"Piece Process" May 10, 2024
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- Posts: 55
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2023 2:08 pm
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- Posts: 327
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:09 pm
On the beach, somewhere in the Catskills.
I've been thinking about this theme all week. Shenk is a mind reader!
How about a brain er ... ear worm?
I've been thinking about this theme all week. Shenk is a mind reader!
How about a brain er ... ear worm?
- benchen71
- Posts: 2509
- Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Contact:
The more metas you do, the more you build up a library of possible meta mechanisms that can be "mixed and matched" in various ways.
However, after a while, you will have such a large range of mechanisms that it can be hard to move past unintentional red herrings!
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!
- Al Sisti
- Posts: 2075
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:28 pm
- Location: Whitesboro NY
Finally on shore. Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you need to just go straight to the Guinness and earn it later.
- KayW
- Moderator
- Posts: 3407
- Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
- Location: Chicago
Ashore. Lovely meta, but that grid was a PIECE of work.
Late start due to a date with an archaeopteryx.
Late start due to a date with an archaeopteryx.
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.
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- Posts: 76
- Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 3:08 am
Got it. However, I have to add: I know the constructors claim they don't put red herrings in their puzzles, but it sure seemed like there were a couple of intentionally rosy fish swimming around in there.
Now off to go listen to a piece by 55-down
Now off to go listen to a piece by 55-down
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- Posts: 369
- Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:10 pm
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- Posts: 357
- Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:53 pm
- Location: Houston
Ashore!
I don't usually do the Friday puzzle on Thursday, but it's going to be a busy weekend. It was fun, and now I don't have to worry about it!
I don't usually do the Friday puzzle on Thursday, but it's going to be a busy weekend. It was fun, and now I don't have to worry about it!
- BarbaraK
- Posts: 2642
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
- Location: Virginia
Hello and welcome!
You ask a tricky question. It's hard to rate the difficulty of these puzzles. In any meta, even the hardest, the correct mechanism just happens to be the first thing that someone tries. And even the easiest metas just happen to land in a blind spot for some solvers. So any one person's experience can be deceiving. The early comments here often suggest that the meta is easy, just because the people who didn't get it quickly are still working on it, not posting here on the forum. Cruise Director Bob's Saturday report on the numbers who are "at sea" (haven't solved yet) vs. "on shore (have got an answer) is a better indication of how it's going. And of course Mike Miller's report on Monday or Tuesday about the actual number of submissions really tells the story.
Personally, I did not find this one super obvious, like some folks apparently did, but it didn't take me that long to see it either. So I'll pull out my often cloudy crystal ball and predict that it will turn out to have a higher than average number of correct submissions but not the highest of the last 20 weeks. So, yes, you can assume you are getting better at these. Just be careful not to get too overconfident as the crossword gods do not take kindly to hubris:)
And if you're wondering why your post was edited, on this board, while people will often comment about how quickly they solved, we generally try to avoid calling a particular meta "easy" so those who are struggling (and there are always some, and everyone's time will come to be that someone) don't feel bad. It's kind of an etiquette thing that has turned into an inside joke which perhaps our diligent moderators are a bit over the top in enforcing? I assume they did that to your post, not that you posted anything that was actually a spoiler, or even should have been expected to know about this "rule".
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
- DavyGravy
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2022 6:32 pm
- Location: Webster, New York
Ashore with some hints
If I’ve solved and you need a nudge, you can PM me. Happy to pay it forward.
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- Trish
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2023 7:22 pm
- Location: Dallas
On shore with a sudden inspiration that turned out to be just the right path!
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- Posts: 50
- Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:43 pm
And yet more Pittsburgh references... I'm wondering if Mike has an uncle that lives there or if it's just the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon.
- Miki
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 8:32 am
Early morning solve. It had to be done, as today we are driving 7 hours to attend our son's hooding ceremony - law school graduation. We are so, so proud.
- mikeB
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:50 pm
On the beach -- and there is a lot of beach to go around, here in Namibe, Angola. Pretty tough (and entertaining) grid in my case, followed by a fairly straightforward solve. A high return on investment.
- Mirage
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:19 pm
- Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
On shore. Another inspiration upon awakening. That seems to be where I’m doing my best solving lately.
Loved @BarbaraK’s post above. Sometimes you quickly see the meta and other times not. I may get discouraged when many Muggles post they are on shore and I’m struggling even to see a path. But I’ve also learned that if I’m at sea, so are others hoping for inspiration before posting their “at sea” status on Saturday or Sunday.
And thanks @BarbaraK for the comment about the crossword gods and hubris. You gave me a good chuckle and a reminder to keep my head low.
Loved @BarbaraK’s post above. Sometimes you quickly see the meta and other times not. I may get discouraged when many Muggles post they are on shore and I’m struggling even to see a path. But I’ve also learned that if I’m at sea, so are others hoping for inspiration before posting their “at sea” status on Saturday or Sunday.
And thanks @BarbaraK for the comment about the crossword gods and hubris. You gave me a good chuckle and a reminder to keep my head low.
- Kas
- Posts: 271
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 9:23 pm
- Location: Usually in a rabbit hole.
“On shore!!!”, said the Muggle,
And it’s certainly true
That he said it quite smugly,
Between me and you…
How he crowed! How he preened!
How he puffed out his chest!!
(It was pretty disgusting,
his Big Ego Fest.)
But let us not judge him,
His solve rate is tiny…
…that bar stool at Isaac’s
Has been shaped by his heinie.
And it’s certainly true
That he said it quite smugly,
Between me and you…
How he crowed! How he preened!
How he puffed out his chest!!
(It was pretty disgusting,
his Big Ego Fest.)
But let us not judge him,
His solve rate is tiny…
…that bar stool at Isaac’s
Has been shaped by his heinie.
- clonefitz
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:23 pm
- Location: Oakland County, Michigan