#639 - "Can You Find a Better Example?"

[SusieG]

Thanks to clarification from Cindy and discussions with cherikee I was able solve. Not a “solo”, but a good learning experience. Once I reminded myself that Google is my friend, I quickly found the synonyms.

[Bird Lives]

Way beyond me. I made the mistake of using the .puz format, which hides the last words of longer clues so that you have to scroll right to see them. So I didn't notice the "(n letters)" part till someone pointed it out to me literally at the eleventh hour. There would have been enough time if I'd been smart enough. But I wasn't.

[RPardoe]

Way beyond me. I made the mistake of using the .puz format, which hides the last words of longer clues so that you have to scroll right to see them. So I didn't notice the "(n letters)" part till someone pointed it out to me literally at the eleventh hour. There would have been enough time if I'd been smart enough. But I wasn't.

I always do the puzzles in Across Light (use the PUZ file), including this one. I don't get this error/format issue in either page or list view. Saw the enumerations as I did the puzzle. Perhaps the limited view is the result of a setting or view you are using?

[Bird Lives]

Way beyond me. I made the mistake of using the .puz format, which hides the last words of longer clues so that you have to scroll right to see them. So I didn't notice the "(n letters)" part till someone pointed it out to me literally at the eleventh hour. There would have been enough time if I'd been smart enough. But I wasn't.

I always do the puzzles in Across Light (use the PUZ file), including this one. I don't get this error/format issue in either page or list view. Saw the enumerations as I did the puzzle. Perhaps the limited view is the result of a setting or view you are using?

Here's what it looks like on my screen:

[RPardoe]

I use Across Light on my iPad and on my Mac - neither looks like the window shown. And on my Mac, I can change the size of the clue window (right hand column. When I make the clue window smaller (to cut off the clue), the clue gets "..." to indicate there is more to the clue.

Understand how you had the problem, but out of advice how to adjust things on your end.

[TMart]

The final mechanism (anagram +1 letter) was the same as in the WSJCC this week (also by Matt), so my mind rolled right into it on Friday.

[Big Mac]

This is one of those "the answer requires information completely outside the grid/clues" puzzles that I often struggle with. The WSJ puzzle, which I did complete this week, was more easily defined despite doing something similar (Gates and Allen having the same number of letters helped immensely, too). This one was a bit too open-ended for me and I never cracked open the thesaurus.

[Hector]

It's a Mac vs. Windows thing I guess. Bird, you can drag the bar that separates the grid from the clues to make the clue panels wider. My experience (on a big monitor) is always that Across Lite opens where I don't want it, so needs to be moved. Plus it's too small, so I drag the edges to expand it. Finally the clue panels are too narrow, and as in your screenshot they are not symmetrical, so I drag the separators.

Also, when I think the mechanism might well involve the clues, I usually print it out after solving so I don't have to keep scrolling the clue panels.

I thought this was an awesome meta.

[OGuyDave]

I was able to solve this one, but only with a little hint from "bot".

Was familiar with the word "paean", a humorous introduction to it came from folk singer Tom Rush.

This link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmrSOfo ... =3&t=2m14s will skip to a point in a YouTube video where he talks about it (although the entire clip [and the entire album] is entertaining).

TFTXWD

[KayW]

I got this one pretty quickly and attribute that to being a fan of the show Outlander. I dinna ken how quickly the "k" word would have come to mind otherwise, but that was the first to leap out at me as I completed the grid.

Found the rest by looking for all words X+1 length in grid containing the letter in question.

[KayW]

I was able to solve this one, but only with a little hint from "bot".

Was familiar with the word "paean", a humorous introduction to it came from folk singer Tom Rush.

This link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmrSOfo ... =3&t=2m14s will skip to a point in a YouTube video where he talks about it (although the entire clip [and the entire album] is entertaining).

TFTXWD

Thanks - now I'll never forget how to pronounce paean!
(I've run across it in print before; I don't think I ever needed to say it but I I've been mispronouncing it "pie-on" in my head all these years.)

[Bird Lives]

In four of the five keywords I heard Biblical echoes. After thinking about it for a long minute, I knew it was a blind alley and didn't bother going to the KJV to search for WRYER.