XWord Muggles Forum

Each of the four 2x2 blank "cornerstones" can be completed with a bi-gram that creates a new 5-letter word. The clues for the 3-letter words don't necessarily also clue the corresponding 5-letter word, but they at least mention it or refer to it in some way. When the "cornerstones" are placed in their respective corners of the internal 5x5 grid, a "magic" word square (whose entries read the same across and down) begins to form. The only missing entry is the central one, and the solver is left to deduce that LEGOS fits in that spot and is the meta answer. I knew there were some other words (ABUTS, STALE) that could fit in the word square, but I did not account for STILE, which could yield LEVIS. That does not answer the prompt as well, but I was bummed to see another solution to the word square was possible.

Sometimes, I get ideas for metas from things that I try that don't work on other puzzles. This puzzle was born from failed attempts to solve "Build Your Brand" in the WSJ recently. I spent most of that weekend trying to "build" my "brand" by taking blocks of letters of various shapes and sizes from different parts of the completed grid and combining them to try to make a brand name. Don't ask me how I got stuck on that path, but I was 100% sure it was right and that the answer would end up being LINCOLN LOGS or LEGO or ERECTOR SET or something. I eventually did break out of that and end up solving ADOBE, but before that weekend was over, I had started work on this puzzle.

I lost track of the number of iterations this went through before this final version. Went through about 4 different word squares. Originally, the 5x5 box was separate from the grid. The 2x2 squares were not in the corners, but scattered throughout the grid. As it evolved, they moved to the corners, but just as regular entries in a square-shaped grid. In that version, the clues for the "cornerstone" words tried to double-clue the words in the word square. I'm still not convinced that I ended up with the best possible execution of this idea, but people seemed to have fun with it, which was the idea. It's supposed to be a fun one, not necessarily a hard one.

Thanks to everyone who solved. Quick count of PMs looks like about 32 correct entries.

New MMM tomorrow!

I got this one quick enough, but not before taking a detour through "cross-wise bars"...

I grokked the mechanism pretty early. But when I first attempted to find filler for the missing row/column (using, as usual, Joe Ross' excellent excel template), it occurred to me that the letter "Y" seemed to work for most of the words. I did a quick google and found out that yes, cross-wise bars (cross "Y"s) are indeed something used in construction. I sailed right along until I ground to a halt in the final NW quadrant, where I could find absolutely no letter combinations to complete the box.
Eventually I was able to let go of this dead-end and find the intended solution.

Very clever puzzle, Brian! Thanks so much for sharing.

Oh, wow!
I'm just seeing the double-entendre-ness of all the 3 letter word clues now that you've pointed it out -- down as well as across --terrific!
I had no idea of where to get what I needed for the middle (other than somewhere in the grid or clues) until I was dragged there by the nudges. My first measly attempts had me looking for 5 letter elements - stones? minerals? - with which to make a rock pile!
Quite a construction -- thanks, Brian!

This was really fun. And a lot of work went into it. Thank you, Brian.

A whole world championship favorite puzzle. Thank you, Brian.

I had the correct mechanism but just couldn't conjure the new words for the corners. Thanks again Brian for the puzzle.

I had three of the four corners, just by looking for something that would work, before I noticed the hints in the clues. Do I get bonus points or demerits for going it the hard way?

Brilliant. Nicely designed to keep the solver interested and busy throughout.

The most bestest puzzle!
MAL

I mean darned f the corners don't LOOK like Legos!!

Very clever. I kept trying to find letters from internal puzzle corners to put in the middle, didn't think to look for letters that weren't there to complete the grid square. What was also bothering me was how to generate an odd number of letters (5x5) from a completely symmetrical puzzle grid. Thought there might have to be additional fill-in(s) in the center, but didn't think of 16 plus a 9 cross in the middle, which might then have led me to the outside four corners. Of course discerning the missing letters may well have pushed my patience to the breaking point.

DrTom wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:08 am I mean darned f the corners don't LOOK like Legos!!
Corner Legos.jpg

The whole grid looks like the bottom of a 2x2 Lego brick.

ReB wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 6:49 pm Very clever. I kept trying to find letters from internal puzzle corners to put in the middle, didn't think to look for letters that weren't there to complete the grid square. What was also bothering me was how to generate an odd number of letters (5x5) from a completely symmetrical puzzle grid. Thought there might have to be additional fill-in(s) in the center, but didn't think of 16 plus a 9 cross in the middle, which might then have led me to the outside four corners. Of course discerning the missing letters may well have pushed my patience to the breaking point.

Well yes, the missing words were tricky but all clued so that you could solve them:
Some fathers and other intelligent creatures: MEN -> MENSA
Outfit for army groups: UNI -> UNITS (now granted UNI is an abbreviation but...)
Certain time or phase: AGE -> STAGE
Big science fiction publisher that profited off furry things: TOR -> ASTOR (this one had me stumped for a bit until I remembered John J Astor)
etc.

Really for me one of the best parts of the puzzle were those sneaky corners!

Agree. Double cluing at the corners was genius!

ACROSS
1. Reason to lie in the sun when it's hot as the devil — TAN & SATAN
9. Old low value coin, unlikely to be accepted by March of Dimes — SOU & SOUSA
12. Take drugs, maybe — USE & ABUSE
14. Element that makes up more than a slight trace of pewter — TIN & TINTS
75. Certain time or a phase — AGE & STAGE
77. Contribute, such as to confusion — ADD & ADDLE
78. Big science fiction publisher that profited off furry things (but not Ewoks) — TOR & ASTOR
80. Latin thing, like "ab initio" or "de novo" — RES & RESET

DOWN
15. What someone telling long stories is sometimes full of — GAS & SAGAS
16. Acted to diminish one's appetite — ATE & ABATE
19. Old brewed beverage — ALE & STALE
20. White chicken — HEN & ASHEN
59. Some fathers and other intelligent creatures — MEN & MENSA
60. Outfit for army groups — UNI & UNITS
67. One with whom a lass may want to spoon — LAD & LADLE
68. Company trying to trouble FedEx — UPS & UPSET
[EDIT: Corrected misspeeling & colors. Also, to avoid confusion, added a grid differing in clue numbering from Brian's PDF. My grid was a PDF created from the PUZ file.]

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:32 pm Agree. Double cluing at the corners was genius!

ACROSS
1. Reason to lie in the sun when it's hot as the devil — TAN & SATAN
9. Old low value coin, unlikely to be accepted by March of Dimes — SOU & SOUSA
12. Take drugs, maybe — USE & ABUSE
14. Element that makes up more than a slight trace of pewter — TIN & TINTS
75. Certain time or a phase — AGE & STAGE
77. Contribute, such as to confusion — ADD & ADDLE
78. Big science fiction publisher that profited off furry things (but not Ewoks) — TOR & ASTOR
80. Latin thing, like "ab initio" or "de novo" — RES & RESET

DOWN
15. What someone telling long stories is sometimes full of — GAS & SAGAS
16. Acted to diminish one's appetite — ATE & ABATE
19. Old brewed beverage — ALE & STALE
20. White chicken — HEN & ASHEN
59. Some fathers and other intelligent creatures — MEN & MENSA
60. Outfit for army groups — UNI & UNITS
67. One with whom a lass may want to spoon — LAD & LADLE
68. Company trying to trouble FedEx — UPS & UPSET

[EDIT: Corrected misspeeling]

Wow!!! I never even noticed all that. Double-extra kudos!!!

KayW wrote: ↑Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:29 pm

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:32 pm Agree. Double cluing at the corners was genius!

ACROSS
1. Reason to lie in the sun when it's hot as the devil — TAN & SATAN
9. Old low value coin, unlikely to be accepted by March of Dimes — SOU & SOUSA
12. Take drugs, maybe — USE & ABUSE
14. Element that makes up more than a slight trace of pewter — TIN & TINTS
75. Certain time or a phase — AGE & STAGE
77. Contribute, such as to confusion — ADD & ADDLE
78. Big science fiction publisher that profited off furry things (but not Ewoks) — TOR & ASTOR
80. Latin thing, like "ab initio" or "de novo" — RES & RESET

DOWN
15. What someone telling long stories is sometimes full of — GAS & SAGAS
16. Acted to diminish one's appetite — ATE & ABATE
19. Old brewed beverage — ALE & STALE
20. White chicken — HEN & ASHEN
59. Some fathers and other intelligent creatures — MEN & MENSA
60. Outfit for army groups — UNI & UNITS
67. One with whom a lass may want to spoon — LAD & LADLE
68. Company trying to trouble FedEx — UPS & UPSET

[EDIT: Corrected misspeeling]

Wow!!! I never even noticed all that. Double-extra kudos!!!

Definitely one for the books. Do we have our own version of ORCA awards?