Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
dsbened wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:49 pm
This puzzle was almost fun until I saw the solution. How does the clue for 28D - "That's ____!" ("You shouldn't be doing that!") relate to the answer "Not on" instead of "Not OK"?
And 44A has a clue that is unintelligible, and BTW, the Central Perk's manager's name is Gunther, not Gunter.
Overall, a messy endeavor...sorry.
Your first point is a fair one. I did not anticipate NOT OK as a possible answer. NOT ON might be more from the British/Australian side of the English language, too, but that's part of the fun of MOATs - they reflect my Australian dialect at times.
Your second point, on the other hand, has missed part of the cryptic clue in question: "Strangely, Central Perk manager without hot water is for pressing?" Strangely = "rearrange"; Central Perk manager = "GUNTHER"; "without hot water" = drop the "H"; "pressing" = "URGENT", which is the intended answer of the cryptic clue. I get that cryptic crosswords are not everyone's cup of tea, though.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta!
I got most of the "hidden" words but was confused because it seemed like the clues were a cryptic and a half, and the answer was another full cryptic clue so I didn't know where to start and where to end...
dsbened wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:49 pm
This puzzle was almost fun until I saw the solution. How does the clue for 28D - "That's ____!" ("You shouldn't be doing that!") relate to the answer "Not on" instead of "Not OK"?
And 44A has a clue that is unintelligible, and BTW, the Central Perk's manager's name is Gunther, not Gunter.
Overall, a messy endeavor...sorry.
Respectfully disagree. See PM for rationale.
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!
I believe a good rule to follow for posts is one I have tried to abide by (important word being "tried") for years:
"If you like what I've done tell others, if not please tell me!"
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!
Question for benchen71. I know I take things to literally but if I may ask a dumb question. How does the answer "NOUS" get you across a moat to a castle. I haven't followed the posts so I'm not up on the lingo. Maybe that's the problem. I spent the weekend looking at that eerie castle that someone posted trying to figure how the four answers would get one across a moat. Help.
Dean
Silverskiesdean wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:51 am
Question for benchen71. I know I take things to literally but if I may ask a dumb question. How does the answer "NOUS" get you across a moat to a castle. I haven't followed the posts so I'm not up on the lingo. Maybe that's the problem. I spent the weekend looking at that eerie castle that someone posted trying to figure how the four answers would get one across a moat. Help.
Dean
I chose to call my weekly meta blog "Metas on a Tuesday" or MOAT for short. That way, when people solve the meta they can say they have "crossed the moat". The other weekly meta blogs do something similar. For MMM we say "I'm off the couch". For MEOW we say "the cats out of the bag". And so on.
All this to say the meta answer itself has nothing to do with moats or castles.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta!
dsbened wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:49 pm
This puzzle was almost fun until I saw the solution. How does the clue for 28D - "That's ____!" ("You shouldn't be doing that!") relate to the answer "Not on" instead of "Not OK"?
And 44A has a clue that is unintelligible, and BTW, the Central Perk's manager's name is Gunther, not Gunter.
Overall, a messy endeavor...sorry.
Your first point is a fair one. I did not anticipate NOT OK as a possible answer. NOT ON might be more from the British/Australian side of the English language, too, but that's part of the fun of MOATs - they reflect my Australian dialect at times.
Your second point, on the other hand, has missed part of the cryptic clue in question: "Strangely, Central Perk manager without hot water is for pressing?" Strangely = "rearrange"; Central Perk manager = "GUNTHER"; "without hot water" = drop the "H"; "pressing" = "URGENT", which is the intended answer of the cryptic clue. I get that cryptic crosswords are not everyone's cup of tea, though.
I stand corrected for my prior post, and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to explain things to me. I'm not good on cryptics at all, and most metas are over my head too. Thanks again!
I want to apologize to BenChen and to the regulars on this website for my disrespectful post from yesterday. I should have only posed my questions and left my personal snarky remark out of the post. And I'm still in my learning stage at this website so it will take some more time before I catch onto how things work.
dsbened wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 4:46 pm
I want to apologize to BenChen and to the regulars on this website for my disrespectful post from yesterday. I should have only posed my questions and left my personal snarky remark out of the post. And I'm still in my learning stage at this website so it will take some more time before I catch onto how things work.
No worries!
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta!
To Benchen71: Thank you for explaining all that to me. Most people would have ignored me. On another subject, I enjoyed your meta and will purchase the pack as advertised. Thanks again.
Dean
