XWord Muggles Forum

https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/docu ... 152020.pdf

Enjoy!

This was a tough but very rewarding puzzle to complete. Tough for me to get a toehold in the grid, but finally found one and the rest gradually filled in. The inner circle ring reveal drew a laugh and also amazement. Great construction!

This one is looking challenging!

Reread the directions, stared at the grid, got a few answers, found a toehold, then things started to flow. A hard one, for sure!

Yep, a lot of erasures and backsteps, but very enjoyable, with (as usual) a clever final solution.

That was fun!! And not all that easy!

Absolutely one of the best in a long time...took me at least 6 hours, but loved every minute!

Apologies for its tardiness, but I took the Queen's challenge to create an Excel template. It should save an eraser or 8, as well as several reams of paper:

https://tinyurl.com/200815CrypticWtrmrkd

(Yes, that is a typo, but in the date in the name of the link, so I cannot correct it easily.)

[EDIT1: The Excel form has now been made usable & you have my apologies for the prior effort which made it nearly impossible to access the entry cells. I've allowed cells outside of the grid to be accessible & added brief instructions on how to navigate to the entry cells. Research has begun on watermarking the grid layout versus overlaying it upon the spreadsheet, thus make the entry cells directly accessible via mouse-click. Thank you for your patience & thank you, KayW, for your beh-tuh help!]

[EDIT2: Now linked is a version where the circular grid is WATERMARKED. This is the simplest to use, by far (I hope!). Feedback is appreciated.

[EDIT3: Screen capture added, below. NOTE: You may have to change your printer to get this view. I set mine to Adobe PDF. When set to my HP laser printer, the "NOTES:" are on another page. PM for help. Apologies for going on about this, but I've learned necessary tricks for creating Excel forms for future puzzles — of all types — that do not have an online solving option.]

Got completely lost in this one -- and came out of it alive!

Much fun!

Looking for the parsing to the 3rd clue of the “d” spinners, “I’m back by myself, no good being sociable”. I’ve got the answer just not the center portion of the parsing. DM me.

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 3:28 pm Apologies for its tardiness, but I took the Queen's challenge to create an Excel template. It should save an eraser or 8, as well as several reams of paper:

https://tinyurl.com/200815WSJCryptic

(Yes, that is a typo, but in the date in the name of the link, so I cannot correct it easily.)

Joe, that is really some amazing Excel wizardry. I can't believe you mapped that to an excel grid!

...and an amazing puzzle! As a muggle, I chuckled at the answer to Radial #1.

Richard B. wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 4:53 pm Looking for the parsing to the 3rd clue of the “d” spinners, “I’m back by myself, no good being sociable”. I’ve got the answer just not the center portion of the parsing. DM me.

I too am stuck on the wordplay for that clue, and two others.

Radial #10. I have the answer but not the wordplay.

Spinner a-4 I don't even have the answer for the spaces that are not crossed. ("We and our cousins chomp into some fruit")

Richard, I DMed you. Kay, how can I help?

Meg wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:13 pm Richard, I DMed you. Kay, how can I help?

Meg - I have often been told I am beyond help

But I still have those three questions. I can DM you as well - thank you so much!

edit: Meg, thank you SO much! doh, doh, and doh!

KayW wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:04 pm

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 3:28 pm Apologies for its tardiness, but I took the Queen's challenge to create an Excel template. It should save an eraser or 8, as well as several reams of paper:

https://tinyurl.com/200815CrypticWtrmrkd

(Yes, that is a typo, but in the date in the name of the link, so I cannot correct it easily.)

Joe, that is really some amazing Excel wizardry. I can't believe you mapped that to an excel grid!

Thank you for your patience, KayW, and for your beh-tuh help!

The Excel form has now been made usable & you have my apologies for the prior effort which made it nearly impossible to access the entry cells.

I've allowed cells outside of the grid to be accessible & added brief instructions on how to navigate to the entry cells.

Research has begun on watermarking the grid layout versus overlaying it upon the spreadsheet, thus making the entry cells directly accessible via mouse-click.

Finally wrestled this one to the ground. For the Radials, I lightly penciled in the ones I knew in both directions so as to have the possible letters when trying to place the Spinners. When I was pretty sure of a spinner placement, I erased the Radial and wrote it in darker and larger in the right direction. Innermost ring very clever.

First time posting here. I really enjoyed this one. Had lots of trouble with Member of a lofty crew..... clue, but eventually got it and that led me to success. A great puzzle to work on Sunday after the ballgame was over.