Reveal for "No Oxford Man" follows (skip down if you're ready)
In case I didn’t make it obvious with my entries at 54D, 64A and 48D, I am not a fan of the Oxford comma (adding a comma to the title makes it read “No Oxford, Man!”). Adding commas can completely change the meaning of a phrase! There were six clues presented without commas that yielded traditional answers:
9D: Three at one time = THRICE
11D: Journey home with Dr. Timothy Leary = TRIP
38D: Royal Navy follower = UBOAT
45D: Look in the past = PONDER
55D: One for one = SWAP
56D: Boston Cream, for example = PIE
But adding a comma to these clues gives them a completely different reading, resulting in another grid entry:
9D: Three, at one time = III (from 41D)
11D: Journey home, with Dr. Timothy Leary = FRISCO (from 22D)
38D: Royal, Navy follower = BLUE (from 35A)
45D: Look, in the past = MAGAZINE (from 20A)
55D: One, for one = SQUARE (from 32A)
56D: Boston, Cream, for example = BAND (from 50D)
…and reading the first letter of the clues for those six new words, in order:
20A Repository for ammunition
22D Earthquake site of 1906
32A Four-sided polygon
35A Unhappy
41D Surname qualifier
50D Expense for wedding planners
…spells out my advice for those who are being forced to climb on the Oxford comma bandwagon: REFUSE.
Now, some comments about people’s experiences and other lessons learned. Some liked it – I guess many liked it – but most thought it was harder than I suggested it would be, and all but a few needed a nudge or two. I guess that happens when I look at the same puzzle for a few weeks (and I knew the answer going in), but things are different when you are all seeing it for the first time. My bad… like I said before, when most people solve a meta, it’s a good/fair meta; when no one does, or when everyone needs a nudge, it’s on the constructor. I promise to a) rate them more honestly, and b) stop making them so difficult or arduous that trying to solve it becomes more frustrating than fun. This is supposed to be fun. I’m still new, and I know I’ve got a lot to learn. And you are my teachers.
For example, in this one, I learned:
- No one who lives in or near San Francisco says ‘Frisco,’ nor will I ever again
- While Timothy Leary taught in San Francisco, he wasn’t actually from there
- Jonny Quest doesn’t have an “h,” and does have a lot of nostalgic fans.
- The magazine “Look” is not as well-remembered as I thought it might be (even for me, it was primarily for the psychedelic Beatles photos, later recreated as a poster). I probably should’ve used “People in a waiting room.”
- Like the famed philosopher Ricky Nelson once said, “You can’t please everyone…”
So anyway, stick with me please. My next one – on June 29th – should be better. In the meantime, be looking for tomorrow’s Muggle Monday meta from TMart, who created the excellent “Are You My Mother” Mother’s Day meta back in May.