"Burns Notice"
- Abide
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Nudge #2
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
- Abide
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Nudge #3:
Now get off the 🛋!
Now get off the 🛋!
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
- Anita
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- TPS
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I got it - technically before I saw the 2nd nudge but that was because I got another nudge. One thing in this one really screwed me up and the grid gave me a ton of trouble.
- Abide
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Wednesday night update:
31. AnswerPfinder
32. miked
33. TPS
34. Anita
31. AnswerPfinder
32. miked
33. TPS
34. Anita
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
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Very late getting to the puzzle, but quickly off the couch when I did get to it. I did not look at the nudges until after I submitted but they confirmed my thinking. Have not gotten confirmation, yet, but I am confident in my answer.
- DrTom
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OK, well I got the wrong answer the first time round because I went back too far. It is a clever puzzle but I think the title made me go another way. I KNOW I'm being a curmudgeon but for me I'd have rather seen the title .
The cluing was tricky, and had a few too many contemporary (or probably author contemporary) references for me to solve without some searching) but there was also GREAT misdirection. Good job Peter.
The cluing was tricky, and had a few too many contemporary (or probably author contemporary) references for me to solve without some searching) but there was also GREAT misdirection. Good job Peter.
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!
- Abide
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Thursday night update:
35. Cindy N
36. SewYoung
37. DrTom
38. Bob cruise director
35. Cindy N
36. SewYoung
37. DrTom
38. Bob cruise director
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
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Friday night update:
39. Geoduck
39. Geoduck
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—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
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Final leaderboard:
40. Dow Jones
41. Djquimby
Thank you all for playing. Winner, grid reveal and backstory in the morning.
40. Dow Jones
41. Djquimby
Thank you all for playing. Winner, grid reveal and backstory in the morning.
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
- Abide
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The meta answer is the four-word title Of Mice And Men
Credit: The amazing Joe Ross
About half of this puzzle was my previous New York Sun, circa 2002, where OFMICEANDMEN was the revealer. When Al and Brian mentioned on a recent Zoom call they didn't have a MMM in the lineup, I put this together with a little surgery on the bottom half.
Four MEN with the first name of four cartoon MICE. These mice all have the last name "Mouse" (I'm looking at you, Timothy Q. Mouse). When I was cluing last weekend I noticed ORA was fortuitously in the center. I was glad to work that in as a nudge to the answer.
If you are lit-deficicient, you may not have gotten the title connection. Steinbeck based his title on the Burns poem 'To A Mouse' which contains the line 'the best-laid schemes o'mice an' men [go often awry]'. For many this required a Google check; sorry if you learned something!
The grid was clued harder on purpose, as well as the title connection, to make up for the easier meta mechanism. Forty-one solvers followed the cheese crumbs to success.
Random number #20 wins the prize: KayW !
Credit: The amazing Joe Ross
About half of this puzzle was my previous New York Sun, circa 2002, where OFMICEANDMEN was the revealer. When Al and Brian mentioned on a recent Zoom call they didn't have a MMM in the lineup, I put this together with a little surgery on the bottom half.
Four MEN with the first name of four cartoon MICE. These mice all have the last name "Mouse" (I'm looking at you, Timothy Q. Mouse). When I was cluing last weekend I noticed ORA was fortuitously in the center. I was glad to work that in as a nudge to the answer.
If you are lit-deficicient, you may not have gotten the title connection. Steinbeck based his title on the Burns poem 'To A Mouse' which contains the line 'the best-laid schemes o'mice an' men [go often awry]'. For many this required a Google check; sorry if you learned something!
The grid was clued harder on purpose, as well as the title connection, to make up for the easier meta mechanism. Forty-one solvers followed the cheese crumbs to success.
Random number #20 wins the prize: KayW !
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
- Al Sisti
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- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
- Location: Whitesboro NY
Great puzzle, and what an unbelievable bit of serendipity to find ORA not only *somewhere* in the grid, but in the coveted center spot... (the "Paul Lynde" spot).
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- Al Sisti
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- Location: Whitesboro NY
[Are you a] Man ORA Mouse [?]
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Oh. Thanks. Sadly I needed nudges to get off the couch on this one. Also, I had never heard of "To a mouse" though I had heard of Burns...
- whimsy
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I very nearly "ganged agley" and submitted To A Mouse but hesitated because it's not really Ode To A Mouse and therefore not a 4 word title. Then I noticed -- hey, these are all guys' names......
I first approached ORA from my demure Catholic schoolgirl past and thought it might mean that I would need praying for! ORA PRO NOBIS
Congrats, Kay!
And thank you, Puzzle Constructor --- All together now : Who's the leader etc. etc. P - E - T..... E - R - A ......
I first approached ORA from my demure Catholic schoolgirl past and thought it might mean that I would need praying for! ORA PRO NOBIS
Congrats, Kay!
And thank you, Puzzle Constructor --- All together now : Who's the leader etc. etc. P - E - T..... E - R - A ......
- Al Sisti
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- Location: Whitesboro NY
Sorry to do this to you all again, but Annette Funicello is from Utica.
- Abide
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......
Your meta day in the sun is over
Sorry to do this to you all again, but Annette Funicello is from Utica.
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
- Al Sisti
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Yep, my 15 x 15 minutes of fame.
- KayW
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OMG! My very first ever puzzle prize! Peter, thanks so much again for a fabulous meta - which is ample reward in and of itself. The prize is very tasty icing on the cake
I'm very impressed that you could so quickly reconfigure an older puzzle to a meta.
And kudos to Joe Ross on the most artistic solve I've seen yet!
I'm very impressed that you could so quickly reconfigure an older puzzle to a meta.
And kudos to Joe Ross on the most artistic solve I've seen yet!
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.