"Endnotes" - January 22, 2021

A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
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Bird Lives
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#181

Post by Bird Lives »

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:44 am the creator left a simpler path to follow, so the inelegance is his, not the solvers' For solvers that have followed the simpler path, you've done nothing for which you need to apologize.
Agreed that the elegance or inelegance is in the puzzle and must be attributed to the composer. As for the solver, it's not a matter of right and wrong ("need to apologize"). For me, it's not just about sending in the right answer but seeing all there is to see in the puzzle. I think the terms "short cut" and "scenic route" are apt. Is the goal to get from A to B, or is it to see what delights the trip can offer?

In some fields (math, science), what is elegant is also what is simple. But that doesn't hold in other areas. Yes, you can fast forward to the end of the movie to find out who the killer was, You can speed-walk through MOMA and say you've seen all the paintings. And you can down a 6-oz. glass of La Crema pinot noir in a couple of seconds. But that's not the point.

In the recent "Blank Stares" MGWCC, Barbara K said that she got the right answer from the entries in the grid but had overlooked the part of the puzzle hiding in plain sight in the clues: all the inportant clues had a blank in them. Me too and I kicked myself for missing that because I know that I would have enjoyed the experience of solving the puzzle more if I had actually noticed it.
Last edited by Bird Lives on Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Billy M
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#182

Post by Billy M »

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:31 pm
Joe Ross wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:44 am the creator left a simpler path to follow, so the inelegance is his, not the solvers' For solvers that have followed the simpler path, you've done nothing for which you need to apologize.
Agreed that the elegance or inelegance is in the puzzle and must be attributed to the composer. As for the solver, it's not a matter of right and wrong ("need to apologize"). For me, it's not just about sending in the right answer but seeing all there is to see in the puzzle. I think the terms "short cut" and "scenic route" are apt. Is the goal to get from A to B, or is it to see what delights the trip can offer?

In some fields (math, science), what is elegant is also what is simple. But that doesn't hold in other areas. Yes, you can fast forward to the end of the movie to find out who the killer was, And you can speed-walk through MOMA and say you've seen all the paintings. But that's not the point.

In the recent "Blank Stares" MGWCC, Barbara K said that she got the right answer from the entries in the grid but had overlooked the part of the puzzle hiding in plain sight in the clues: all the inportant clues had a blank in them. I missed that too, and I would have enjoyed the experience of solving the puzzle more if I had actually noticed it.
Thia is a wonderful way to put it and is why I joined the forum here after lurking for way too long
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lacangah
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#183

Post by lacangah »

Ashore!

I won't spoil the ending /rimshot

Good health and happy solving,
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Crest
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#184

Post by Crest »

Safely ashore.
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Lyman
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#185

Post by Lyman »

Ashore. Not for the first time, my "for sure" trailhead proved to be the start of a rabbit trail.
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halseymac
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#186

Post by halseymac »

Ashore! Solved grid and puzzle. Very fun!
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wb93
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#187

Post by wb93 »

Made it to shore. Brute force at first. But then figured out the rest of the mechanism.

Props to the author for the Ghostbusters clue. Two weeks in a row with Gen X - relevant movie references!
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seahawks_seashanty
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#188

Post by seahawks_seashanty »

Lost at sea....again. Wanted to find the path on my own, but still can't do it. Can anyone provide a nudge in the right direction? Appreciate this great community!
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ajk
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#189

Post by ajk »

Ashore. Slunk down the shortcut path and eventually submitted, but then went back and found the scenic one after another 20 minutes or so and a couple of diversions. Maitai time.
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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jhseeman
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#190

Post by jhseeman »

On Shore, the subconscious, with some help from a Kraken and Coke Zero accomplishes it's task. Finished the beverage, paid Isaac and had a nice swim to shore.
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jhseeman
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#191

Post by jhseeman »

seahawks_seashanty wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:56 pm Lost at sea....again. Wanted to find the path on my own, but still can't do it. Can anyone provide a nudge in the right direction? Appreciate this great community!
Sent you a hint and apologies forgot to end the message correctly.

GO HAWKS!
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meowmiao71
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#192

Post by meowmiao71 »

I've got the first step for sure, but now I'm floundering. Hopefully a good night's sleep will help jostle something in my brain.
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escapeartist
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#193

Post by escapeartist »

I thought for sure how the mechanism would play out, but I am coming up empty.

Isaac is even sick of my face and retired for the night, leaving me alone at the bar.

Why is this harder than I first thought?!
* 2022 WSJ Mug Winner - I bask in its Glory *
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Laura M
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#194

Post by Laura M »

I said before that this was a 100%er but now I understand the confusion. It would be very possible to back into this solution, and then it would seem somewhat arbitrary. (I didn't notice the blanks in "Blank Stares" either!)
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Joe Ross
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#195

Post by Joe Ross »

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:31 pm And you can down a 6-oz. glass of La Crema pinot noir in a couple of seconds. But that's not the point.

Best laugh, YTD! Thank you!

Still giggling 20 minutes later. :lol:

(Muggles: Please join in on YourPalSal's Tuesday zoom meetings.)

Bird Lives wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:31 pm In the recent "Blank Stares" MGWCC, Barbara K said that she got the right answer from the entries in the grid but had overlooked the part of the puzzle hiding in plain sight in the clues: all the important clues had a blank in them. Me too and I kicked myself for missing that because I know that I would have enjoyed the experience of solving the puzzle more if I had actually noticed it.
  • The irony:

    The mechanism of the "Blank Stares" blanks as compared to this puzzle's guzzled pinot.
Yes, it gets a muggle from A to W, then to Z, without enjoying the score, but it's there & it's rather obvious.

Another consideration: There are those of us who can hum, but cannot score.
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Orsys
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#196

Post by Orsys »

I was down the wrong rabbit hole, that seemed like it had to be right. So stayed too long.

But on shore now.
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dk letter
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#197

Post by dk letter »

I am ashore with what must be the "shortcut" route!

I must admit that the bug in the online solver really sucked the fun out this week. I was almost done with the grid, forgot to "backup" with a screenshot, and lost everything. I can't comprehend why they aren't taking this seriously.
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Beth C
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#198

Post by Beth C »

Ashore. I don't totally understand the mechanism but I'm very confident in my answer. Good luck Muggles!
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DrTom
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#199

Post by DrTom »

Well I never...

Actually I did, but I did it My Way (sorry Frank) and apparently the way LOTS of people did it. Thankfully I had the counsel of a MEDI Master to point me towards the actual beautiful path (one so lovely as to be only outdone only by a stroll through Maine Marge's garden). I'd like to think that given enough time to reflect I would have eventually found that way anyhow, but then I also like to think that if I buy tickets long enough I'll win the PowerBall (I think the Powerball has the better chance of success, and if it does folks PARTY ON AN ISLAND my treat).

Another amazing puzzle, and just when you think that there is no other way these guys can spin gold from straw, you get your skill set rumpled! God help us if they ever defect to the enemy, the world would be under their control in a matter of days (they would start either on Thursday or Firday and the world would have to capitulate by Monday or Tuesday by noon).

I doff my cap to the elegance and excellence.

Count me ashore
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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DrTom
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#200

Post by DrTom »

Beth C wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:57 am Ashore. I don't totally understand the mechanism but I'm very confident in my answer. Good luck Muggles!
Neither did I but you will, as did I, and you'll do an OMG!! If you'd like I can enlighten as I was enlightened, with a PM
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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