MEOW #165 Unwanted Visitors

A weekly meta crossword on the forum started by member Josh (aka madhatter5). These puzzles are often very creative with solving mechanisms out of the norm and skewing towards the more challenging. Puzzles are posted every Wednesday, and the solution appears the following Tuesday.
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benchen71
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MEOW #165 Unwanted Visitors

#1

Post by benchen71 »

This puzzle was constructed while I desperately tried to solve the last MGWCC of 2023. (If you recall, there were no successful solvers for more than 18 hours! I could have got the achievement "1-Across" - usually impossible when the puzzle drops at 4am my time - if only I'd managed to solve it before everyone else!) Anyway, to the puzzle at hand, I have a feeling the grid is going to be the biggest challenge you will face. The answer to the meta is a plural noun.

The easiest way to submit is on Crosshare (and you get instant feedback and unlimited attempts!) But you can also PM me with your submission. Either way, I'll compile a list of those who successfully solve the meta.

Unwanted Visitors - Crosshare
Unwanted Visitors - PUZ
Unwanted Visitors - PDF - I recommend using pencil for this one!

Kitten
Calico
Persian
Puma
Lion

Nudges are here.
The solution is here.

cover.jpg

(If you are wondering about the above image, I used Dall-E to extend the original cartoon in both directions; the resulting weirdness has absolutely nothing to do with the meta!)

And let's do the prize thing again! One successful solver will be selected at random and will receive the MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack (which, by the way, is available for purchase here. The winner (and purchasers!) will gain access to 14 metas (and a mega-meta, which no one has yet solved!) that will fit nicely into your spare moments, should you have any!
Last edited by benchen71 on Mon Jan 29, 2024 3:13 pm, edited 2 times 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! :shock:
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woozy
Posts: 2214
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:40 am

#2

Post by woozy »

Hah! Fun Aha! moment.

Weird things slipping in on the edge of the cartoons a hilariously surreal.

Funny weird day. Loved it.
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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hoover
Posts: 1366
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:26 pm

#3

Post by hoover »

Cat is out of the bag!
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SamKat9
Posts: 270
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2023 7:45 pm
Location: Southeast Florida

#4

Post by SamKat9 »

Cat's out of the bag and knocking over a jar of Vegemite.
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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boharr
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Location: Westchester, NY

#5

Post by boharr »

Scat cat.
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rjy
Posts: 1032
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2021 12:52 pm
Location: Gaithersburg, MD

#6

Post by rjy »

Debagged the cat! Thanks, Ben
Ray
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MatthewL
Posts: 766
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:57 am
Location: Atlanta, GA

#7

Post by MatthewL »

Cat is on the loose. Thanks for the Wednesday wackiness, Ben!
Matthew
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whimsy
Posts: 2786
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Hopkinton MA

#8

Post by whimsy »

Lots of fun once I figured out what was going on!
Untitledzzspayed.png
(Sam Spayed?)

Thanks, Ben!
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Ergcat
Posts: 785
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:12 pm
Location: Seneca SC

#9

Post by Ergcat »

The cat 39d!
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hcbirker
Posts: 2017
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:24 pm
Location: Studio City, CA

#10

Post by hcbirker »

Cat is out! That was fun! Nicely constructed.
Heidi
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Cinny
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#11

Post by Cinny »

Cat is out and about. Thanks, Ben!
Cindy Heisler
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Darth
Posts: 739
Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:51 pm
Location: Champaign, IL

#12

Post by Darth »

Cat's out catching unwanted visitors... Thanks, Ben.
cat-bringing-dead-animal-min-e1684955681250-960x540.jpg
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ChrisKochmanski
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Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
Location: Saline, Michigan

#13

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Bag sans cat!
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ReB
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Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:34 pm
Location: East Tennessee

#14

Post by ReB »

Cat is free after Dr. Google helped with completing the grid. Quite ingenious.
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KayW
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Location: Chicago

#15

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :cat: Cat is out. Fun one - thanks!
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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lbray53
Posts: 1223
Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 8:34 am
Location: Elkhorn, WI

#16

Post by lbray53 »

Cat is out of the bag! I LOVED this puzzle.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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Berto
Posts: 351
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:10 pm

#17

Post by Berto »

Cat is officially released!

Guessed the answer first thing this morning (having noticed something and then another thing) but hadn’t completed the grid. And had a school run, and a pesky job get in the way. Finally time to fill everything in and submit while kids are drifting off to sleep.
Apologies to the cat for the extended period in the bag.
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HeadinHome
Posts: 1090
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:06 am
Location: Charlotte, NC

#18

Post by HeadinHome »

Could have sworn I posted here this morning after solving. Must have gotten distracted… it happens.

Cat escaped and stormed the castle (it’s a Ben puzzle, after all). Fun & different!
The other Wendy. :roll:
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benchen71
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#19

Post by benchen71 »

It's been a good first day! 51 solvers to get us started:

woozy
Laura M
Dow Jones
Danny K Bernstein
atsirica111191
hoover
SamKat9
Philip Chow
Tom Wilson
Pair O Ducks
Cindy Weatherman
boharr
AxelPlays
HeadinHome
DCBilly
rjy
LarsCaine
Meg
whimsy
MatthewL
JM
Alex Sisti
Carolyn
Paul S
Hector
DIS
Sharkicicles
Ergcat
dannyvee
heidi
Bird Lives
markhr
rfj
Cindy Heisler
Mg305
Johnny Luau
Darth
kurtalert
I K Snamhcok
jbird
Mr Tex
Gutman
Tim
LindaPRmaven
ReB
KayW
Tyrpmom
lbray53
Shae
Berto
Adam Simon Levine
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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CPJohnson
Posts: 1092
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:38 pm
Location: Kingsport, TN

#20

Post by CPJohnson »

Got it; thanks, Ben!
Cynthia
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