XWord Muggles Forum

December 2022 - What's in the Box

The twelfth contest puzzle of 2022 is now published – you can find it here.

The meta for this puzzle is a famous artist.

Enter your solution to the meta here, on the right side of the page, where you can also rate the puzzle and/or leave a comment.

The submission deadline is 11pm Sunday, December 11.Please enter your screen name each time you submit to have it count for the Leaderboard.

Still stumped? The website will be updated with a hint to the meta solution Sunday night at 11pm, right after the contest closes.


Here’s the 2022 Tip Jar. As always, 100% of the amounts donated go to the Live Music Society. Thanks for the support!


The 2022 mega-meta is a song from 1973. Guessing the mega-meta early earns you lots of bonus points. If you want to submit a guess for the mega-meta, use the appropriate form on the right sidebar.

The 2022 red herring is a song from the ‘80s. Guessing the red herring is worth 5 extra points. This year the red herring has its own submission form, and it will work like other metas in that you only get one chance to submit.

More notes on the 2022 MMMM are available here, at the bottom of the page.

On the board at #19!
Pretty amazing meta…

Edit to add:
I was confident with my submission but I just found the complete confirmation of the answer and my mind is blown!

Dannyvee wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:51 pm On the board at #19!
Pretty amazing meta…

Edit to add:
I was confident with my submission but I just found the complete confirmation of the answer and my mind is blown!

I just submitted, and I have to agree with Danny. My mind is totally blown too!

Got it!

With help.

“Incredible” is an overused word, but this puzzle may merit it. A candidate for Meta of the Year?

Agree -amazing, incredible!

What these folks are saying is absolutely true.

What an utter masterpiece. A single comment from Heidi on the Tuesday night Zoom call got me on the right path.

On the board. Just WOW!

On the board. Completely share the amazement of others. Just brilliant.....

What a feat of construction!

I need someone to go back in time and make a documentary about how Pete put this thing together. I'll help fund it (the doc, not the time travel). Bravo!

I really want to appreciate this apparently amazing meta, but I'm not seeing anything yet.

Wendy Walker wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 4:17 pm What an utter masterpiece. A single comment from Heidi on the Tuesday night Zoom call got me on the right path.

Absolutely agree - this puzzle is truly incredible! and that same Zoom comment from Heidi got me on the right path as well.

Appears that we all have to start listening to @hcbirker

I needed a nudge to help me see what I wasn't seeing. But I agree with everyone. This is truly impressive!! Thanks, Pete!!

KayW wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:57 pm

Wendy Walker wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 4:17 pm What an utter masterpiece. A single comment from Heidi on the Tuesday night Zoom call got me on the right path.

Absolutely agree - this puzzle is truly incredible! and that same Zoom comment from Heidi got me on the right path as well.

Yep.

Thanks to a nudge from @Wendy Walker I have submitted. I have just one tiny quibble with this masterful puzzle!

H. C. Birker?

More like E. F. Hutton.

Muggles 10 years younger than me might scratch their heads.

Agree with everyone that this was amazing! But wow it took me a long time to even realize what was important, and then to see all of it!

Would I have gotten it without the inadvertent shove from HCB? Impossible to know. Which reminds me, did anyone else catch a quantum mechanics allusion?