Watch the Birdie!

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
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woozy
Posts: 2214
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:40 am

#21

Post by woozy »

Wow. That's ... involved.
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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Cap'n Rick
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:44 pm
Location: Nahant, MA

#22

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Day 1 Leaderboard

We're off to a good start with 39 successful bird sightings:

Abide (TS)
Al Sisti (TS)
boharr (TS)
whimsy (TS)
MarkWoychick (TS)
Bob cruise director (TS)
LadyBird (TS)
Wendy Walker (TS)
FrankieHeck
Schmeel
schmidzy
Pair O Ducks
Meg
ajk
dannyvee
Tyrpmom
Cinny
Hector
lbray53
andeux
CPJohnson
JM
Darth
Cindy Weatherman
BrennerTJ
Carolyn
MatthewL
Laura M
ChrisKochmanski
dudeski
Gutman
rjy
Ergcat
Bbaack
Dow Jones
HeadinHome
michaelm
MikeyG
woozy

Please let me know if I've missed anyone!

Nudges tomorrow, but please feel free to PM me for an early hint.
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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LadyBird
Posts: 879
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 4:20 pm
Location: Chicagoland

#23

Post by LadyBird »

Whew--off the couch! I was going to be embarrassed if I test-solved it and then couldn't remember how I had done it. Even so, I went down a meaningless--but amusing--rabbit hole.
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Cap'n Rick
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:44 pm
Location: Nahant, MA

#24

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Leaderboard Update

Only three more Muggles have spotted what's turning out to be an elusive bird:

DrTom
jim32809
Mr Tex

Looks like we need to give things a little "goose" via some nudges.
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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Cap'n Rick
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:44 pm
Location: Nahant, MA

#25

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Wednesday Nudges

I think this one is living up to its Level 3 rating. Hopefully these nudges will help get a few more of you off the couch.

Did you know that a "Kite" can be a toy as well as a particular bird?

While I could have used "Kite" in this puzzle, I could not have used "Robin". I just couldn't find any information on "Robins" using my "EREADER". :D

In addition to being a collective term for a group of woodpeckers, "DESCENT" can also indicate a "downward" direction.

Actually, the word "Birdie" can also have different meanings. For example, in golf a birdie is "one under" par for a particular hole.

Perhaps a better title for this meta would have been "Watch the Bird E".
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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benchen71
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#26

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges helped. I'm finally off the couch. Yay me, and yay @Cap'n Rick!
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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ReB
Posts: 673
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:34 pm
Location: East Tennessee

#27

Post by ReB »

Off the couch after the nudges eased me over the final hump.
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jhseeman
Posts: 493
Joined: Sun Dec 13, 2020 3:33 pm
Location: Charleston, SC

#28

Post by jhseeman »

hey, you khow what really helps to solve metas?..... yup...filling in the grid correctly....(facepalm).

Had the right mechanism, but got one letter wrong in the grid so no joy....until I did the reveal on crosshare then...ugh..it was just killing me.

Really enjoyed it Cap'n. Thanks
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MikeyG
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#29

Post by MikeyG »

You know I have some bird puns, they really can't be beak - but I don't want you stealing them...you know, robin my jokes.

(This post was pretty cheep.)
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 91. You'll Turn It Around
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DCBilly
Posts: 261
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:40 pm
Location: Washington DC

#30

Post by DCBilly »

Excellent nudges.
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SJMcK
Posts: 222
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Location: Stockbridge, GA
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#31

Post by SJMcK »

Egad
—
Steven McKinney
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Bird Lives
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#32

Post by Bird Lives »

I knew what it had to be practically from the get-go thanks to the ancillary material, but I missed one important ancillary item and thus needed the final nudge to get the cat out of the bag. Brilliant multi-level puzzle.
Jay
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KayW
Moderator
Posts: 3273
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#33

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :couch_and_lamp: Nudged off the couch.
feathercap.jpg
A VERY clever meta - quite a feather in your cap, Rick!
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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Cap'n Rick
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:44 pm
Location: Nahant, MA

#34

Post by Cap'n Rick »

MikeyG wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 3:41 pm You know I have some bird puns, they really can't be beak - but I don't want you stealing them...you know, robin my jokes.

(This post was pretty cheep.)
Remember, toucan play at that game, @MikeyG!

I know, I know, that would be a bit of ostrich for me. :D
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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DavyGravy
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2022 6:32 pm
Location: Webster, New York

#35

Post by DavyGravy »

Off the couch with nudges...I have no egrets!
If I’ve solved and you need a nudge, you can PM me. Happy to pay it forward. ;)
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Cap'n Rick
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:44 pm
Location: Nahant, MA

#36

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Leaderboard Update

Well, the nudges appear to have helped as 20 more solvers have come home to roost:

benchen71
LindaPRmaven
Jeanne C
SeamusOL
DavyGravy
Snood
Steve M
rayyandroid
david
Johnny Luau
ReB
DCBilly
JHSeeman
SJMcK
hcbirker
Bird Lives
KayW
Naptown Kid
AaronT
Berto

This brings our total to 62. Please let me know if I've missed anyone.
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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JeanneC
Posts: 624
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:25 am
Location: Florida

#37

Post by JeanneC »

I was trying to think of a cute bird pun for my comment but nothing came to mind.
So May I parrot the comments of others and say that this was a clever and entertaining puzzle!
“I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions”. Lillian Hellman
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michaelm
Posts: 493
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2020 3:21 pm

#38

Post by michaelm »

The pun squad has been emu-bilized.
You all quack me up.
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Richard
Posts: 351
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:06 pm

#39

Post by Richard »

No puns here.

Needed the hints. IMHO an excellent meta.

Thanks
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Cap'n Rick
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:44 pm
Location: Nahant, MA

#40

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Leaderboard Update

Well, we picked up another 11 solvers since yesterday:

Richard
SJ
Cate C
Jerry Miccolis
frostyjhammer
Jaclyn
Sanne
sarahlou28
ellequin
edestlin
DIS

This brings our solver total to 73. Please let me know if I've missed anyone.
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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