"Where Does That Sound Come From?" by benchen71

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!)
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KayW
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#21

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :european_castle:

Fun one, Ben - it brought the house, er, castle down!

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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benchen71
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#22

Post by benchen71 »

Just four more solvers to add to the list, bringing us up to 31:

Tim
Schmeel
Tyrpmom
KayW

I'm going to release the nudges early...
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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#23

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:

1. The long answers have a bracketed number after them. Do these long answers have something in common?

2. Note that the meta hint refers to 5-syllable words.

3. The long answers are also 5-syllable words. How might you apply the bracketed number to these words?

4. But there are only 4 long answers and we need a 5-syllable word. Fortunately, the clue for the central across entry will help here.

5. Note, too, that the puzzle title refers to "sound". You will need to work phonetically to derive the meta answer. I should also note that parsing syllables is not an exact science!
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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whimsy
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#24

Post by whimsy »

Untitledzzcastle.png
Nudges were there by the time I got a chance to attack the castle -- didn't feel right to ignore them and possibly hurt their feelings, especially after Ben went to all that trouble to compose them...
Thanks for the puzzle!
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woozy
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#25

Post by woozy »

Well, I ran across the moat hollering. Got into the courtyard and fumbled with my large set of keys. Then Ben came down and let me in. That was nice of him.
I guess I should change my signature, and start promoting this meta: Hungry Little Creature. I was going to sent it to people for testing but I dropped the ball on it.
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rjy
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#26

Post by rjy »

Moat crossed, castle doorbell ring… nudges confirmed my approach from yesterday morning, but misinterpretation of the numbers did me in… good challenge tho, thanks, Ben!
Ray
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Ergcat
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#27

Post by Ergcat »

Nudges confirmed the path I have been attempting but I guess I’m not good at nudge 5. Back to the drawing board …err I mean, drawbridge !
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#28

Post by benchen71 »

Ergcat wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 7:22 am Nudges confirmed the path I have been attempting but I guess I’m not good at nudge 5. Back to the drawing board …err I mean, drawbridge !
Feel free to PM if you need syllable-parsing assistance!
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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ajk
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#29

Post by ajk »

OK, was just about to type that I give up because I suck at this particular style. But gave it one more go and got there. :)
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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hoover
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#30

Post by hoover »

Nudge 4 isn't working and my thesaurus isn't any help.
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CPJohnson
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#31

Post by CPJohnson »

Ergcat wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 7:22 am Nudges confirmed the path I have been attempting but I guess I’m not good at nudge 5. Back to the drawing board …err I mean, drawbridge !
Me, too....but I got across the moat after a course redirection from Ben.
Cynthia
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#32

Post by benchen71 »

hoover wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 2:06 pm Nudge 4 isn't working and my thesaurus isn't any help.
PM me with what you have.
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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#33

Post by hoover »

I had collected all the puzzle pieces, but was trying to put the bunny ear into the spot where the cat's tail goes. Thanks to a redirect from benchen71, I can say the five syllables "O! I get it now!"
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#34

Post by benchen71 »

Another solver update for you:

whimsy
SeamusOL
rjy
ajk
Ergcat
Mr Tex
CPJohnson
MrTheHan
hoover

That brings us up to 40. Final solver update before the answer reveal Monday morning Australia time!
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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#35

Post by Ergcat »

CPJohnson wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 8:19 am
Ergcat wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 7:22 am Nudges confirmed the path I have been attempting but I guess I’m not good at nudge 5. Back to the drawing board …err I mean, drawbridge !
Me, too....but I got across the moat after a course redirection from Ben.
Yep, me too. thanks to a redirect from Ben I got across the moat!
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benchen71
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#36

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the solution to "Where Does That Sound Come From?":

Where Does That Sound Come From (solution).png

There were three levels of difficulty in this puzzle.

1. Puzzles that rely on sound are always risky, since dialectical differences can make it harder for some. (I know this from personal experience!)
2. The bracketed numbers indicated which syllable to use. But some people also thought they referred to the position that syllable in the meta answer. Instead, grid order was the correct mechanism.
3. Syllable-parsing is not an exact science, no matter what the linguists say. My working hypothesis is that, in English, syllables usually start with a consonant and end with a vowel. For example, 63A was a tricky one. My pronunciation is as follows: MA-JI-STAIR-REE-AH (where STAIR is pronounced the Aussie way without a final R sound). So, yes, that means changing JI to GEE in the meta answer!

I hope you still found the puzzle fun! :D

As for this week's MOAT, something different this way comes...
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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#37

Post by benchen71 »

And the winner of the MOAT Music Meta Pack is...

@MatthewL!

The pack will be in your inbox (or spam folder!) presently. :D
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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MatthewL
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#38

Post by MatthewL »

benchen71 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 27, 2023 8:11 pm And the winner of the MOAT Music Meta Pack is...

@MatthewL!

The pack will be in your inbox (or spam folder!) presently. :D
Hey, neat! Thanks Ben! Look forward to doing these.
Matthew
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Al Sisti
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#39

Post by Al Sisti »

MatthewL wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:09 am
benchen71 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 27, 2023 8:11 pm And the winner of the MOAT Music Meta Pack is...

@MatthewL!

The pack will be in your inbox (or spam folder!) presently. :D
Hey, neat! Thanks Ben! Look forward to doing these.
You're gonna love them....
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