Triple Up - July 2023

[ky-mike]

First time posting here (and this is my first year attempting the MMMM in real time). I am completely at sea! Can anyway give me gentle push in the right direction? I didn't solve last month's before the deadline and it was so frustrating and disappointing!

I'll send you a hint

Mike

[hoover]

My process on this one:

• See nothing

• Try some of the usual things

• Notice something that seemed very likely to be relevant

• Find more stuff

• Misinterpret what it all meant

• Keep looking and finally see what actually was going on

• Wonder how to get a musician from that

• Realize something that still left some ambiguity

• Have a big aha moment that had me laughing out loud at the cleverness of it all

I'm going to try BarbaraK's method. So far I've got step 1 down pat, but let me sit here and practice it a little more just to make sure.

I ended up deviating from the method a little. My route:

• See nothing
• Set it aside
• Pick it back up, still see nothing
• Stare at grid with chin in hands
• Try the Magic Eye technique of allowing eyes to go out of focus
• See a Thing that Looks Important but may be ambiguous
• See Another Thing that leads in a completely different direction and is also ambiguous
• Reread meta prompt and eliminate one of the Things
• Make lunch
• Read comment thread and find a comment that tilts the scales of guity
• Submit answer with crossed fingers

[BethA]

I was determined to free my mind. I redid the puzzle. After a few attempts by my mind to stick with what I’d already been doing, it finally broke free. On the board!!!

Loved it! (Now that it’s solved…)

[pjc]

Considering the title, I thought there could be only one plausible answer. However, I'm not showing up on the board!
I see now that there may be another less famous and less plausible answer. Or perhaps the fact that I submitted in all-caps may have delayed acknowledgment. Think I know the Red Herring and on the trail of the Mega Meta.

I'm in the exact same boat with this puzzle. Just FINALLY figured it out (I think!), submitted in all caps (for some reason; no idea why) and am not on the board. Ah, well.

I'm not at the level where I can figure out the Red Herring or Mega Meta, though. Maybe in a few years

Edit to say: Hey, I'm on the board now, so it was just a delay.

[DCBilly]

Got on the board after a DM pep talk from RJY, thanks. Interesting...

[mattythewsjpuzzler]

Have to be there but no update since 12:20....not like Pete and his tech.

[Qmark]

I solved all the other MMMMM's this year, but this July one has me stumped so far... Filled in the grid on Tuesday as usual, saw some things I thought could relate to the title, but haven't led me anywhere productive...picked it up and had another look each day, but no further ahead... Going to reprint the pdf and fill in the grid again to see if something appears before the deadline tonight...

First time asking for a nudge for one of these, but if anyone was open to providing a hint, I'd be happy to give it a shot.

UPDATE: Thanks to a friendly nudge, I'm on the board at #200. Thanks so much...what a great puzzling community we have here.

[PaPuzzler]

I too have been staring and staring and going down one rabbit hole after another. Time is running out. If anyone is still here and can provide one last dm nudge, I think I'm willing.

[m5rammy]

I think I have cracked the mega. Is anyone from here among the 22 incorrect submitters?
I'd like to ask you a vague yes/no question to ... double check something (but not a specific answer)
before I submit anything.
message me.

[Googly]

[sharkicicles]

Glad to see Pete took both answers as viable.

[Streroto]

The healthcare practitioners in the group will appreciate this. On Tuesday I saw the GNR and convinced myself that I was seeing this because I am used to the abbreviation GNR for gram-negative rods (bacteria like E. coli ). I then went on to spend more hours than I care to admit and explore countless rabbit holes before eventually begging for a nudge yesterday from a kind muggle who pointed me in the right direction. I was in the Axl Rose group, though I saw Slash as well and picked that as a second choice. Sorry to see my MMMM streak and this way, but that’s how it goes. Stay well

[BarbaraK]

To expand on my previous post a bit, when I don’t see anything in a puzzle, I try the
https://boisvert42.github.io/mechapuzzle/
site. It’s an easy way to get a basic analysis. This week, the thing that jumped out was the high number of G’s, and when I highlighted them and saw the spacing, I knew I was on to something.

Initially though, I focused on seeing 3 of them in each of two rows and columns, so I looked for other letters like that and found several. That didn’t directly go anywhere, but the GNR sequence in the outside rows and columns got my attention.

When I highlighted them and saw a grid full of slashes, it was a no doubter.

[hcbirker]

I had a bit of an advantage in that Duff McKagan used to be my neighbor and Slash is a benefactor of the LA Zoo where I volunteer. He donates a signed guitar every year for the silent auction.

[KayW]

To expand on my previous post a bit, when I don’t see anything in a puzzle, I try the
https://boisvert42.github.io/mechapuzzle/
site. It’s an easy way to get a basic analysis. This week, the thing that jumped out was the high number of G’s, and when I highlighted them and saw the spacing, I knew I was on to something.

Initially though, I focused on seeing 3 of them in each of two rows and columns, so I looked for other letters like that and found several. That didn’t directly go anywhere, but the GNR sequence in the outside rows and columns got my attention.

When I highlighted them and saw a grid full of slashes, it was a no doubter.

Heh Heh. Me too.

At first I noticed three G's in column 1. I thought maybe there would be one letter tripled in each column, spelling out the answer. That didn't work, but this sure did:

[pjc]

My AHA came when I saw the GNR triplets from the bottom left through the top right and, pictorially, it seemed like there could only be one answer. At least, I'm ASSUMING that's the "right" answer. I'm curious as to how other answers can be gotten from the grid, too!

I didn't even notice the other 6 GNRs until the hint came out today Shows you how observant I am.

Rabbit holes? Too numerous to mention. I really got bogged down by the GOO as the last Across answer and the fact that G, O, O were components of both GEOLOGIC and GIACOMO. It didn't occur to me that the G's were all showing up for another reason

[MMe]

Heh, I only saw the diagonal, so "Slash" was probably even more compelling for me than it would have been if I'd seen them all, as it kinda looks like stripes.

[BarbaraK]

Congratulations @Tina !!!

[Tina]

Congratulations @Tina !!!

Thanks! That email from Pete was an awesome surprise on a Monday morning!

[hoover]

My first inclination was SLASH, but as the writeup says, I looked at the title and Triple "AXL" and "ROSE" Up sent me in a different direction.