XWord Muggles Forum

https://crosshare.org/crosswords/pzJZOSRweYEPka4xBMcT
This week's puzzle: Timeshare by Malaika Handa
Complexity Scale™ rating of 3/10.

Some nice clues, with two tough areas. My complexity scale is running a bit higher; time for another cuppa.

20210228 PB by Mailaika Handa — Timeshare — Excel form

20210228 PB by Mailaika Handa — Timeshare — PDF from PUZ

I came here hoping to find out that there was an error in one quadrant of the grid. Apparently the error is mine alone.

In case you might have overlooked this in the email, as I did at first, it looks potentially important (not that I've solved the meta, and not that I fully understand what this note means):

One thing to note as you solve - Malaika took a unique approach with this puzzle - it has both a standalone theme in addition to the meta. Keep that in mind, as it might help explain some of the connections you find.

Well, I think that I have it, but time will tell.

Out of the box - unconfirmed but confident.

Interesting having both a theme and a meta. I tried to do something with the former before moving on to the latter.

Was worried I had the theme not the meta....but confirmed I had the meta.

I’m on the dinotrain. Rather unusual solving process, imo.

I think I have both the theme and the meta, although I agree with Meg that it is a strange way to do a meta. I’ve been confirmed so me.

ky-mike wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 12:58 pm Well, I think that I have it, but time will tell.

My first inkling was not what they were looking for, but is a plausible answer. I have re-submitted what I hope to be the meta answer that the author is looking for.

Edit - confirmed.

Answer submitted.

Edit: Confirmed.

Whoosh. Seeing neither theme nor meta...

We're having trouble filling the grid. One corner stubbornly resists.

Dino me!

To anyone still at sea, note that I went into a deep, deep, almost unexplainable rabbit hole, which somehow, murkily, produced an answer. Will said nope, that's not it, so I accepted his offer of a hint, which helped to focus me.

Not going to be a Sunday solve for me. I'll keep working.

Solved

Tough fill and LOTS of distractions with the theme and meta mixed together. I got some help on focus and went back to fundamental solving techniques and there it was.

Saw both approaches and confirmed that I selected the correct solution.

I looked at it yesterday and nothing jumped out at me. Looked again and voila! Out of the box!