MEOW #166 - Gimme An A!

[Streroto]

Yes those cats unfortunately did not get their due. I was rooting for them!!!

Thought I had it and miscounted. Back to the drawing board.

Stay well.

[CPJohnson]

Solved! Thanks, @DrTom!

[rjy]

“…there’s the rub”
I finally rubbed it out of my eyes for just a terrific aha! Loved it!

[Bird Lives]

It was a cloudy day here. The cat came out of the bag, didn't see its shadow, and is looking forward to several more weeks of metas.

[DrTom]

Well, as Larry David would say "pretty good, pretty, pretty good". The solver board for the day is A1:

1 benchen71
2 Berto
3 hoover
4 Jeremy Smith
5 Pair O Ducks
6 Cindy Weatherman
7 JM
8 trypmom
9 Hector
10 Chris Kochmanski
11 kymike
12 Meg
13 MatthewL
14 boharr
15 SamKat9
16 lbray53
17 whimsy
18 woozy
19 Bird Lives
20 andeux
21 ergcat
22 ajk
23 Philip Chow
24 Mwoychick
25 Darth
26 Laura M
27 Carolyn
28 DIS
29 hcbirker
30 Danny K Bernstein
31 Gutman
32 CPJohnson
33 rjy

Thanks to all of the solvers so far who have looked past the blemishes to reach the answer.

Tom

[DrTom]

It was a cloudy day here. The cat came out of the bag, didn't see its shadow, and is looking forward to several more weeks of metas.

I thought it was if he DID see his shadow that we had several more weeks of metas...doesn't matter because either way I am sure we do! Maybe it is if he comes out in summer and sees a crossword we have several more weeks of shadows...too confusing, somebody does something, sees something and then something happens.

[Bird Lives]

It was a cloudy day here. The cat came out of the bag, didn't see its shadow, and is looking forward to several more weeks of metas.

I thought it was if he DID see his shadow that we had several more weeks of metas.

Right. If he sees his shadow, he goes back in the bag for six weeks. That also means no metas. It's hard enough to do them when you're half in the bag. Being entirely in the bag would make them all but impossible.

[HeadinHome]

Tom you are required to continue constructing, shadows or no. This was fun, and the cat enjoyed the de-bagging. Good nostalgia in this one too, for those of a certain age!

[Cinny]

The cat has managed to climb out of the bag. Thanks, Dr Tom!

[DrTom]

Tom you are required to continue constructing, shadows or no. This was fun, and the cat enjoyed the de-bagging. Good nostalgia in this one too, for those of a certain age!

OK, as long as I can still see I'll continue shadows or no. As for the clues being fun for those of a certain age; for you I managed to let you relive your childhood, for me it was the college years or later....sigh.

[DrTom]

It was a cloudy day here. The cat came out of the bag, didn't see its shadow, and is looking forward to several more weeks of metas.

I thought it was if he DID see his shadow that we had several more weeks of metas.

Right. If he sees his shadow, he goes back in the bag for six week. That also means no metas. It's hard enough to do them when you're half in the bag. Being entirely in the bag would make them all but impossible.

Oh, I don't know...I attended many Saturday AM undergraduate classes in that state.....granted "Economic Geography" was not as intense as making metas, but I did manage to get a solid B in that course (all of which predates my SECOND attempt at an education when I got very much more serious and although some of my class work might have been pickled, I was not!)

[DrTom]

Wow, you can always tell when the WSJ comes out, solvers really drop off. I haven't looked yet, hope it is not a brain burner. At any rat, my solver list has grown:

34 Dow Jones
35 riotblob
36 LarsCaine
37 rayyandroid
38 Headinhome
39 Cindy Heisler
40 Small Wave Dave

Perhaps I'll now go and join the WSJ solvers, or attempters as the case may be.

[jhseeman]

Cat finally got released, with a helpful nudge that let to a facepalm for my stupidity.....fun one Tom. Thanks

[KayW]

Cat nudged out of the bag. Fantastic meta, Tom - thanks!

[DrTom]

I see a trend here....

41 JHSeeman
42 Johnny Luau
43 KayW

Three more solvers got an A but the numbers are slowing to a trickle. Maybe some week-end warriors?

T

[DCBilly]

Um, I was told there would be nudges on Friday (checking calendar)

[KayW]

Um, I was told there would be nudges on Friday (checking calendar)

There are nudges on the Crosshare "Contest Prompt/Submission" page. (haha, I know - I wouldn't have solved without them!)

[DCBilly]

Um, I was told there would be nudges on Friday (checking calendar)

There are nudges on the Crosshare "Contest Prompt/Submission" page. (haha, I know - I wouldn't have solved without them!)

[DCBilly]

Oho, thanks! Checking it out...

[DrTom]

Saturday Solvers:

44 Alex Sisti
45 Sharkicicles

Plus, my sincere apologies. Apparently I am not to be trusted when sleepy or after a half botte of good wine or both. I put nudges up on Crosshare and forgot to put them here. I made then (kind of had to since I make the Muggle board ones first and then modify them for Crosshare's "secrecy" notation) just never posted. So here they are now:

Nudges:

The title is a big hint on what you are to do.

The theme answers are symmetric (which luckily helps eliminate an unintended red herring).

There are only 7 theme answers, so you are going to have to do something at the end.

The intro to the puzzle actually gives an example of what you must do in the puzzle.

I had to change a clue that is meta related, but luckily it does not affect the solve. Enya, as it turns out, is from the British Isles, but not British.

This meta is almost an exact opposite of one of Captain Rick's a month or more back.