MEOW #154 Safe Cracking
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Berto
- Posts: 351
- Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:10 pm
Ugh - needed the nudges. Should have gone back to my old ways… fun and clever though!
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MikeyG
- Posts: 1397
- Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 2:52 pm
- Location: Chicago
- Contact:
At least I got the grid pretty easily. 
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Cinny
- Posts: 820
- Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 2:53 pm
- Location: Minoa, NY
- Contact:
The cat escaped, but only because of the nudges. I faltered after filling in the grid, even after my husband told me that was likely the correct mechanism. I should have listened!! Thanks for the challenge, Ben!
Cindy Heisler
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HeadinHome
- Posts: 1090
- Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:06 am
- Location: Charlotte, NC
Still waiting for the reveal. I had actually tried the technique various ways, but since the possibilities seem endless as to how you could apply the concept and then where to look for the answer, I gave up.
The other Wendy. 
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rjy
- Posts: 1032
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2021 12:52 pm
- Location: Gaithersburg, MD
These were the kinds of nudges that didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, just a kick in the seat to keep at it (need a name for that…)
Safe cracked, famished feline freed… really enjoyed this different take on a puzzle. Fun one, Ben, thanks!
Safe cracked, famished feline freed… really enjoyed this different take on a puzzle. Fun one, Ben, thanks!
Ray
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lbray53
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 8:34 am
- Location: Elkhorn, WI
The hints really helped me. I was doing all of that BUT the final hint limited the possbilities to six. And I still had to work pretty hard at it. It actually helped me to go back and read the intro in the first post.
The cat is out of the bag but it looks a little dazed.
The cat is out of the bag but it looks a little dazed.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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edestlin
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2022 9:22 am
- Location: Michigan
- Contact:
Agreed, I still needed to try out all the combinations (and probably made mistakes that required rework) but it I heard the click and cracked the safe. Thanks, Ben!
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SamKat9
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2023 7:45 pm
- Location: Southeast Florida
Cat was nudged out of the bag, thanks Ben!
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!
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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Eric Porter
- Posts: 479
- Joined: Sun May 05, 2019 2:19 am
- Location: Nashville, TN
I let the cat out with the nudges. With #2, I thought it meant that the grid didn't matter at all, which confused me more.
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HeadinHome
- Posts: 1090
- Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:06 am
- Location: Charlotte, NC
Cat out, and responded well to my CPR. She’s never going into a sack again, she promises. Yeah… we’ll see about that.
Thanks for stretching us this week. I’m sure it’s good for our brains.
Thanks for stretching us this week. I’m sure it’s good for our brains.
The other Wendy.
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benchen71
- Posts: 2448
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
Nineteen more solvers, bring us up to 35, just one short of the 36 characters in this week's meta answer!
Jaclyn
Johnny Luau
MatthewL
JM
KayW
ajk
whimsy
Berto
Laura M
Sasha Campbell
Cindy Heisler
Gutman
lbray53
edestlin
SamKat9
Eric Porter
HeadinHome
SeamusOL
Tyrpmom
Answer imminent...
Jaclyn
Johnny Luau
MatthewL
JM
KayW
ajk
whimsy
Berto
Laura M
Sasha Campbell
Cindy Heisler
Gutman
lbray53
edestlin
SamKat9
Eric Porter
HeadinHome
SeamusOL
Tyrpmom
Answer imminent...
Last edited by benchen71 on Mon Nov 13, 2023 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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! 
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benchen71
- Posts: 2448
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
Here's the solution to "Safe Cracking":
This quote is often attributed to Willie Sutton. But in his autobiography he denied it. See https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/02/1 ... -money-is/ for more info.
As for the solving process, my hope was that you would see the "rings" and think "safe dials". At this point, I assumed everyone would think to try moving the dials 90 degrees at a time. I was wrong! Many of you went to great lengths to spin the dials one character at a time.
DrTom stumbled on an unintended pathway: using the side lengths of the "dials" as an indicator of how many turns to make: 6 for the outer, 4 for the middle, and then 2 for the centre. This works out to be 90 degrees for the outer two dials. But it also explains why the centre needs to be turned 180 degrees!
Hope you enjoyed my attempt to get inside the constructing head of @madhatter5!
This quote is often attributed to Willie Sutton. But in his autobiography he denied it. See https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/02/1 ... -money-is/ for more info.
As for the solving process, my hope was that you would see the "rings" and think "safe dials". At this point, I assumed everyone would think to try moving the dials 90 degrees at a time. I was wrong! Many of you went to great lengths to spin the dials one character at a time.
DrTom stumbled on an unintended pathway: using the side lengths of the "dials" as an indicator of how many turns to make: 6 for the outer, 4 for the middle, and then 2 for the centre. This works out to be 90 degrees for the outer two dials. But it also explains why the centre needs to be turned 180 degrees!
Hope you enjoyed my attempt to get inside the constructing head of @madhatter5!
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!
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DrTom
- Posts: 3782
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Ben, you stole the show!!! Everyone enjoyed the puzzle, can't wait to see what is next.
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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Joe Ross
- Moderator
- Posts: 5081
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
- Location: Cincinnati
I’m sorry but there were not any people in here who solved this in 3 seconds.
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DrTom
- Posts: 3782
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
For the Aussie to America translation:
(1) anticlockwise is NOT how your Uncle's wife with the sun dial tells time, it is counterclockwise
(2) centre is not a note referencing a penny it is actually what we know as center
I'm not being mean I am trying to safe-crack you up....
(1) anticlockwise is NOT how your Uncle's wife with the sun dial tells time, it is counterclockwise
(2) centre is not a note referencing a penny it is actually what we know as center
I'm not being mean I am trying to safe-crack you up....
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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benchen71
- Posts: 2448
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
You are right. That time is for grid completion. Usually I work my way through the grid as a final check of the clues. But this time I just used the "reveal grid" option!
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!
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sharkicicles
- Posts: 847
- Joined: Fri May 10, 2019 12:03 pm
- Location: Chicago
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benchen71
- Posts: 2448
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
Absolutely not! A solve is a solve, no matter how you did it!
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!
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DrTom
- Posts: 3782
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Well my friend I'll never upstage you on THAT!! I am in awe of people who have the capacity to make things work to their benefit, particularly computers. I have dabbled with programming, but that would be the same level of dabbling I have done with playing professional football, i.e. I once threw a football and I have watched it on TV.
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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rjy
- Posts: 1032
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2021 12:52 pm
- Location: Gaithersburg, MD
You are totally speaking my language there… I just wasn’t swift enough to think of that. Awesome!
Ray