MGWCC #819 — “The Odd Squad”

An excellent puzzle written by one of the innovators of the meta crossword format. It comes out every Friday at noon and increases in difficulty throughout the month. Available for modest subscription (worth every cent) here: www.xwordcontest.com
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Joe Ross
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MGWCC #819 — “The Odd Squad”

#1

Post by Joe Ross »

MGWCC #819 — Saturday, February 10th, 2024 — “The Odd Squad”


Dear Solver,

On to Week 2…

THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:

This week’s contest answer is a Best Actress Oscar winner of the 1980s.

Note: due to the delayed post, the entry deadline this week is Wednesday, February 14th at noon ET.

Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.


–Matt
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MikeyG
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#2

Post by MikeyG »

I think I have it - awaiting the beam while I quickly prep my Saturday meta (obvious self-promotion).

And up at #5! Good luck!

Image
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 92. It's a Breeze
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Dannyvee
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#3

Post by Dannyvee »

Seven correct and five incorrect…interesting
I can be found in Sheridan, NY, veejaying. (8)
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woozy
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#4

Post by woozy »

I don't know if I like or hate that early feeling when you just finish the grid and it's all out there and ... you have utterly no idea what to possibly do. Well, like it or not, that's where I am. The early day there's always the hope that sometime in the next eight hours a thought will come "oh, wait, what if...". Of course when it doesn't come by nightfall... that's when the dread sets in.
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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docison
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#5

Post by docison »

Well, I've submitted, but now I wait for an update - just missed one. And definitely didn't submit with 100% confidence.

But there I am, #10 on the board.

Wish Matt had used a slightly different prompt, which would have made it a no-doubter imo.
Last edited by docison on Sat Feb 10, 2024 1:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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MMe
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#6

Post by MMe »

Dannyvee wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 1:23 pm Seven correct and five incorrect…interesting
Some folks going for the 10% WAG odds. Which probably means one or more of the correct entries was a WAG too.
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HeadinHome
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#7

Post by HeadinHome »

Submitted and waiting. Will report back. Week 2? Ehhh… maybe?

ODDly, this would have been my WAG seeing the prompt. Then I justified it with a solid method.

Yep - there I am. ✅
Last edited by HeadinHome on Sat Feb 10, 2024 2:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The other Wendy. :roll:
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ajk
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#8

Post by ajk »

Beamed after at least an 85% lift from the group solve gang. No way I'd call this week 2, but that might just be me. :)

Fun idea though.
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
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BarbaraK
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#9

Post by BarbaraK »

Beam up requested. Was pretty confident until I saw 7 wrong submissions.

But probably as @MMe said, good one to guess on.
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.

(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
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ky-mike
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#10

Post by ky-mike »

Just missed an update, but will be on the board soon. Group solve and a couple of re-directions got me there.
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ChrisKochmanski
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#11

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Beamed!

Can’t say it was a completely solo solve. It helped me to check in on the Discord confab. Still had a nice aha.
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boharr
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#12

Post by boharr »

Beamed.
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Laura M
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#13

Post by Laura M »

On the board at lucky #42! Thankfully not as difficult (for me) as last month's week 2.
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schmidzy
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#14

Post by schmidzy »

Finally waiting for the beam, after tugging and tugging on lots of threads until one of them unexpectedly worked out. Quirky puzzle — definitely played harder than average for me!
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SamKat9
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#15

Post by SamKat9 »

Awaiting beam but I needed a nudge for this one. I know my brain and I don't think this mechanism would have occurred to me on my own.
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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Qmark
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#16

Post by Qmark »

Didn't get to this til today...awaiting beam, but pretty sure I got it. Enjoyable meta.
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Joe
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#17

Post by Joe »

woozy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 1:29 pm I don't know if I like or hate that early feeling when you just finish the grid and it's all out there and ... you have utterly no idea what to possibly do. Well, like it or not, that's where I am. The early day there's always the hope that sometime in the next eight hours a thought will come "oh, wait, what if...". Of course when it doesn't come by nightfall... that's when the dread sets in.
Exactly me right now. I didn't open the puzzle until this morning, and........ yeesh. Nothing.
Happy to give nudges. If you notice I've solved, please tell me about avenues you've explored so I can nudge you in the right direction and not off a cliff.
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lbray53
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#18

Post by lbray53 »

On the board at #78! I was in Discord for a while but could not bring it home. Went back to things I was working on and it popped out at me.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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Guffman
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#19

Post by Guffman »

It's a shame the XWord Rabbit does not collect stories for the Friday Gaffney because I have a dandy. Only with the help of ajk did I find a way out. IMO this was definitely not a week 2.
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BarbaraK
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#20

Post by BarbaraK »

Guffman wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 12:04 pm It's a shame the XWord Rabbit does not collect stories for the Friday Gaffney because I have a dandy. Only with the help of ajk did I find a way out. IMO this was definitely not a week 2.
The Rabbit may not be interested, but the rest of us looove stories! Will be looking for this one Wednesday afternoon.
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.

(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
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