Ultimate Statesmen

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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cbarbee002
Posts: 601
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 6:02 pm
Location: Philly Area

Ultimate Statesmen

#1

Post by cbarbee002 »

You will be happy to know that I have been attending PA (“parenthetical numbers” anonymous), and am up to step 8 of the 12-step program, so I soon will be contacting those of you I hurt by the last meta. I think I’ve got this thing beat - - no more “numbers” metas from me (although when I have a drink or two and light up a cigar, it gets really tough not to just throw a couple of parentheses into the clue section of a grid . . .). Wait, did I just use 2 sets of parentheses??? . . . . Arrgghhh!

ANYWAY, happy Muggle Meta Monday! The title of today’s meta is “Ultimate Statesmen”, with the answer being a well-known national park. The idea for this meta actually began with a different answer in mind, but the ultimate (and I think more thematic) answer presented itself during construction, and I was able to course correct.

As always, thanks to Peter Abide, Al Sisti (test solvers) and Joe Ross (all things technical) for their support. I can’t imagine the effort they put in to ensure fun and games for the rest of us.

You know the drill - - PM me with answers (or solve on Crosshare), nudges on Wednesday (and as needed thereafter), reveal on Saturday evening. Good luck!

Ultimate Statesmen crosshare

Ultimate Statesmen PUZ

Ultimate Statesmen PDF

Ultimate Statesmen spreadsheet


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Statesmen.png
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Meg
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Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#2

Post by Meg »

Off the couch. Very nicely done!
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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CPJohnson
Posts: 1092
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:38 pm
Location: Kingsport, TN

#3

Post by CPJohnson »

[As always, thanks to Peter Abide, Al Sisti (test solvers) and Joe Ross (all things technical) for their support. I can’t imagine the effort they put in to ensure fun and games for the rest of us.]

I second this sentiment!
Cynthia
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boharr
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Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:57 am
Location: Westchester, NY

#4

Post by boharr »

I'm off the couch and off on a hike. Thanks for a fun one.
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woozy
Posts: 2214
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:40 am

#5

Post by woozy »

I ... twisted my ankle jumping on the coach....

EDIT. Sat down on the couch rub my ankle a little and stood up slowly not to put too much pressure and it and ... I was off the couch.
Last edited by woozy on Tue Jun 06, 2023 12:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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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jhseeman
Posts: 493
Joined: Sun Dec 13, 2020 3:33 pm
Location: Charleston, SC

#6

Post by jhseeman »

Off the couch, now I'm stuck doing work for work....
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MatthewL
Posts: 766
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:57 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

#7

Post by MatthewL »

Off the couch. Great puzzle!
Matthew
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DrTom
Posts: 3782
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#8

Post by DrTom »

Fun romp through this Barbeeric puzzle. Off the couch and reading up on National Parks (see what you started!) Nice way to kick off the week.

T
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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Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#9

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :couch_and_lamp: Off the couch but boy did I take the scenic route! (details on crosshare, and maybe here post-deadline)
Image

Fun meta Chris - thanks! I don't know where you were headed originally with this one, but I like where you ended up.
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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CPJohnson
Posts: 1092
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Location: Kingsport, TN

#10

Post by CPJohnson »

Got it! Thanks, Chris!
Cynthia
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hoover
Posts: 1362
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:26 pm

#11

Post by hoover »

OTC!
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hcbirker
Posts: 2017
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#12

Post by hcbirker »

Off the couch!
Heidi
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Bird Lives
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:43 pm
Location: NYC
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#13

Post by Bird Lives »

Off the couch and wondering what the original answer could have been. Nice one.
Jay
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ChrisKochmanski
Posts: 2198
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
Location: Saline, Michigan

#14

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

OTC!
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MarkWoychick
Site Admin
Posts: 612
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:15 pm
Location: Boise, ID

#15

Post by MarkWoychick »

Off the couch! Very enjoyable puzzle, thank you!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 contest-style (meta) crosswords that we've created to help raise money for cancer-related organizations - get the bundle at http://crosswordsforcancer.com
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Cinny
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#16

Post by Cinny »

Off the couch.
Cindy Heisler
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Berto
Posts: 351
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:10 pm

#17

Post by Berto »

OTC with a friendly shove to the edge from @CPJohnson.
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lbray53
Posts: 1221
Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 8:34 am
Location: Elkhorn, WI

#18

Post by lbray53 »

OTC. Admittedly, I solved this based on context clues. I had to go back and figure out the mechanism. So, does this really count as a solo solve? Crosshare had no penalty for guessing and I leveraged that to come up with my answer. Asking for a friend.

Brilliant construction by the way.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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cbarbee002
Posts: 601
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 6:02 pm
Location: Philly Area

#19

Post by cbarbee002 »

Okay, good Day 1 lineup - - 33 empty sofa's out there:

Abide (TS)
Al Sisti (TS)
Meg
boharr
Cindy Weatherman
Hector
markhr
kurtalert
jhseeman
MatthewL
Pair O Ducks
Carolyn
BrennerTJ
Dr Tom
Tyrpmom
Merlinnimue
Tom Wilson
DIS
KayW
Bird Lives
CPJohnson
hoover
hcbirkerr
heidi
ChrisKochmanski
Mark Woychick
Cinny
IK Snamhcok
Bbaack
Gutman
Berto
lbray53
woozy
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Schmeel
Posts: 1688
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 2:38 pm

#20

Post by Schmeel »

I was helped off the couch.
Thanks for the puzzle!
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