MEOW #161 Christmas Message
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
MEOW #161 Christmas Message
Talk about last minute...an absolute Christmas miracle!
This was thought up, built and completely redone in a slightly more than 24 hour period. It came to me that I was not being very seasonal, so hopefully this one is.
I cannot speculate on difficulty since there are some who will IMMEDIATELY see what I am doing, some who will grok it from other things, some who will guess it and some who will struggle through the process. Whichever route you take I hope it is rewarding.
Thanks to my testers @KayW and @whimsy who got this last minute with a plea for quick turnaround, and of course they came through.
Nudges will be Friday and reveal on Tuesday
Christmas Message
crosshare
PUZ
PDF
spreadsheet
This was thought up, built and completely redone in a slightly more than 24 hour period. It came to me that I was not being very seasonal, so hopefully this one is.
I cannot speculate on difficulty since there are some who will IMMEDIATELY see what I am doing, some who will grok it from other things, some who will guess it and some who will struggle through the process. Whichever route you take I hope it is rewarding.
Thanks to my testers @KayW and @whimsy who got this last minute with a plea for quick turnaround, and of course they came through.
Nudges will be Friday and reveal on Tuesday
Christmas Message
crosshare
PUZ
spreadsheet
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
- Darth
- Posts: 785
- Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:51 pm
- Location: Champaign, IL
- schmidzy
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2021 8:56 am
- Contact:
Cat's free! (Mine are currently cuddled up and happy to have their humans back home.)
- Attachments
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- KayW
- Moderator
- Posts: 3533
- Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
- Location: Chicago
Cat is free and enjoying the holidays.
Thanks for all the puzzles and puns. And especially for taking time out of your own holiday to bring this meta Christmas message to us muggles!
Thanks for all the puzzles and puns. And especially for taking time out of your own holiday to bring this meta Christmas message to us muggles!
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
- benchen71
- Posts: 2561
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
Cat's out, with a mild case of deja vu!
Last edited by benchen71 on Wed Dec 27, 2023 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta!
-
- Posts: 385
- Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:10 pm
- boharr
- Moderator
- Posts: 3261
- Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:57 am
- Location: Westchester, NY
- SamKat9
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2023 7:45 pm
- Location: Southeast Florida
My cat is having some trouble getting out...keep at it, kitty!
Shannon
PS: If you want help with a meta, PM what you have so I can help without spoiling too much. I've received lots of help in the beginning and I love to pay it forward!
PS: If you want help with a meta, PM what you have so I can help without spoiling too much. I've received lots of help in the beginning and I love to pay it forward!
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
I got a message on Crosshare that one of my clues may be leading to a lot of searching (and it is unnecessary). It does not affect the meta, but I am changing 31D to be: "Paper containing a picture of all the states"
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Day 1
Hmmm, only 13:
1 DIS
2 Hector
3 JM
4 Darth
5 KayW (T)
6 Pair O Ducks
7 benchen71
8 woozy
9 whimsy(T)
10 frostyjhammer
11 Berto
12 boharr
13 markhr
Plus two of those are test solvers...Have I underestimated the difficulty again? Trust me, my mechanism is neither very intricate or new, but it is subtle. Depending on how many solvers I get tomorrow by noon I may have to release early nudges. I had my Christmas tossed in the hopper by a puzzle, I don't want to be the one who does that to others.
T
Hmmm, only 13:
1 DIS
2 Hector
3 JM
4 Darth
5 KayW (T)
6 Pair O Ducks
7 benchen71
8 woozy
9 whimsy(T)
10 frostyjhammer
11 Berto
12 boharr
13 markhr
Plus two of those are test solvers...Have I underestimated the difficulty again? Trust me, my mechanism is neither very intricate or new, but it is subtle. Depending on how many solvers I get tomorrow by noon I may have to release early nudges. I had my Christmas tossed in the hopper by a puzzle, I don't want to be the one who does that to others.
T
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
- SamKat9
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2023 7:45 pm
- Location: Southeast Florida
Cat's finally out with a little help. Thanks and Happy Holidays, Dr. Tom!
Shannon
PS: If you want help with a meta, PM what you have so I can help without spoiling too much. I've received lots of help in the beginning and I love to pay it forward!
PS: If you want help with a meta, PM what you have so I can help without spoiling too much. I've received lots of help in the beginning and I love to pay it forward!
- ChrisKochmanski
- Posts: 2269
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 9:51 pm
- Location: Saline, Michigan
The cat has scat!
Though I needed a nudge.
And I shouldn’t have. If I had only …
Oh, I should say no more.
Thanks, Dr. Tom!
Though I needed a nudge.
And I shouldn’t have. If I had only …
Oh, I should say no more.
Thanks, Dr. Tom!
- Meg
- Posts: 2211
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:41 pm
- Location: St. Petersburg, FL
I used the cat to slap my forehead. Now I have scratches on my face.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
- lbray53
- Posts: 1267
- Joined: Fri May 08, 2020 8:34 am
- Location: Elkhorn, WI
Dr. Tom! Is it noon yet?
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
- HeadinHome
- Posts: 1149
- Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:06 am
- Location: Charlotte, NC
Halfway there? Two thirds? Just don’t know what to do with these things.
The other Wendy.
- CPJohnson
- Posts: 1121
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:38 pm
- Location: Kingsport, TN
Finally got it, with a push from a fellow muggle! I should have thought of that strategy....in fact, I did, but didn't execute. Thanks, @DrTom! Hope you create many more!
Cynthia
-
- Posts: 810
- Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:12 pm
- Location: Seneca SC
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Thursday Solvers; 8 more join the ranks of cat releasers and it is time for nudges!
14 SamKat9
15 Cindy Weatherman
16 Meg
17 ChrisKochmanski
18 Mr Tex
19 CPJohnson
20 LauraM
21 Darrell
14 SamKat9
15 Cindy Weatherman
16 Meg
17 ChrisKochmanski
18 Mr Tex
19 CPJohnson
20 LauraM
21 Darrell
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Nudges:
There, that should do it!
T
There, that should do it!
T
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
I have shared that exact pain. I am certain you are trying to make me a better puzzler than I am and have gotten lost in a school of herring.HeadinHome wrote: ↑Thu Dec 28, 2023 2:34 pm Halfway there? Two thirds? Just don’t know what to do with these things.
T
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!