XWord Muggles Forum

Wow that was a choppy voyage but I am off the couch. Quite a fun challenge. Thanks Jay

Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:40 pm

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 6:53 am Nine more solvers arrived yesterday.

38. Alex Sisti
39. DCBilly
40. Anita and Steve
41. Cindy Heisler
42. lbray53
43. CPJohnson
44. Eric Porter
45. Streroto
46. markhr

I did not make the cut?

Email yesterday at 8:51 am

You're probably #37. The previous list ended at #36.

Got to this late - off the couch!
Thanks for the puzzle.

OTC, no nudges needed, just got to it late also...thanks Jay!

With another eleven solvers since the last roll call, “Crossroads” ends its journey with a total of fifty-eight.

47. Adam Simon Levine
48. Carolyn
49. minimuggle
50. LB800
51. Dow Jones
52. Bob cruise director
53. BarbaraK
54. Schmeel
55. Qmark
56. Wendy Walker
57. Rufus T Firefly
58. DrTom

The answer is TURNOFFS.

The grid had four intersections where two 7-letter entries crossed. Each of those entries could take a right-angle turn – left for Down entries, right for Across entries — and form a completely different 7-letter word. And I do mean completely. The CAP of CAPTORS is a different root from the CAP of CAPTIONS. And similarly for the other seven.

Those new, angled words (not newfangled words) as part of a crossword needed clues. These were to be found elsewhere. The clue for 68 Across was “They can hold enemies for years.” That might be a clue for CAPTORS. In the puzzle, however, it was the clue for FEUDS. The initial letter, F, became part of the answer. The initial letters of the entries for those double-duty clues, taken in order top to bottom spelled the answer.
. .

Thanks for very generous comments.

Excellent job, Jay! This was one of my favorite metas of the past year. I just wish I had come up with that awesome mechanism.

Cap'n Rick wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 12:50 pm Excellent job, Jay! This was one of my favorite metas of the past year. I just wish I had come up with that awesome mechanism.

Agreed. This is a brilliant meta concept beautifully executed!

@Bird Lives, count me as solver #59- I figured it out before your reveal.
You may be a kind elderly man with a poor memory, but you get my vote for meta creator extraordinaire
Here is my version of garden crossroads