Taking One for the Team

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
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Bird Lives
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Taking One for the Team

#1

Post by Bird Lives »

In anticipation of the football game next Sunday, the prompt for today’s MMM is:

The answer is an entertainer at a past Super Bowl Halftime show.

Some Googling may be necessary, depending on your knowledge in various categories. As for difficulty, FanDuel lays this one at 2½.

Thanks to @Abide for test solving and wise counsel and to @Joe Ross for making the theme-designating asterisks easier to distinguish from quotation marks. He has also upgraded the font you see in the .pdf below from Roboto to Nunito Sans for what our typographical team assures us is a more professional look.


Taking One for the Team
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Jay
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Joe Ross
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#2

Post by Joe Ross »

Thanks to Jay @Bird Lives for stepping in last-minute with this puzzle, then his patience, counsel, & willingness to edit while we all worked out the font issue.
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ky-mike
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#3

Post by ky-mike »

Off the couch. Great way to start Super Bowl week.
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Meg
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#4

Post by Meg »

OTC. Nice one, Jay!
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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boharr
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#5

Post by boharr »

Off the couch. Till Sunday. Thanks for a clever puzzle, Jay.
And thanks to @Joe Ross for the work on those asterisks. So eye saving.
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woozy
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#6

Post by woozy »

67A .... well, that's cheery... hopefully I might have solve this meta by then.

(I think I have the key, but I can't get it together.)
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.
Dave C
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#7

Post by Dave C »

OTC - well done, Jay.
minimuggle
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#8

Post by minimuggle »

I keep thinking I have found the key but can't get it to work....
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HeadinHome
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#9

Post by HeadinHome »

Really don’t know what to do with this one. I see some things that sort of have commonality, but some are just ???. Intrigued. And waiting for a nudge.

UPDATE - got a little nudge from @boharr … still took quite a while, with some lists in front of me and lots of searching searching searching. And a few extra guesses on Crosshare.

OTC and now I need a nap!
Last edited by HeadinHome on Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
The other Wendy. :roll:
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rjy
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#10

Post by rjy »

HeadinHome wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 2:53 pm Really don’t know what to do with this one. I see some things that sort of have commonality, but some are just ???. Intrigued. And waiting for a nudge.
Same here... a rabbit hole or two, but myriad dead ends. Time for the set-it-aside-and-come-back tactic
Ray
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benchen71
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#11

Post by benchen71 »

Off the couch! Surprised myself!!
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:
MatthewL
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#12

Post by MatthewL »

Off the couch. Very clever one, Jay! Thanks for the puzzle.
Matthew
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woozy
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#13

Post by woozy »

Is it just me or has the TAB key stopped working on CrossHare after the grid is complete? *VERY* annoying.
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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HeadinHome
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#14

Post by HeadinHome »

CrossHare has been doing some interesting things… yesterday it dumped a few of my answers out and I had to fill the in again. ?
The other Wendy. :roll:
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Bird Lives
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#15

Post by Bird Lives »

I can’t do anything about technical difficulties at Crosshare. But I can offer help with other difficulties. Apparently the Fan Duel handicappers were way off in their assessment of difficulty. They’re raising the point spread.

Traditionally, Wednesday is Nudgeday (yes, we have traditions here at the MMM), so I may be jumping offsides, but since some people seem to have gotten off to a false start or no start at all, here are a couple of early nudges.

Parsing the title, one might say that solving the meta is a singular achievement.

Along similar lines, eleven Easter eggs are nestled in the clues. A couple of the clues hold more than one. These goodies are not necessary for the solution, but they might help. And it might be enjoyable just to find them and put them in your basket.
Jay
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Anita
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#16

Post by Anita »

That was a wild ride but I believe we've got it now. Off the couch!
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KayW
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#17

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :couch_and_lamp: :football: OTC. Superb :owl: !
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
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#18

Post by lbray53 »

Pretty sure I have it but Crosshare will not allow me to submit. I solved on paper and now cannot get to the page where I select reveal puzzle and then go to the submission page.

EDIT: Once I revealed the nudges in Crosshare I was able to see the grid and reveal to get to the submission form.

Great puzzle Jay!
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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Streroto
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#19

Post by Streroto »

OTC. Super fun and clever. Nice AHA moment.

Stay well all
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woozy
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#20

Post by woozy »

HeadinHome wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:25 pm CrossHare has been doing some interesting things… yesterday it dumped a few of my answers out and I had to fill the in again. ?
That happened to me once over this weekend. All in all though I've gotten a lot out of crosshare so I shouldn't complain too much.
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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