"Build Your Brand" - May 8, 2020

[TPS]

I really liked todays non-meta puzzle. Maybe the fastest I've ever finished a grid (under 10 minutes for the first time I can remember) which is probably why I liked it!

[JeanneC]

Yep, I was one of the submitters who thought it was Costco. But what a great learning experience this puzzle was for me for future xwords. A bow from the waist to Matt G!

[DBMiller]

My rabbit hunting experience went like this:

I knew I was looking for brands.

I found Dior and Tab in the grid, leading nowhere.

I saw Mustang in the clues, and found OATS in TOASt. SHOPPING/HIPPO? Mustangs are FORDS, and FJORD was in the clues. Could the meta be TJ MAXX? Doubtful, and much searching proved fruitless.

RipUp and TornCurtain, could they be related? Rip Torn?

I then saw SINGER, TARGET, SUBWAY, MUSTANG as well as KOOL and BEAN (Thinking LL Bean). But my OATS/TOASt and FORD/FJORD connections couldn't be continued.

I wrote down Aria, Bow, Doors, Oats, The Gang, and Cacao. ABDOTGC led me nowhere.

I made a connection with TARGET and ShoppingCart, but didn't really follow up.

I saw a second BEAN, so knew BEAN wasn't right, so went looking again.

Finally saw LIFE and made the connection to Life Cereal. At that point I re-read the clue containing LIFE, and saw the clue also worked for CerealAisle. Bingo! Updated my list, but had the order wrong (EABDO), but knew they spelled ADOBE, and then saw the order to use was the top/down ordering of the theme answers. Whew!

[GerryWhite]

I got the meta somehow, but am still not sure what BSIX is - “left hand row”?? Bingo? Anyone else find this one peculiar?

Left-end of a row, I get. Left hand row? There is no such thing (unless you turn your head sideways). I wondered if the clue was "corrected" to "left hand row" after it left MG.

Perhaps others will enlighten us.

I also picked up on this peculiar one, and I agree about the non-sensical "left hand row" bit. I even matched it up with OP ED COLUMN, thinking words from the clues needed to be swapped with words from the grid (since "left hand COLUMN" would have made much more sense).

In the game of Bingo, the B row is on the left. 6 is one of the possible numbers that can occupy the 'B' row

[Al Sisti]

This really isn't fair if you cannot print the puzzle out. I copied it by hand and now it's an absolute mess.

All's fair in the meta world!

And you CAN print the puzzle - use this link to get a .puz version of the WSJ puzzle each week. The current day's link is usually up within about 15 minutes after the puzzle is posted (so no hope of beating Al Sisti if you wait for it!)

It will only work on a computer, not on iphones or ipads.

https://www.fleetingimage.com/wij/xyzzy/20-wsj.html

I print out the PDF every week. And I HAVE beaten Al Sisti as the first solver to post; O frabjous day! (No. I'm not too competitive. Heaven forbid!)

I'm just as non-competitive. I may even be more non-competitive.

[Bob cruise director]

On an unrelated note, I went out birding on Sunday morning as my Mother's Day treat to myself. 55 species of birds, including 15 different warblers. It was worth getting caught in a downpour.

Where are you. The warblers are only very slowly coming into NE. Maybe this storm will blow them in and we will have a great fall out.

I was out in the western suburbs of Chicago at a local forest preserve. Someone on the Illinois Birding Facebook page said that, according to the radar (bird flocks actually show up on weather radar although I haven't been able to figure out how to read it). Anyway, the radar showed that there should be good birding in northern IL on Sunday--and he was definitely right. Hope they come flying by you soon!

The Doppler Radar that they use for forecasting that you can get on line does detect bird flocks. However this is considered "clutter" and is filtered out before you see it. There are services where you can get the stuff that is filtered out so you don't see the rain but you can see the birds coming in behind the front. That is when you get fallouts where tens of thousands of migrating birds land in hot spots like parks in a city and they are tired and hungry. So you can walk up to them to get great pictures. This is especially true this time of the year for warblers. I am outside Boston.

[AnnP]

What did I see at the grocery store today--a BRAND of dog treats called...NUDGES !

[flyingMoose]

Left-end of a row, I get. Left hand row? There is no such thing (unless you turn your head sideways). I wondered if the clue was "corrected" to "left hand row" after it left MG.

Perhaps others will enlighten us.

I also picked up on this peculiar one, and I agree about the non-sensical "left hand row" bit. I even matched it up with OP ED COLUMN, thinking words from the clues needed to be swapped with words from the grid (since "left hand COLUMN" would have made much more sense).

In the game of Bingo, the B row is on the left. 6 is one of the possible numbers that can occupy the 'B' row

Sorry, but the B *column* is on the left. The middle *row* intersects with the N column where there is a Free Space.

[DrTom]

All's fair in the meta world!

And you CAN print the puzzle - use this link to get a .puz version of the WSJ puzzle each week. The current day's link is usually up within about 15 minutes after the puzzle is posted (so no hope of beating Al Sisti if you wait for it!)

It will only work on a computer, not on iphones or ipads.

https://www.fleetingimage.com/wij/xyzzy/20-wsj.html

I print out the PDF every week. And I HAVE beaten Al Sisti as the first solver to post; O frabjous day! (No. I'm not too competitive. Heaven forbid!)

I'm just as non-competitive. I may even be more non-competitive.

I LOVE it - a competition to determine who is the most non-competitive. I predict nobody will win because all the contestants will drop out to prove they are the MOST non-competitive. Reminds me of the "Whoever is the quietest yell out" game that we played as kids, or "If you are not here, answer up!" Oddly enough I never won the quietest one game....

Amd speaking about not being quiet - WOW the folks on the WSJ site are NOT a happy bunch of campers. According to them, those who solved the puzzle are actually slightly insane and of questionable moral status - we at least they are observant if not kind.

[Al Sisti]

I print out the PDF every week. And I HAVE beaten Al Sisti as the first solver to post; O frabjous day! (No. I'm not too competitive. Heaven forbid!)

I'm just as non-competitive. I may even be more non-competitive.

I LOVE it - a competition to determine who is the most non-competitive. I predict nobody will win because all the contestants will drop out to prove they are the MOST non-competitive. Reminds me of the "Whoever is the quietest yell out" game that we played as kids, or "If you are not here, answer up!" Oddly enough I never won the quietest one game....

Amd speaking about not being quiet - WOW the folks on the WSJ site are NOT a happy bunch of campers. According to them, those who solved the puzzle are actually slightly insane and of questionable moral status - we at least they are observant if not kind.

My brother and I used to play the "Let's see who can punch each other the softest." "Okay," I'd say, "Let's do this. You go first." He'd give me a little love tap on the arm. "Good one," sez I. "That's going to be tough to beat." Then I gave him a shot that he's probably still feeling, saying "You win."

[Tony S]

I'm just as non-competitive. I may even be more non-competitive.

I LOVE it - a competition to determine who is the most non-competitive. I predict nobody will win because all the contestants will drop out to prove they are the MOST non-competitive. Reminds me of the "Whoever is the quietest yell out" game that we played as kids, or "If you are not here, answer up!" Oddly enough I never won the quietest one game....

Amd speaking about not being quiet - WOW the folks on the WSJ site are NOT a happy bunch of campers. According to them, those who solved the puzzle are actually slightly insane and of questionable moral status - we at least they are observant if not kind.

My brother and I used to play the "Let's see who can punch each other the softest." "Okay," I'd say, "Let's do this. You go first." He'd give me a little love tap on the arm. "Good one," sez I. "That's going to be tough to beat." Then I gave him a shot that he's probably still feeling, saying "You win."

A "non-competitive contest?" As a passionate moderate, I find that deeply shallow.

[camandsampowercouple]

is it thursday yet

[lbray53]

Was 45 across "COUSINS" as in Cousins Subs intended to be a hint? As in one related but not too closely related answer subbing for another? Or am I reading too much into this?

[Bird Lives]

And you CAN print the puzzle - use this link to get a .puz version of the WSJ puzzle each week. The current day's link is usually up within about 15 minutes after the puzzle is posted (so no hope of beating Al Sisti if you wait for it!)

It will only work on a computer, not on iphones or ipads.

https://www.fleetingimage.com/wij/xyzzy/20-wsj.html

Wow. Thanks for the link. It works even for non-WSJ-subscribers.

[Joe Ross]

And speaking about not being quiet - WOW the folks on the WSJ site are NOT a happy bunch of campers. According to them, those who solved the puzzle are actually slightly insane and of questionable moral status - well, at least they are observant if not kind.

I am an admittedly HUGE fan of DrTom, but the above makes me love him more. It has nothing to do with others' posts, but Tom's way of signing off of every post with something that is sure to make me chuckle & snort.

Thank you, Tom!

[TPS]

I’m surprised they weren’t chiming in on our nudge debate - normally when I look at that site there is at least one person complaining that this forum is for cheaters. I think there was one comment this week that sorta implied it but normally it’s more explicit.

[Joe Ross]

My brother and I used to play the "Let's see who can punch each other the softest." "Okay," I'd say, "Let's do this. You go first." He'd give me a little love tap on the arm. "Good one," sez I. "That's going to be tough to beat." Then I gave him a shot that he's probably still feeling, saying "You win."

Ever play Cat's Paw?

Take someone you'll be around for awhile. Brothers are perfect.

Throughout the day, as you pass, gently tap or push at his shoulder with your fingers folded, like a cat's paw, and gently say, "Cat's paw." If he's like my brother, he'll leap about 4 feet the first time in well-earned suspicion, but the goal is to get him relaxed & accepting of his brother's weird, eccentric ways as the day progresses.

When he gets to the point of rolling his eyes & allowing you full access, shout, "BULL'S HOOF!" and send him into tomorrow.

Brothers can be fun.

[Bob cruise director]

I'm just as non-competitive. I may even be more non-competitive.

I LOVE it - a competition to determine who is the most non-competitive. I predict nobody will win because all the contestants will drop out to prove they are the MOST non-competitive. Reminds me of the "Whoever is the quietest yell out" game that we played as kids, or "If you are not here, answer up!" Oddly enough I never won the quietest one game....

Amd speaking about not being quiet - WOW the folks on the WSJ site are NOT a happy bunch of campers. According to them, those who solved the puzzle are actually slightly insane and of questionable moral status - we at least they are observant if not kind.

My brother and I used to play the "Let's see who can punch each other the softest." "Okay," I'd say, "Let's do this. You go first." He'd give me a little love tap on the arm. "Good one," sez I. "That's going to be tough to beat." Then I gave him a shot that he's probably still feeling, saying "You win."

And then the real fight broke out

[Joepickett]

Did I miss the winner and results for last week? I thought they are posted here by some time on Monday. I searched the posts but could not find anything.

[Bob cruise director]

Did I miss the winner and results for last week? I thought they are posted here by some time on Monday. I searched the posts but could not find anything.

In normal times they are posted here by Mike Miller on Monday. However the WSJ personnel are working from home so the results have been coming out sometime Tuesday. I can not imagine trying to put together a daily paper with reporters stuck in homes all across the world