Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? Age is just a number, they say. True, but we still like to celebrate birthdays! It's nice to enjoy those sort of milestones when they occur. Anyhoo, on with the meta, the answer to which is a number.
The easiest way to submit is on Crosshare (and you get instant feedback and unlimited attempts!) But you can also PM me with your submission. Either way, I'll compile a list of those who successfully solve the meta.
Early nudge here.
Regular nudges are here.
The solution is here.
Last edited by benchen71 on Sun May 21, 2023 6:33 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
ABSOLUTELY ONLY CLICK THIS AFTER SOLVING THE META! THIS IS NOT A NUDGE!! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!
If you're interested, here's the entire list of 100 metas (and where they appeared if it wasn't a MOAT)!
2021
1. Financial Downturn
2. Expanding Brackets
3. X Marks The Spot
4. Choices (MMM)
5. Tea Time
6. (D)coding
7. Encrypted
8. Come From Behind
9. Hot Breakfast
10. Horror Movie Trope
11. Like Magic
12. Looking Up Down Under
13. Flower Arrangements
14. You Are In A Maze Of Twisty Little Passages, All Alike (MEOW)
15. Rotating S-Y-M-E-T-T-R-Y
16. Three Card Monte
17. Think Outside The Box
18. First Christmas
19. For The Help
2022
20. Strange Attractors
21. Bake A Name For Yourself
22. Eating In Bed (Matt Gaffney)
23. Abstract Art
24. Who Has The Last Word
25. Right Between The Eyes
26. For That Special Someone
27. Spick And Span
28. A Puzzle Of Cities
29. Still Hungry
30. Plane Sailing (MEOW)
31. Onomatopoeia
32. Let's Go Fishing
33. Talking To Camera
34. Aboreality
35. Visiting Flatland
36. Let's Get Meta!
37. Follow The Leader
38. Smuggling Goods
39. Yellows And Greens
40. Social Media
41. Literary Numbers
42. Somebody That I Used To Know
43. Egocentrism
44. Online Shopping
45. To Boldly Go
46. Rainbow
47. Rabbit Holes
48. Math Ed
49. Christmas In July
50. Another Link In The Chain
51. Got It In One (MMM)
52. Happy Anniversary
53. Turn The Corner (MEOW)
54. Risky Business
55. In Space No One Can Hear You Scream
56. Anomalies
57. The City & the City
58. Medal-winning Positions
59. E Is For Extraneous
60. Earthquake Zone
61. She Sells Sea Shells (MEOW)
62. Laughter Is The Best Drug
63. Mind The Gaps
64. Solo Performers
65. Building Onto
66. Isn't It Ironic(ally Named) (MEOW)
67. Horror Movie Trope II
68. Swap 'n' Go
69. Self-promotion
70. Music Of The Heart
71. Equivocation
72. Complete The Square
73. First Responders (MEOW)
74. And Finally...
75. Archaisms
76. Celebrate Xmas
77. All's Wool That Ends Wool
2023
78. Water, Water Every Where
79. Drink You Under The Table (MEOW)
80. Two Can Play At That Game
81. Better Together
82. Slide, You Blockhead! Slide! (MEOW)
83. January 26th
84. When You Get Right Down To It
85. Best Intentions
86. Obscure For A Reason
87. One Short
88. Part Company
89. Matt. 20:16
90. Unnecessarily Repetitive
91. I Can't Even
92. Cluedo
93. Introducing The Middle Class
94. Metaphorical Animals
95. To Really Foul Things Up Requires A Computer
96. In A Mirror, Darkly
97. Oopsie! (CCCC)
98. Physics 101
99. Let Stalk Strine
100. Collectively
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
lbray53 wrote: Tue May 16, 2023 9:16 am
I think there may be two appropriate answers subject to interpretation. One is clearly better.
Moat crossed.
Yeah, I abandoned last night when my answer wasn't accepted. No spoilers so I won't say more, but I got it now. Regardless - thanks for the puzzle Ben!
Here's an early nudge for those finding that their answer isn't accepted on Crosshare:
Despite the title and the central entry you do not have to do any addition. Those things refer to something else!
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
MOAT crossed.
The unlimited attempts backstop allowed me to not think too deeply for once, and happily the drawbridge lowered and the portcullis raised.
Thanks Ben!
We are exactly one hour off the end of the first 24 hours. Here's the first bunch of successful solvers for this week's MOAT - 44 in all!:
woozy
markhr
SeamusOL
Schmeel
Cindy Weatherman
rjy
Pair O Ducks
boharr
Hector
lbray53
Meg
kurtalert
Sharkicicles
MatthewL
Jaclyn
Bird Lives
Tyrpmom
Carolyn
DebbieC
DIS
JR
BarbaraK
rayyandroid
Dow Jones
Laura M
Bbaack
SirMrGuy
ChrisKochmanski
John Oresko
whimsy
Darth
KayW
ReB
CPJohnson
Ergcat
Berto
PuzNewbie
Darrell
hoover
falsec
HeadinHome
caprine
Spid4567
frostyjhammer
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
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