MGWCC #821 — "Read That Back To Me"

[minimuggle]

Got it with help from discord. Very fun one but boy did I explore some deep rabbit holes .

[clonefitz]

On the board. Is it time for a Smithwick's yet?

It's always time for a Smithwick's!

[Tina]

Woo-hoo! Streak is back at 1, and I see by the leaderboard that I am in very good company in that regard!

[Laura M]

I think have the meta version of The Yips (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yips). Can anybody recommend a good crossword therapist? :-)

Anyway for various reasons it took me until now, but I think I'll beam up with the next update, phew.

[Joe Ross]

Beamed.

[woozy]

I think have the meta version of The Yips (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yips). Can anybody recommend a good crossword therapist?

Anyway for various reasons it took me until now, but I think I'll beam up with the next update, phew.

If you can not get *this* one, there is a *really* good reason why.

The was an instruction we were given that was so out of the blue and different that we probably never even noticed we were given it. But without it... well, this meta defies all we know about language and speech... I'd suggest going back the Matt Gaffneys page or the email and reread *everything*and count things

[Joe Ross]

[Laura M]

I think have the meta version of The Yips (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yips). Can anybody recommend a good crossword therapist? :-)

Anyway for various reasons it took me until now, but I think I'll beam up with the next update, phew.

If you can not get *this* one, there is a *really* good reason why.

Honestly I don't think this was unfair at all. The last across entry (often a significant one) contained a pointed hint which cross-referenced nicely with "cartoonist" in the prompt. Totally my fault for just skimming over it with "Oh yeah I read that one, it was cute." It was a *little* unfortunate that it was the first letters of the entries that were needed, instead of the letters right before the "album names" which I thought would make more sense, but that wasn't impossible to figure out.

Really the thing is, I'm kind of serious about The Yips. I'm going into (especially Gaffney) metas now with the assumption that I won't be able to solve them, and I can't get my brain not to be so defeatist! Stop it, brain.

[woozy]

OMG... I just realized 67A explicitely tells us to look at the comic. Directly. (Somehow I just assumed that he was plugging the strip in general and not the *specific* comic that was in the e-mail.)

Geez. I really *don't* have an excuse for not thinking outside the box! No wonder so many people found it easy.

EDIT:

Honestly I don't think this was unfair at all.

For the record, I was never claiming it was unfair. I was merely claiming if you were staring and not seeing anything there was a very good reason (namely the entire meta hinges and non-sensical letters).

Now admittedly the last clue of xkcd *should* have tipped me but it didn't. So it's not as difficult as I first thought. But even hard it wasn't unfair.

EDIT 2:

I had a really bad case of the Yips in Jan. It's mostly over but Gaffney has been giving me trouble a lot. Hated the week before this one (still do). But loved this (for me) difficult one.