Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2024 10:47 am
Cat is finally free, after nudges, nudges and more nudges. Thanks for the puzzle, Whimsy!
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A place to discuss the WSJ Weekly Crossword Contest and other "meta"-style crosswords
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MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Page 2 of 2
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2024 2:18 pm
Kitty cat escaped the bag, but wants back in. Too cold outside for cat games.
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:41 pm
Several more zookeepers --
Benchen71
Dow Jones
DCBilly
MatthewL
Sharkicicles
ky-mike
Cindy Heisler
CPJohnson
Keep up the good work! 
Benchen71
Dow Jones
DCBilly
MatthewL
Sharkicicles
ky-mike
Cindy Heisler
CPJohnson
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2024 9:02 am
Thought of another nudge late last night -- clears up something a tester noticed:
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 9:13 am
Latest round of zoo benefactors --
LindaPRmaven
Berto
JM
Jbird
MaineMarge
Bob cruise director
"Throw 'em a fish!"
LindaPRmaven
Berto
JM
Jbird
MaineMarge
Bob cruise director
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:30 pm
Needed nudges but the cat is free! Clever mechanism!
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 3:27 pm
Another visitor has gained access as we start winding down -
Ergcat
Reveal tomorrow.
Ergcat
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 10:58 am
With a big thank you to @KayW, here's the reveal --
I think she caught the tone of the puzzle perfectly with her slightly goofy critters!
The first half of the title, Short Statement is a cue to find the 2 letter state codes indicated by the 9 cities found in the grid.
Knowledge of @Cap'n Rick's precision and penchant for symmetry should have helped you find those. And while there are quite a few towns and cities with those names in various states, we thought we picked the largest/most well-known.
The second part of the title served as a bit of a prod, putting you in mind of "large beasts." It also acted as confirmation and a little chance for some fun word play: animals that might charge at you, ones that would be costly for a zoo to acquire, and the creatures' status as charges once they were in the care of the zoo.
Hope you all enjoyed playing!
And from the Cap'n and myself --
The first half of the title, Short Statement is a cue to find the 2 letter state codes indicated by the 9 cities found in the grid.
Knowledge of @Cap'n Rick's precision and penchant for symmetry should have helped you find those. And while there are quite a few towns and cities with those names in various states, we thought we picked the largest/most well-known.
The second part of the title served as a bit of a prod, putting you in mind of "large beasts." It also acted as confirmation and a little chance for some fun word play: animals that might charge at you, ones that would be costly for a zoo to acquire, and the creatures' status as charges once they were in the care of the zoo.
Hope you all enjoyed playing!
And from the Cap'n and myself --
Re: MEOW# 164 Short Statement; Beastly Large Charge
Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 12:19 pm
Very happy to finally get a chance to team up with @whimsy, a fellow Bay Stater whom I've had the opportunity to meet in person a couple of times. Claudia has pretested and provided excellent feedback for most of the metas I've created, and I'm glad I had a chance to help with one of her puzzles.