MGWCC #799 — “And the Last Shall Be First”

An excellent puzzle written by one of the innovators of the meta crossword format. It comes out every Friday at noon and increases in difficulty throughout the month. Available for modest subscription (worth every cent) here: www.xwordcontest.com
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Joe Ross
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MGWCC #799 — “And the Last Shall Be First”

#1

Post by Joe Ross »

MGWCC #799 — Friday, September 22, 2023 — “And the Last Shall Be First”

THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:

This week’s contest answer is a six-word phrase that I hope will describe those solvers who’ve figured out the meta.

Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive


WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY CROSSWORD CONTEST?:
MGWCC is available only to subscribers at my Patreon page.
A subscription costs $3/month.
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docison
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#2

Post by docison »

Holy cow! I need to convince Matt to add a new badge for "#1 solver 2 weeks in a row"! That was a grueling grid - but, as MikeyG said, the meta made me laugh.
Last edited by docison on Fri Sep 22, 2023 12:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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MikeyG
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#3

Post by MikeyG »

docison wrote: ↑Fri Sep 22, 2023 12:11 pm Holy cow! I need to convince Matt to add a new badge for "#1 solver 2 weeks in a row"! That was a grueling grid.
The grid was brutal (hey, so are mine), but the meta made me smile, and that's what good metas should do! Bronze me!

Image

This "last cat" is first in my book!
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 92. It's a Breeze
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schmidzy
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#4

Post by schmidzy »

Super fun (after I let myself google the grid answers I didn't know)! Time to start bracing for week 5...
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SamKat9
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#5

Post by SamKat9 »

Tough grid, but I enjoyed it. Beamed on the ship
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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DCBilly
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#6

Post by DCBilly »

Beamed up, nice one.
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ajk
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#7

Post by ajk »

Beamed after seeing mention of a relevant observation. Fun one.
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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Joe
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#8

Post by Joe »

That was pretty hilarious. And I did it without any help! Awaiting beamage, but it's a sure thing.
Happy to give nudges. If you notice I've solved, please tell me about avenues you've explored so I can nudge you in the right direction and not off a cliff.
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ChrisKochmanski
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#9

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Beamed!
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MMe
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#10

Post by MMe »

I hear the answer in Aziz Ansari's voice.

Quite a feat of construction!
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mattythewsjpuzzler
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#11

Post by mattythewsjpuzzler »

Beamed. Funny eye of the beholder...I thought grid was fairly normal. Only 1 or 2 Mr. G uses.
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boharr
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#12

Post by boharr »

Beamed.
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HunterX
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#13

Post by HunterX »

Awaiting transporter beam.

What a construction! That must have been tricky to accomplish to say the least.

Edit. Beamed up.
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markhr
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#14

Post by markhr »

Beamed up. A 68D will hit the spot.
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Laura M
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#15

Post by Laura M »

Beamed! No uncertainty this week.
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Andrew Bradburn
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#16

Post by Andrew Bradburn »

This one was a lot of fun.
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Brainbow
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#17

Post by Brainbow »

Woot! Now I can enjoy the weekend.
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lbray53
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#18

Post by lbray53 »

Awaiting the beam.

EDIT: On the board at #90. I saw this one early for once. I only followed one short rabbit trail, but abandoned it before going down the hole.

I was happily filling in the grid with no Googling, wondering what people were complaining about. Then I met my Waterloo in the southeast corner. More on that after the reveal if I remember to comment.
Last edited by lbray53 on Fri Sep 22, 2023 5:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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KayW
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#19

Post by KayW »

:alien: :flying_saucer: Beaming. This has to be my fastest week 4 solo solve ever (after a very late start)
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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hcbirker
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#20

Post by hcbirker »

KayW wrote: ↑Fri Sep 22, 2023 5:27 pm :alien: :flying_saucer: Beaming. This has to be my fastest week 4 solo solve ever (after a very late start)
Me too Kay! I have beamed!
Heidi
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