"Three Card Monte" by benchen71

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!)
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MaineMarge
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#21

Post by MaineMarge »

Got it too. Thanks Ben.
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Darth
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#22

Post by Darth »

De-moated. :P [@benchen71 It seems... ahem... you forgot to add me to the list of moat-crossers!]
Last edited by Darth on Sat Dec 11, 2021 9:43 am, edited 4 times in total.
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benchen71
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#23

Post by benchen71 »

Some more solvers!

Bbaack
MaineMarge
OneCleverGorilla
Jack Sullivan
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! :shock:
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KayW
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#24

Post by KayW »

:tornado: :european_castle: The castle has been stormed. Fun one, thanks!
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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benchen71
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#25

Post by benchen71 »

Some more solvers to add to the list:

KayW
comp
Gutman

Nudges coming imminently...
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! :shock:
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benchen71
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#26

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:

1. There's a clue in the central entry of the grid: FOLLOW THE LADY

2. Can you think of a famous Lady? (Think the UK)

3. Diana Spencer was also referred to as Lady Di.
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! :shock:
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woozy
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#27

Post by woozy »

I'm going to mibble and quoan that there was no particular reason to think of Lady Di as opposed to any other Lady... say, Lady Jane Howard, Lady Liberty, Lady Luck, Lady Gaga or any of the Ladies from the Rolling Stones "Lady Jane" song.... Well, I guess I'm just grouchy that this week I've gotten *none* of the Meta Monday, the MEOW, or the MOAT.... But I did rack my brains thinking of potential ladies and I never thought of Lady Di

But once nudged. That is cute. Three Card Monte is certainly that....
Stinky Pinkies!

My Entry to the May 2024 CrossHare Midi Contest

Not a meta, but, yeesh!, that was tough to create.
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benchen71
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#28

Post by benchen71 »

woozy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:51 pm I'm going to mibble and quoan that there was no particular reason to think of Lady Di as opposed to any other Lady... say, Lady Jane Howard, Lady Liberty, Lady Luck, Lady Gaga or any of the Ladies from the Rolling Stones "Lady Jane" song.... Well, I guess I'm just grouchy that this week I've gotten *none* of the Meta Monday, the MEOW, or the MOAT.... But I did rack my brains thinking of potential ladies and I never thought of Lady Di

But once nudged. That is cute. Three Card Monte is certainly that....
I get that. However,
My thought was that meta solvers have been trained to look at the long answers, and any repeated characters in those (in this case DI) should be a bit of a giveaway.
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! :shock:
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CPJohnson
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#29

Post by CPJohnson »

Got it....needed the nudges. Thanks, Ben.
Cynthia
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Cinny
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#30

Post by Cinny »

Solved this morning , but prior to spoilers. Just a busy week and behind in my metas.
Fun puzzle, Ben. Thanks!!
Cindy Heisler
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sharkicicles
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#31

Post by sharkicicles »

benchen71 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 10:13 pm
woozy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:51 pm I'm going to mibble and quoan that there was no particular reason to think of Lady Di as opposed to any other Lady... say, Lady Jane Howard, Lady Liberty, Lady Luck, Lady Gaga or any of the Ladies from the Rolling Stones "Lady Jane" song.... Well, I guess I'm just grouchy that this week I've gotten *none* of the Meta Monday, the MEOW, or the MOAT.... But I did rack my brains thinking of potential ladies and I never thought of Lady Di

But once nudged. That is cute. Three Card Monte is certainly that....
I get that. However,
My thought was that meta solvers have been trained to look at the long answers, and any repeated characters in those (in this case DI) should be a bit of a giveaway.
that's exactly how I got it.
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benchen71
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#32

Post by benchen71 »

Here are the final set of successful solvers:

LuxDeluxe
Carolyn
woozy
Dow Jones
Al Sisti
CPJohnson
Cinny
Jeremy Smith

Well done, everyone!
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! :shock:
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benchen71
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#33

Post by benchen71 »

And here's the solution:

Three Card Monte (solution).png

And just to close the circle, Diana in an interview expressed a desire to be "the queen of people's hearts" (see https://time.com/4913709/how-diana-became-britains-queen-of-the-heart/. So the choice to put "Lady Di" into the puzzle, and not some other deserving lady, was not entirely arbitrary.

Thanks to all who commented this week. I especially enjoyed hearing that some of you have had first-hand experience of Three Card Monte. For me, it's only ever been in movies / TV. However, I have been pickpocketed getting onto a bus in the pouring rain outside of a Palace near St. Peterburg, Russia. Maybe I will have to find some way to put that experience into a meta at some point!
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! :shock:
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