Ad Astra

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

Ad Astra

#1

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Ad Astra Muggles banner.png

Ahoy Muggles!

Happy Labor Day, everyone! I hope you all have a great day at the beach, the lake, the backyard cookout, or wherever you like to spend the holiday. But before you go, I hope you'll spend a little time with today's puzzle. You will notice that it is oversized (17x17), and that's because there are actually two special days to celebrate this week. This puzzle focuses on the second day that occurs later in the week. And even though the Easter holiday was several months ago, don't forget to look for Easter eggs along the way. I'd like to thank @Abide, @Al Sisti, @boharr, @whimsy, @MarkWoychick, @Wendy Walker, @DrTom, @BarbaraK, @Bird Lives, @KayW, and @Joe Ross for pretesting and technical help.

The meta answer is someone who may really enjoy this meta.

Ad Astra - Crosshare

Ad Astra - PUZ

Ad Astra - PDF


Image

Difficulty: (Note the change in level)
A Bit Choppy.JPG

Nudges are here.
Solution is here.

Good luck!
Cap'n Rick

PS - I'd like to congratulate the father/daughter duo of Peter (@Abide) and Caroline (@carolinea) Abide for their awesome MMM debut last week! Hopefully we will see more from them in the future!
Last edited by Cap'n Rick on Sat Sep 09, 2023 10:57 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
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MaineMarge
Posts: 1622
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:57 pm

#2

Post by MaineMarge »

Thanks @Cap'n Rick for the shoutout for the September 6 holiday-
Birthday for @Wendy Walker and @MaineMarge !🎂
Now on to the puzzle
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KayW
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Posts: 3273
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#3

Post by KayW »

MaineMarge wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 8:02 am Birthday for @Wendy Walker and @MaineMarge !🎂
Happy happy Birthday to you both! :birthday: :tada:
ClarkETripe.png
And let's not forget @Clark E. Tripe

Has it really been a year?
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
Posts: 2448
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#4

Post by benchen71 »

Off the couch (and straight to bed!)
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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KayW
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Posts: 3273
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#5

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :couch_and_lamp: Solved - now to make sure I found all the Easter Eggs. Thanks for a most fun puzzle!
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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Bird Lives
Posts: 2691
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:43 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:
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#6

Post by Bird Lives »

MaineMarge wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 8:02 am Thanks @Cap'n Rick for the shoutout for the September 6 holiday-
Birthday for @Wendy Walker and @MaineMarge !🎂
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS !!

There's a third who came on the scene on Sept. 6: Barbie. It's hard to tell the three of them apart.
Jay
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Meg
Posts: 2165
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#7

Post by Meg »

OTC. That was a fun puzzle!! I kept finding more things even after solving.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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Schmeel
Posts: 1688
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 2:38 pm

#8

Post by Schmeel »

Off the couch - thanks for the puzzle!
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ky-mike
Posts: 1986
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:22 pm
Location: Near Louisville Ky

#9

Post by ky-mike »

Per aspera for me. Still trying to figure out which direction to go.
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SamKat9
Posts: 270
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2023 7:45 pm
Location: Southeast Florida

#10

Post by SamKat9 »

Off the couch, thank you for such a fun puzzle!
Shannon 🐱
PS: If you want help with a meta, PM what you have so I can help without spoiling too much. I've received lots of help in the beginning and I love to pay it forward!
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MatthewL
Posts: 766
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:57 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

#11

Post by MatthewL »

Off the couch on this Labor Day morning. Thanks for the puzzle, Rick!
Matthew
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hcbirker
Posts: 2017
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#12

Post by hcbirker »

OTC! I guessed the answer while solving, and there it was! Thanks Cap'n!
Heidi
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ajk
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:22 pm
Location: Colorado

#13

Post by ajk »

Definitely some chop in my ripple, but got there in the end. :lol:
Fun stuff as always, 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
Posts: 1362
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:26 pm

#14

Post by hoover »

OTC!
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DrTom
Posts: 3782
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#15

Post by DrTom »

I had the pleasure of being a test solver for this puzzle, but like a classic movie it was just as good the second time, and I saw things I did not initially.

Thanks Rick!

Oh, and happiest of Birthdays to Wendy and Marge. You beat the rush (apparently Sept 9th is the most common birthday in the US) so get out there and celebrate before all the cake is gone!
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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woozy
Posts: 2214
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:40 am

#16

Post by woozy »

Him... I'm convinced that I know what I have to to do but... if that were it, I'd have seen something by now.

I feel I'm going to react like this:
"I'm certain the theme is types of cheeses... I just need to find some cheeses"
"No, that's not the theme. The themes is types of birds"
"huh?"
"Birds. See, here is 'swan' and there is 'wren' and there is 'snowy egret'"
*angrily* "But that's wrong! 'Snowy egret' isn't a type of cheese!"
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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BarbaraK
Posts: 2614
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
Location: Virginia

#17

Post by BarbaraK »

Off the couch, and loved it as much this afternoon as when I test solved it!
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.

(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
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Streroto
Posts: 782
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2019 4:24 pm
Location: Newtown Square, PA

#18

Post by Streroto »

OTC. Really fun and clever. Did not find grid too tough.
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whimsy
Posts: 2785
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Hopkinton MA

#19

Post by whimsy »

I will now perform a back flip off --
Untitledzzstars.png
(It's glow-in-the-dark, too)
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ChrisKochmanski
Posts: 2198
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
Location: Saline, Michigan

#20

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

OTC!

Fun!

And though i’m sure I made it harder than it needed to be, I might have bumped this one’s difficulty rating from “Gentle Ripple” to “A Bit Choppy”.

Thanks, Cap’n!
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