WASHINGTON POST: TEAM PICTURE 2/12/23

Puzzles from one of the best in the business which include themed crosswords and metas.
Sunday Crossword by Evan Birnholz
Washington Post Sunday puzzle reveals.
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oldjudge
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WASHINGTON POST: TEAM PICTURE 2/12/23

#1

Post by oldjudge »

I was happily surprised to see that Evan’s puzzle today is a meta. Under the great minds think alike category the answer to Evan’s puzzle, as is the answer to Matt’s puzzle, is an NFL team. However, unlike Matt’s puzzle, this one is not a gimme. It took a few minutes to figure out but provided a wonderful aha moment. Hats off to Evan for doing a great job, although I fear that the average WaPo puzzle solver will struggle with this one. Highly recommended but with a warning that non-sports fans may have to Google a little. Enjoy!
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hcbirker
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#2

Post by hcbirker »

Of course I had to Google, but what a nice meta! Great job by Evan!
Heidi
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Al Sisti
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#3

Post by Al Sisti »

Really nice puzzle...
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Meg
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#4

Post by Meg »

Very nice! And a fun, twisty meta path.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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boharr
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#5

Post by boharr »

Complicated and great fun, as always.
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Schmeel
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#6

Post by Schmeel »

A pleasure to fill and even more so to solve.
My football knowledge is pretty much based on crosswordese, but with some googling and backsolving I figured it out. Thanks @oldjudge for the heads up!
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MarkWoychick
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#7

Post by MarkWoychick »

Great puzzle - fun and a nice challenge - thanks for the heads up, @oldjudge!
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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ChrisKochmanski
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#8

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Fun!
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woozy
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#9

Post by woozy »

Hated this every step of the way until solved. Then I loved it. Lots to chew on but everything helped and worked. Cleverly done and masterfully clued (cluing is surprisingly hard to do).

Um, will the answer be revealed or is there a place to submit.
So I just plain couldn't get my meta based on "Up the Down Staircase" to work.

My challenge it to constructors is to make a meta where the meta, theme or metanism is "Up the Down Staircase".
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Abide
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#10

Post by Abide »

I wrestled with the last step throughout the game. Very satisfying to crack it in the 4th quarter.

I always enjoy Evan’s write up. The comments on this one are as good as the meta:

Raggs
11 hours ago
If there is one person who honestly got that meta answer I'll eat this puzzle.


Evan Birnholz
9 hours ago
(Edited)

A test-solver of mine got it. Another solver named Scott messaged me to say he got it and enjoyed it. Another four solvers who post at the XWord Muggles forum said they got it too: viewtopic.php?t=2066

Please be safe eating the puzzle.


Dsh
9 hours ago

Well then, I would look at those six the way I look at Jeopardy contestants sometimes - “thought I was pretty smart, now I see that I have a long way to go!”


Octog44
8 hours ago

That’s six. Out of how many? If they are your target audience, fine. I guess…


Evan Birnholz
7 hours ago
(Edited)

My "target audience" is people who enjoy puzzles. That includes a lot of people besides yourself, and it may include types of puzzles that you're not accustomed to, like metas.

I don't expect everyone to figure this meta out. Neither does the Wall Street Journal when they run a weekly meta contest on Fridays -- they get maybe 1,000 correct answers per week, or 2,000 if it's a really easy one, out of surely hundreds of thousands of people in their solving population. They still run them anyway.

If I were so concerned about having every puzzle of mine be so super-easy such that everyone could get it, that's what I would write every week. I'm not. I like to mix up the kinds of puzzles I write. That may include a tough meta every once in a while.


agoldhammer
8 hours ago

Are they MENSA members? The team names in the answers was obvious but that was it for me.


Evan Birnholz
7 hours ago
(Edited)

They're not superhumans. They just have a knack for understanding how metas work and finding what information they need to solve them.

I'd recommend joining that XWord Muggles forum when metas come up. The people there are more than happy to give hints if you need them.

****
Please keep making them @ebirnholz !
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Cindy
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#11

Post by Cindy »

Great puzzle.
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woozy
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#12

Post by woozy »

Abide wrote: ↑Mon Feb 13, 2023 12:27 am
I always enjoy Evan’s write up. The comments on this one are as good as the meta:

Where is Evan's write ups?

Nemine: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... m-picture/ (You may need WP subscription though.) I posted a comment as FTIGER (I got a gazillion online aliases)
So I just plain couldn't get my meta based on "Up the Down Staircase" to work.

My challenge it to constructors is to make a meta where the meta, theme or metanism is "Up the Down Staircase".
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Wendy Walker
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#13

Post by Wendy Walker »

Thanks for sharing those comments, Peter. This non-sports fan (and non-Mensa member!) enjoyed this puzzle a lot!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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Bird Lives
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#14

Post by Bird Lives »

I just found out about this one last night at the Zoom. Was stumped until I thought about a particular entry/clue. Had to backsolve to find the final one, and even then I had to think about it. Guess I'm not ready for MENSA.

Was there a prompt? I did not see one, though it's obvious what it would be.
Jay
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Wendy Walker
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#15

Post by Wendy Walker »

Yes, Jay, the prompt was "an NFL team."
Good luck, fellow Muggles!
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rjy
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#16

Post by rjy »

Finally got this one - it was an embarrassment of meta-riches this week, and this one remained the most elusive in getting an initial toehold... Fun AHA once on the right path.

My rabbit hole on this one? with "TEAM PICTURE" as the title, I noticed a TON of the letters T,E,A,M in the grid, and colored them all in thinking we might get a team logo from the resulting shadings/blanks. Fun exercise, but no such luck...

Glad you keep putting these metas out there @ebirnholz - we always look forward to them - tho I'll be anxious to read the "Free For All" types who think otherwise :roll:
Ray
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whimsy
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#17

Post by whimsy »

Solved and confirmed with Big Brother a couple of days ago --
Thanks, Evan!
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