MGWCC #830 — “Starting Directions”

[SJMcK]

Really late start and a tricky grid, but I’m confident that I’ll be beamed. Not staying up to confirm though because I’ve got to get up early tomorrow.

[Joe Ross]

[HoldThatThought]

At first, I thought the meta was inappropriately easy for people from Pennsylvania, but it turned out that I just needed to do some reading, at which point it became a short line to the solve, and I didn't even work up enough of a sweat to cause any unpleasant BO.

Now I'm off to Home Depot.

[BarbaraK]

This one was in my wheelhouse. Saw the compass points and shortly thereafter thought of going one square in the appropriate direction. When the letters in grid order didn't spell anything, I rearranged them in compass order and got... AILROADR. Obvious enough what was intended, but we're starting with northwest? That feels to me like having a clock based meta that starts at 11:00 instead of noon.

Can't really call it a flaw as I'm sure Matt could have arranged things to start with north if he'd wanted it that way. Just an indication that we look at the world from a slightly different angle.

[Joe Ross]

This one was in my wheelhouse. Saw the compass points and shortly thereafter thought of going one square in the appropriate direction. When the letters in grid order didn't spell anything, I rearranged them in compass order and got... AILROADR. Obvious enough what was intended, but we're starting with northwest? That feels to me like having a clock based meta that starts at 11:00 10:30 instead of noon.

Can't really call it a flaw as I'm sure Matt could have arranged things to start with north if he'd wanted it that way. Just an indication that we look at the world from a slightly different angle.

A redacted muggle comment stated that starting in the NW direction was appropriate, since all crosswords start there at 1.

[MountainManZach]

At first, I thought the meta was inappropriately easy for people from Pennsylvania, but it turned out that I just needed to do some reading, at which point it became a short line to the solve, and I didn't even work up enough of a sweat to cause any unpleasant BO.

Now I'm off to Home Depot.

I hope when you go you find free parking. Not in the fire lane though, even if you're just visiting for a minute, you could end up having to go to jail, so I wouldn't take that chance.

Community chest.

[ZooAnimalsOnWheels]

This was one of those puzzles where I had the answer written on my scratch paper but needed nudging to realize it.

I had the right idea but originally used the 2nd letter of the two-letter directionals as my starting point. I even put the letters to which I was directed into circular alignment but, starting from the NW, that gave me AAMLYOTD. Then I considered that I might need to work from the first letter instead and wrote in the RIRA on the same circle. But I wasn't consistent in where I placed them on the circle relative to the other letters and just ended up with a jumble that I couldn't pick RAILROAD out of.

I later became convinced that the grid structure was important. The fact that there was a central black square and you could draw an uninterrupted line along seven letters in all eight cardinal directions seemed like it must be significant, but I couldn't find a way to relate it to the theme entries.

[woozy]

I had it tattooed to my forehead to look in grid order and DARIAROL didn't spell anything. I tried it in compass order starting with NE and with N and I must have transcribed a single letter wrong (a W for a D, or an I for the L or somthing) when I did those. I did toss in DARIAROL into Inge's Anagrammer and Rail Road or or Road Rail were not in the top page. (That's the first time Inge ever failed me).

I figured I had the the directions idea but no idea how to apply the as first letter, last letter of direction, first letter after the direction and last letter didn't work and I sure as heck couldn't find strings to put in those directions or alternate entries. Went to discord and everything said I was doing everything right and ... there it was.

Anyone think ADRIA.... looked like the beginning of ADRIATIC.

Anyway.... here's my retaliation. I made this little puzzle a few months ago: For your part, can you take direction