anyone out there submit the DONI without ever peeking??

I think the first one he published like that was the Whoopi Goldberg puzzle. There was enough meat to the entries that you could have solved it without the prompt, but I think every one since then would be nigh-unsolvable without the prompt. I think the Jacksonville Jaguars one was prompt-less, and without knowing it's an NFL team how do you know it isn't Judge Judy or DY-NO-MITE or whatever has JJ initials?

Since I wanted to see how high I got in on the list I didn't add this to my submittal, but I was going to add in:

Wow, I can't believe anyone else remembers E/R. It was a sitcom that only lasted one season in the mid-80s, and it did not re-establish Elliott Gould to the A-list as was its intent. It did, however, launch Jason "George Costanza" Alexander and multiple Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell to fame. There was another guy in it...what happened to him? I think he played a young doctor fresh out of med school...handsome fella; Irish last name; think he had a famous aunt? Hmm.

[HunterX]

Wow, I can't believe anyone else remembers E/R. It was a sitcom that only lasted one season in the mid-80s, and it did not re-establish Elliott Gould to the A-list as was its intent. It did, however, launch Jason "George Costanza" Alexander and multiple Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell to fame. There was another guy in it...what happened to him? I think he played a young doctor fresh out of med school...handsome fella; Irish last name; think he had a famous aunt? Hmm.

Interesting. Never knew about the E/R show. And both Mary McDonnell and that other fella went on to ER.