"Multiple Personality" - June 2019

A monthly, music-themed meta crossword published at noon on the first Tuesday of every month. The puzzles increase in difficulty each month, and at year end there is a 13th puzzle (the "Mega-Meta") that invokes each of the 12 monthly puzzles. Currently available at https://pmxwords.com/, as well as through the Washington Post website here: MMMM at WaPo
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BarbaraK
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#21

Post by BarbaraK »

The key was multiples of three - take the letter in square number 3, 6, 9, 12, etc

Kas 4 for those who didn't get it?
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KayW
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#22

Post by KayW »

BarbaraK wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2019 9:51 am The key was multiples of three - take the letter in square number 3, 6, 9, 12, etc

Kas 4 for those who didn't get it?
Yes indeed. I saw "Three times a lady" and was looking at absolutely anything I could find in triples. EXCEPT grid numbers.

After I saw this month's solution, I thought I remembered a meta that used a similar mechanism with prime numbers. That turned out to be a 2016 MMMM titled Prime Directives, but what I mis-remembered was one of my many dead-end rabbit holes on that puzzle. Too bad I didn't try that this month!

Back then I consoled myself that Matt Gaffney also reported a DNF:

https://crosswordfiend.com/2016/06/12/m ... ta-june-2/


Nice meta and construction. Congratulations and good luck to everyone who solved!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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BrianMac
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#23

Post by BrianMac »

KayW wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2019 11:06 amYes indeed. I saw "Three times a lady" and was looking at absolutely anything I could find in triples. EXCEPT grid numbers.
This was me as well. To much "three times" and not enough "times three."
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BarbaraK
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#24

Post by BarbaraK »

WSJ also had one with perfect squares

https://crosswordfiend.com/2017/09/10/w ... er-8-2017/
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Hector
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#25

Post by Hector »

IMNOTREADY contains NOTRE and GRANDPA has GRAND, both of which can be followed by DAME, which . . . well there must be another one given THREETIMESALADY, and yet ...
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hcbirker
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#26

Post by hcbirker »

Kicking myself. Numbers always trip me up. (Heidi)
Heidi
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Jacksull
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#27

Post by Jacksull »

I got hung up on Lloyd Price, who had a hit with "Personality". His name starts with double letters and you can find "Lloyd" and "Price" in parts of the grid.

I didn't submit it because (1) finding his name was a clumsy stretch, and (2) he's not really famous. (Although in some circles Margaret Cho and Yma Sumac are famous.)
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TMart
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#28

Post by TMart »

The other level of this puzzle (which I somehow saw first and guessed the answer) was Three Times "A" Lady - she has three "A"'s in her name. Also, SAYAPRAYER and IMNOTREADY clued two of her songs (I Say a Little Prayer and People Get Ready). But I knew it had to be more elegant than that, and I found the full spelling on the multiples of 3 when I went looking for further confirmation. Very nicely done, Pete!
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FrankieHeck
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#29

Post by FrankieHeck »

TMart wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2019 7:58 pm The other level of this puzzle (which I somehow saw first and guessed the answer) was Three Times "A" Lady - she has three "A"'s in her name. Also, SAYAPRAYER and IMNOTREADY clued two of her songs (I Say a Little Prayer and People Get Ready). But I knew it had to be more elegant than that, and I found the full spelling on the multiples of 3 when I went looking for further confirmation. Very nicely done, Pete!
I just looked back at the notes scrawled on my very messy puzzle, and found that I had written "Aretha Franklin - Say a Little Prayer" in the bottom margin! I clearly didn't dwell on that, though, because I went all over the place with this one. Even after someone gave me a hint. I was thinking of multiplication, but for some reason I didn't do the obvious thing you should do when you have multiplication and the number three on your mind! Took my husband, who never does metas or even crossword puzzles, to find it. (Of course I submitted the answer because after all these years together, I figure he counts as an extension of myself.)
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Al Sisti
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#30

Post by Al Sisti »

KayW wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2019 11:06 am
BarbaraK wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2019 9:51 am The key was multiples of three - take the letter in square number 3, 6, 9, 12, etc

Kas 4 for those who didn't get it?
Yes indeed. I saw "Three times a lady" and was looking at absolutely anything I could find in triples. EXCEPT grid numbers.

After I saw this month's solution, I thought I remembered a meta that used a similar mechanism with prime numbers. That turned out to be a 2016 MMMM titled Prime Directives, but what I mis-remembered was one of my many dead-end rabbit holes on that puzzle. Too bad I didn't try that this month!

Back then I consoled myself that Matt Gaffney also reported a DNF:

https://crosswordfiend.com/2016/06/12/m ... ta-june-2/


Nice meta and construction. Congratulations and good luck to everyone who solved!
The last MMMM I missed was indeed the "Prime Directive" one. And, like this one, when I saw I didn't get that one right (I picked "867-5309," a prime number), I did see it right away.
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