MEOW #124 Bill Collector

A weekly meta crossword on the forum started by member Josh (aka madhatter5). These puzzles are often very creative with solving mechanisms out of the norm and skewing towards the more challenging. Puzzles are posted every Wednesday, and the solution appears the following Tuesday.
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DrTom
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MEOW #124 Bill Collector

#1

Post by DrTom »

Bill Collector Graphic.jpg
Well hopefully forewarned is forearmed. As promised here is this week's puzzle. It is not as polished as Play Dough, but I doubt it is any more difficult. You ought to be able to recognize the themers right away (though I will tell you they are not symmetric), and if not there is always Friday nudge day.

KITTEN/CALICO
Persian
Puma
Lion


"Bill Collector" - Crosshare (NOTE: If you enjoy solving on Crosshare, help keep the site running by donating a few bucks).

Bill Collector PUZ

Bill Collector PDF

Bill Collector spreadsheet

Image
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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benchen71
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#2

Post by benchen71 »

Cat's out, I think. (Just awaiting official confirmation.)
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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boharr
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#3

Post by boharr »

Cat is free. Thanks, DrTom.
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rjy
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#4

Post by rjy »

Cat's outta the bag... Thanks, DrT!
Ray
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Cinny
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#5

Post by Cinny »

Cat has escaped the bag. Thanks, Dr Tom.
Cindy Heisler
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Darth
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#6

Post by Darth »

Cat's out.... And all debts paid, I hope. Thanks, DrTom!
sd-aspect-1476456910-polls.gif
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jhseeman
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#7

Post by jhseeman »

Cats out of the bag....still waiting to see what I oweth the taxman.....hopefully it's not the answer.
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ajk
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#8

Post by ajk »

Solved after an initial wobble that generated a plausible answer out of two small mistakes. Fun stuff, thanks.
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
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ky-mike
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#9

Post by ky-mike »

The cat has escaped the bag. Confirmed on crosshare. Fun puzzle with a tough (for me) fill.
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ChrisKochmanski
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#10

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Bag sans cat.

Thanks, Dr. Tom!
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woozy
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#11

Post by woozy »

ajk wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:11 am Solved after an initial wobble that generated a plausible answer out of two small mistakes. Fun stuff, thanks.
I'm having the exact opposite issue. I have what sure must be the only possible mechanism but it does not yield a plausible answer. (I don't think I'm making any mistake...

EDIT: Ah, geez! Fish-hooks and jewelry clasps! OCD and myopia in combination can be fatal for meta-solvers! Off the couch now.
Funny story. I was all set to enter Par for the course for the CrossHare midi contest for April but I mistakenly thought midi meant 7x 7 and not 11 x 11. Oops. Well.... Here's a complex but **small** meta on the subject of golf.
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Meg
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#12

Post by Meg »

Cat has tip-toed out of the Doritos bag. Thanks, Dr. T!
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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DrTom
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#13

Post by DrTom »

This is too good not to share. Darth forwarded me a story about the star of this Meta, a feline in Tulsa, Oklahoma:
CashNip Kitty.jpg
Bill C. Ollector, Cat Financial Officer

NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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DrTom
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#14

Post by DrTom »

Darth wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:01 am Cat's out.... And all debts paid, I hope. Thanks, DrTom!
sd-aspect-1476456910-polls.gif
I'll mark this one "Collected"
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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KayW
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#15

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :cat2:
Image
The cat has been freed. Or maybe billed. Thanks DrTom!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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DrTom
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#16

Post by DrTom »

jhseeman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:05 am Cats out of the bag....still waiting to see what I oweth the taxman.....hopefully it's not the answer.
I started using the new 1040 EZ-2-DO:
Super EZ 1040.jpg
Works out to be the same amount as for my CPAs form and I don't have to pay to get it done... :D
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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DrTom
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#17

Post by DrTom »

Meg wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 1:07 pm Cat has tip-toed out of the Doritos bag. Thanks, Dr. T!
I wondered where that Ginger Cat came from :o
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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DrTom
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#18

Post by DrTom »

KayW wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:42 pm :crossed_swords: :rabbit: :cat2:
Image
The cat has been freed. Or maybe billed. Thanks DrTom!
Well I billed the cat and he said "What fur?"
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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Ergcat
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#19

Post by Ergcat »

The cat is free! Thank you, DrTom!
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lbray53
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#20

Post by lbray53 »

The cat is out of the bag. I was finally able to put some scratch together for the bill collector. I was working on variations of two different mechanisms. Surely ONE of them had to be correct. Unfortunately that was not the case. I misinterpreted part of the intro which kept me from seeing the true path for a long time.

Great fun Dr. Tom. Thanks!!!
Last edited by lbray53 on Wed Apr 12, 2023 5:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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