XWord Muggles Forum

Posting this from Lake Placid, NY, where the family and I have escaped to for a few days.

The title is "End of the Line" and the answer is a four-word question. I will be trying to stay mostly unplugged this week, so I probably won't be checking PMs for a while. Even so, you can PM me your answer and I will reply later in the week.

End of the Line.puz

End of the Line.pdf

I'm going to give a preemptive nudge since I don't know if I will log in for nudge Wednesday. I also feel like I should note that the meta is dependent upon familiarity with one piece of information. I think that most in this group will have that information, but in case not, this nudge should give you a Google starting point.

37-Across is not part of the theme set of answers, but is a hint to the theme.

Good luck and enjoy!

Off the couch!

Awaiting Brian's confirmation. Though as he warned, it may take a while. (No rush, Brian. Enjoy Lake Placid!)

EDIT: Brian has confirmed.

Off the couch and submitted to Brian, who I hope is enjoying Lake Placid.

EDIT:
Confirmed.

Having submitted, then read the nudge, I am confident that I am

I am off the couch.
I accidently posted the answer I got to here instead of in a PM for a few seconds - if you saw it, I do apologize! Just me being a 17A.
In any case it was a fun puzzle!

Submitted. Fun and funny.

Solved, I guess.

After step one, I had an idea (which I still like) that worked for two out of four. So I went elsewhere, submitted, and said, to quote a regular contributor to this board, "final answer."

Did anyone elese remember that the AG at 21A had a sheet thrown over a larger-than-life statue of The Spirit of Justice in the DoJ because said female Spirit had two exposed larger-than-life cast-aluminum breasts? (You can make your own jokes here about what our current vice-president would have done and then what his boss would have done.)

Anyway, as Prof. Spooner, after he'd quit Oxford and become a horse thief, asked a potential customer, "Would you . . . .?"

Solved, awaiting confirmation.

And confirmed.

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:21 pm After step one, I had an idea (which I still like) that worked for two out of four. So I went elsewhere, submitted, and said, to quote a regular contributor to this board, "final answer."

Did anyone elese remember that the AG at 21A had a sheet thrown over a larger-than-life statue of The Spirit of Justice in the DoJ because said female Spirit had two exposed larger-than-life cast-aluminum breasts? (You can make your own jokes here about what our current vice-president would have done and then what his boss would have done.)

Anyway, as Prof. Spooner, after he'd quit Oxford and become a horse thief, asked a potential customer, "Would you . . . .?"

It was John Ashcroft, not Danforth. Official line was that the cover improved the room's use as a TV backdrop. Who knows . . .

cbarbee002 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:18 pm

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:21 pm After step one, I had an idea (which I still like) that worked for two out of four. So I went elsewhere, submitted, and said, to quote a regular contributor to this board, "final answer."

Did anyone elese remember that the AG at 21A had a sheet thrown over a larger-than-life statue of The Spirit of Justice in the DoJ because said female Spirit had two exposed larger-than-life cast-aluminum breasts? (You can make your own jokes here about what our current vice-president would have done and then what his boss would have done.)

Anyway, as Prof. Spooner, after he'd quit Oxford and become a horse thief, asked a potential customer, "Would you . . . .?"

It was John Ashcroft, not Danforth. Official line was that the cover improved the room's use as a TV backdrop. Who knows . . .

Right. Interesting that their names share five out of eight letters, which is probably why I confused them. I should have checked Google.

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:21 pm

cbarbee002 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:18 pm

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:21 pm After step one, I had an idea (which I still like) that worked for two out of four. So I went elsewhere, submitted, and said, to quote a regular contributor to this board, "final answer."

Did anyone elese remember that the AG at 21A had a sheet thrown over a larger-than-life statue of The Spirit of Justice in the DoJ because said female Spirit had two exposed larger-than-life cast-aluminum breasts? (You can make your own jokes here about what our current vice-president would have done and then what his boss would have done.)

Anyway, as Prof. Spooner, after he'd quit Oxford and become a horse thief, asked a potential customer, "Would you . . . .?"

It was John Ashcroft, not Danforth. Official line was that the cover improved the room's use as a TV backdrop. Who knows . . .

Right. Interesting that their names share five out of eight letters, which is probably why I confused them. I should have checked Google.

Too funny. When I read the clue, I also went to "Ashcroft".

Off the couch! Not officially verified, but no question; I did use the hint though. Really nice!

Solved, nice aha moment.

I think I have it. Not sure...

I got a good chuckle out of 17-Across.

edit: confirmed!

Schmeel wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:18 pm I am off the couch.
I accidently posted the answer I got to here instead of in a PM for a few seconds - if you saw it, I do apologize! Just me being a 17A.
In any case it was a fun puzzle!

I haven't made this mistake yet, but I have anxiety about it every time I send an answer via pm! I did actually see your spoiler post, so I don't have to worry about solving this one. I'm not sure I would have gotten it anyway. Almost certainly not without the nudge, but I don't think my chances were great.

FrankieHeck wrote: ↑Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:36 am

Schmeel wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:18 pm I am off the couch.
I accidently posted the answer I got to here instead of in a PM for a few seconds - if you saw it, I do apologize! Just me being a 17A.
In any case it was a fun puzzle!

I haven't made this mistake yet, but I have anxiety about it every time I send an answer via pm! I did actually see your spoiler post, so I don't have to worry about solving this one. I'm not sure I would have gotten it anyway. Almost certainly not without the nudge, but I don't think my chances were great.

Re the anxiety - so do I.
I just happened to be posting in the middle of a teenage fracas going on around me, and my level of concentration was not as it should have been. In retrospect I probably should have waited until quiet decended on my house. Maybe 10 years.
In any case, I'm sorry yet again for the spoiler. To you and any other schlimazel I happened to be a 17A for.

Off the couch (not confirmed, but seems obvious). Very fun puzzle - - was difficult (for me) to find the "hook" to begin, but once I found that, the rest was muscle memory.

Confirmed