Household Names

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
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DrTom
Posts: 3843
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

Household Names

#1

Post by DrTom »

It's MONDAY! That means its MMM time, and today that means you will be treated to a bit of Tomfoolery. For those practiced in Metas this will be about a 1.5, and even if you are not a frequent solver probably no more than a 2 Apparently this is playing much more like a 3 or 4 difficulty level, and for that I apologize. If you are not a big fan of British TV or PBS you will probably need Mr. Google to gain any traction on this. I have to thank all my testers who include Wendy Walker and Claudia Totino, Al Sisti and Peter Abide. I also want to thank Peter for the title which is a MUCH better one than I had originally.

All the usual "rules" will apply regarding nudges (Wednesday), leaderboard and PMs for assistance or clarification.

So now I invite you to sit back, pick up your pen/pencil and paper or favorite electronic device and get to solving this week's MMM
whats-in-a-name-shakespeare.jpg

A SIMPLIFIED VERSION of this puzzle is available, below.


Household Names PUZ

Household Names PDF

Household Names spreadsheet

Image

A SIMPLIFIED VERSION of this puzzle is available, below.
Last edited by DrTom on Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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!
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DrTom
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#2

Post by DrTom »

784666.jpg
Goodness me, I just got my first solver about 7 hours in. They told me I might have understated the difficulty? I do see one possible confounder, clue 10A, to truly follow the pattern of the others, should have said "Unmarried woman" because, as you can guess, I was trying to be cagey about pointing you to where you should be.

Tom
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!
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CromsFury
Posts: 170
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2022 5:00 pm

#3

Post by CromsFury »

Finished.
Submitted.
Confirmed.
:ugeek:
Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo. - Virgil
Quand on lit trop vite où trop doucement, on n'entend rien. - Pascal
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hcbirker
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Location: Studio City, CA

#4

Post by hcbirker »

Off the couch! Had to use Google. Thanks Dr. Tom for the brain workout!
Heidi
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DrTom
Posts: 3843
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

#5

Post by DrTom »

OK, a free nudge just because this is not going well. The clue for 17A is a kind of hint because it points to British TV, and a show that was wildly popular in the US (though it came, like most British TV does, over PBS). Once you have the show the path to the solve may become clearer? At least I hope it does.
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!
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oldjudge
Posts: 1641
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2019 4:16 am
Location: Pasadena, CA

#6

Post by oldjudge »

And you really had test solvers tell you this was a week one?
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Al Sisti
Posts: 2074
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
Location: Whitesboro NY

#7

Post by Al Sisti »

oldjudge wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:31 pm And you really had test solvers tell you this was a week one?
Not all of them.
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whimsy
Posts: 2822
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Hopkinton MA

#8

Post by whimsy »

I know I can get befuddled by all the various puzzles zipping by me, but I'm pretty sure I didn't test this one. (If I had it would not have been a 1! -- since I'm having so much trouble with it now! :))
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Laura M
Posts: 1403
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:49 am

#9

Post by Laura M »

I mean, I thought I had the right general idea of what to do*, but none of the specific options I've tried has produced a comprehensible word...

*(and yes, this idea was related to @DrTom's hint above)
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Abide
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#10

Post by Abide »

I was not asked for a rating, but if so I would have given it a strong 3. It may be time to release the friendlier version...
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
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boharr
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Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:57 am
Location: Westchester, NY

#11

Post by boharr »

Thanks to the help I got it. And left the couch.
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HoldThatThought
Posts: 186
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:09 am

#12

Post by HoldThatThought »

I have never seen so much as 30 seconds of the series that our author has highlighted in the puzzle, but a few minutes with Google, and recognition of a familiar meta mechanism, and Jane Marple, Lord Peter Wimsey, and even Joyce Meadowcraft, one of the delightful members of the Thursday Murder Club, would be pleased with the necessary solution sleuthing.
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MarkWoychick
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Posts: 618
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:15 pm
Location: Boise, ID

#13

Post by MarkWoychick »

I've submitted an answer - possibly off the couch?

Confirmed - thanks for the puzzle, Dr. Tom!
Last edited by MarkWoychick on Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 contest-style (meta) crosswords that we've created to help raise money for cancer-related organizations - get the bundle at http://crosswordsforcancer.com
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whimsy
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#14

Post by whimsy »

Solved through being in cahoots with @boharr --
He helped and I hindered! :lol:
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Cinny
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#15

Post by Cinny »

Solved with a helpful nudge from Boharr.
Cindy Heisler
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markhr
Posts: 358
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:56 pm

#16

Post by markhr »

Solved. A bit tougher than advertised, but fun to work out.
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DrTom
Posts: 3843
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

#17

Post by DrTom »

My household name will be mud...

Ok, I have 10 solvers and that is not the fault of any of you, it is my error. I assumed the same rabid fandom for a particular program that I had. If you are a fan you will probably get it, if not then it is a toss up. Some very good solvers are struggling and that is never my intent. I also misunderstood my tester's comments when they said it was a simple mechanism to mean it was a simple puzzle. They did NOT mean that and if I led anyone to believe it was in any way their fault I am sorry and wrong. This was all me.

So my solvers so far:
1. MMe
2 boharr
3. HoldThatThought
4. Mark Woychick
5. markhr
6. meg
7. edestin
8. HeadInHome
9. woozy
10. Whimsy

I am going to ask Joe to load an amended puz and PDF tomorrow they will be available on the site. Look at these ONLY if you want a much easier path to the solve because the amendment provides a major nudge.

Tom
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!
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Joe Ross
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Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
Location: Cincinnati

#18

Post by Joe Ross »

DrTom wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 12:17 am I am going to ask Joe to load an amended puz and PDF tomorrow they will be available on the site. Look at these ONLY if you want a much easier path to the solve because the amendment provides a major nudge.

Tom
Image

Household Names (Level 1) PUZ

Household Names (Level 1) PDF

Household Names (Level 1) spreadsheet

Image
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Dow Jones
Posts: 479
Joined: Thu May 09, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: Yakima, WA

#19

Post by Dow Jones »

Hopefully off the chesterfield thanks to the "level 1" revision. Thanks for challenge, DrTom !!
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benchen71
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#20

Post by benchen71 »

Solved, thanks to the level 1 version. Thanks, Tom!
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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