Introduce Yourself

[mangyplatypus]

Hi all! This is Kristin in Huntsville, AL. I'm an engineer and crossword enthusiast. I've been doing the nyt xword since I was 13, but only discovered the muggles and wsj crossword contest a few weeks ago. Now solving the meta puzzle is the highlight of my week!

Welcome. I spent a lot of time at the Arsenal during the 70's, 80's and 90's. And some scary trips getting there on Southern Airlines

I was driving alongside the Redstone Arsenal one night during a TDY, and there, right on the other side of the fence, was the most beautiful aircraft ever built: The SR-71 Blackbird.

Blackbird is still there - although now decommissioned and serving as yard art at the Space and Rocket Center. Amazing design.

[Al Sisti]

Welcome. I spent a lot of time at the Arsenal during the 70's, 80's and 90's. And some scary trips getting there on Southern Airlines

I was driving alongside the Redstone Arsenal one night during a TDY, and there, right on the other side of the fence, was the most beautiful aircraft ever built: The SR-71 Blackbird.

Blackbird is still there - although now decommissioned and serving as yard art at the Space and Rocket Center. Amazing design.

Yep. Like nothing we'd ever seen.

[Lisa]

Hello, I’m brand new to this. My partner and I have been doing crosswords together for about three years, and just last week made our first attempt to understand the friday puzzle contest. We worked our way through the four “101” puzzles that wsj published, with step by step help. This week is our first attempt on our own.

[Joe Ross]

Hello, I’m brand new to this. My partner and I have been doing crosswords together for about three years, and just last week made our first attempt to understand the friday puzzle contest. We worked our way through the four “101” puzzles that wsj published, with step by step help. This week is our first attempt on our own.

Welcome Lisa & partner!

Here is an amazing resource including every past WSJ Contest Crossword in PDF form & their answers, expert solving strategies, and much more.

[TeamDoubleTow]

Hello, I’m brand new to this. My partner and I have been doing crosswords together for about three years, and just last week made our first attempt to understand the friday puzzle contest. We worked our way through the four “101” puzzles that wsj published, with step by step help. This week is our first attempt on our own.

Welcome Lisa! My husband and I also work on metas together!

[gojira]

hi folks - joined today after lurking for a couple of weeks. Solved this week's meta - first time on shore. Love this board and all the linked resources!

The things i mostly do for fun are chess, guitar, and (part-time, slowly) finishing a CS PhD.
My wife and two boys are the best for putting up with me...

John / gojira

gojira is a heroic economist... he knew the Japanese would not properly rebuild after WW II, so he destroyed the major cities to force them to modernize...
he knew they would kill him - so sad...

[The XWord Rabbit]

Okay, you muggles ...
The XWord Rabbit is here ... and very soon he will be handing out nominations for the Golden Rabbit Hole Award.
What's that? Well, here you go:



Tired of seeing the same Muggles get all the glory every week?
Tired of never being appreciated for all your wasted efforts,
trying unsuccessfully to solve a meta?

Well, rejoice!

Today we're delighted to announce the creation of a new feature of this forum:

THE GOLDEN RABBIT HOLE AWARD

Yes, the time has come to recognize those who share their frustrations -- if not their
solutions -- with us. Each week your posts will be reviewed for details of your mega --
excuse us -- meta failures. The best -- or should we say "worst" -- will be
marked with a nomination award. Every few months we’ll announce finalists, all
leading up to a GOLDEN RABBIT HOLE TROPHY next year.

Nominations and finalists will be based on three things:
1. The uniqueness and futility of the method.
2. The conviction of the solver and the apparent extremes taken (both in length
and complexity) to implement it.
3. How funny it is.

These awards will be limited to entries of the Friday WSJ puzzle, but that may change in the future.
For now, you don't need to do a thing -- except, maybe, share your rationale for
being deeply lost in the occasional* rabbit hole.

Good luck? ... well, you decide.

*OK - maybe more than "occasional."

[BigPear]

Hi, fellow Muggles—
I love the WSJ crossword and look forward to tackling the puzzle every Thursday night—Meta Eve! I have been a lurker on the discussion board for many months, but the Golden Rabbit Hole finally convinced me it was time to register officially. Don’t even get me started on the Square Routes I took last week to arrive—well, almost arrive— at LEAR. Sometimes it’s better not to talk about it.

I hope Gaffney and Shenk know how much their efforts mean to us. Winning a mug is a thrill, but knowing that a community of like-minded puzzlers is grappling over these (evil) geniuses’ brilliant torture devices week after week is a gift in itself.

Puzzle on!
Suzanne
Pearland, TX

[Fogway]

Hello. I'm not new to crosswords, but I'm new to WSJ crosswords. I'm also new to this subset called "meta" crosswords. These are a different breed; fairly easy grid, but challenging meta, to say the least.

On my third meta try, I finally scored! Maybe having Toto in the background with "I miss the rains down in Africa" helped? Dunno.

About me, I'm a 72-year old attorney in Dayton, Ohio. As I slow down in the law practice, I find that I have more time for other pursuits -- such as traveling, daily exercise, and yes -- meta crosswords!

Lurking on your board the past few weeks, I decided that you all are smart and engaging, so I decided to sign up.

As an aside: Several weeks ago I saw that many of you were posting the same word, so I naturally assumed that "ASHORE" was the meta answer to that week's puzzle contest. I kept trying to figure out how that word could have anything to do with astronomy. Ah, my naivete!

Terry

[Bob cruise director]

Hello. I'm not new to crosswords, but I'm new to WSJ crosswords. I'm also new to this subset called "meta" crosswords. These are a different breed; fairly easy grid, but challenging meta, to say the least.

On my third meta try, I finally scored! Maybe having Toto in the background with "I miss the rains down in Africa" helped? Dunno.

About me, I'm a 72-year old attorney in Dayton, Ohio. As I slow down in the law practice, I find that I have more time for other pursuits -- such as traveling, daily exercise, and yes -- meta crosswords!

Lurking on your board the past few weeks, I decided that you all are smart and engaging, so I decided to sign up.

As an aside: Several weeks ago I saw that many of you were posting the same word, so I naturally assumed that "ASHORE" was the meta answer to that week's puzzle contest. I kept trying to figure out how that word could have anything to do with astronomy. Ah, my naivete!

Terry

Terry
Welcome to the group. You will find that this is the most collegial and understanding group you have ever been with. We are here for enjoyment.

Now for ship and shore. When the WSJ started metas in 2015, most of us were like you, experience in crosswords but unfamiliar with metas. As a result, when we had no idea where to go next we were "lost at sea". So what followed was if you got the meta you made it to shore - sometimes the wrong shore or a deserted island. And very quickly those lost at sea were on the Love Boat enjoying drinks served by the bartender Isaac whose picture is at the top of the page. A more detailed description is under Come Aboard/FAQ-Community/solving resources.

viewtopic.php?t=34

Also in that topic are a wealth of advice on how to approach solving metas including all the past WSJ crosswords.

And the WSJ is not the only meta. Matt Gaffney has his Weekly Crossword Contest (MGWCC) that comes out as a subscription service on Fridays ($3/month) and there are many others listed under Other meta contests.

After Covid hit and we all started using zoom, we evolved and there are now three weekly zoom sessions. On Friday at 4:30 pm Eastern time there is a group solve, on Sunday at 8 pm there is a Last Call group solve and on Tuesday at 7:30 pm we have a get together to talk about metas or whatever comes up except anything political.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I will fill in the blanks

Bob Stevens
Your humble cruise director

[debstew]

Hi, I'm Debra and am a crossword nut. My sister just introduced me to the Muggles. I'm from Washington State, a (maybe retiring?) teacher, and an outdoors lover! Thanks for having me, I'm happy to be here!

[mysterebus]

Hello fellow enthusiasts! Excited to join your ranks. I just got into puzzles and crosswords earlier this year, and leaned a lot into WORDLE and the NYT dailies (I’m almost on a 200 day solve streak!). I was looking into crossword construction, and learning more about Patrick Berry, leading me to discover the WSJ Crossword Contest a few days ago. Got mugging on my mind now! Looking forward to learning more from you all.

[Oxford Comma Mama]

Hello,
I started doing crosswords as a way to procrastinate on homework, haha. In the last few years I had taken to doing the USA Today puzzles, but when they changed things I went looking for a new puzzle to do for free and found the Wall Street Journal puzzle. I'm sure glad I did, because the USA Today puzzles were easier and I was getting a big head about how fast I could do them! I soon discovered the WSJ contest puzzles, and now I'm hooked. Came across this forum and after lurking for a while, and decided to come aboard. You seem like a lovely and lively bunch, and I'm happy to join you as I struggle to solve the metas - and very occasionally experience the triumph that keeps me coming back for more!

[MikeM000]

Hello,
I started doing crosswords as a way to procrastinate on homework, haha. In the last few years I had taken to doing the USA Today puzzles, but when they changed things I went looking for a new puzzle to do for free and found the Wall Street Journal puzzle. I'm sure glad I did, because the USA Today puzzles were easier and I was getting a big head about how fast I could do them! I soon discovered the WSJ contest puzzles, and now I'm hooked. Came across this forum and after lurking for a while, and decided to come aboard. You seem like a lovely and lively bunch, and I'm happy to join you as I struggle to solve the metas - and very occasionally experience the triumph that keeps me coming back for more!

I signed up for a year's subscription to the USA Today around the beginning of the pandemic, also around when Erik Agard took it over. While I enjoyed each puzzle individually and appreciated the modern outlook on things he brought, every one was same-ish. I knew I could do it in the same 2-minute low/high range of elapsed time, and none would be appreciably more difficult or have different wordplay or weirdness to it. Not saying he should copy the NYT patterns, but do *something* to differentiate....

FYI - If you have an Android tablet download a (totally) free app called Alphacross. One of its features is that it will auto-download newly published crosswords from a variety of good sources - LA Times, USA Today, Newsday, WSJ (never the Friday one though!), and Universal syndication are listed.

[Joe Ross]

Apropos of nothing, here is autumn Layla, my son's whelp:

[trickybit]

Hi, I'm Jim. I'm mostly a NYT Saturday and any Acrostic solver. Joining because I just solved my second WSJ Friday, ever.

[aschuchert]

Hi! I'm Anna. I got hooked on WSJ crossword puzzles during my senior year of college. It's become a ritual - I haven't missed a single day of doing a WSJ xword for 4 years!

Despite that, I have only just recently attempted a Friday meta. I did all 4 parts of the Crossword Contest 101 course and have been practicing on older Fridays to sharpen my skills. Looking forward to getting better!

[SReh26]

Hello fellow enthusiasts! Excited to join your ranks. I just got into puzzles and crosswords earlier this year, and leaned a lot into WORDLE and the NYT dailies (I’m almost on a 200 day solve streak!). I was looking into crossword construction, and learning more about Patrick Berry, leading me to discover the WSJ Crossword Contest a few days ago. Got mugging on my mind now! Looking forward to learning more from you all.

Got your mind on your muggles and your muggles on your mind? welcome!

[meowmiao71]

I've been on this forum for a while, but am just now introducing myself. I've been into crossword puzzles for as long as I can remember, but got into cryptic crosswords shortly after my partner G and I first started dating back in 2004. He was introduced to them by his dad.

We moved to Santa Fe (G's parents live here too) from California in 2020, and G and I work on the puzzle together on Thursday and help his dad (a previous mug winner!) with it as needed. We share our house with an extremely spoiled but smart, loveable, and exceptionally cute cat named Momo. G is retired and I am unemployed but looking for work. In addition to crossword puzzles, I enjoy reading, TV/movies, and video games. Pleasure to meet you all!

[Terri]

Hi, I’m Terri, new to the puzzle contest and very, very lost.