MEOW #109 Dropping the Ball

A weekly meta crossword on the forum started by member Josh (aka madhatter5). These puzzles are often very creative with solving mechanisms out of the norm and skewing towards the more challenging. Puzzles are posted every Wednesday, and the solution appears the following Tuesday.
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Dplass
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#21

Post by Dplass »

whimsy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 4:57 pm Alrighty then, let's try another, one that madhatter5 gave me when I was stuck while testing.

You might want to check for letter frequency.
But it's NEVER this! Except when it is...
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CPJohnson
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#22

Post by CPJohnson »

I'm trying really hard, Claudia, but no luck so far. Will there be more nudges tomorrow?
Cynthia
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benchen71
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#23

Post by benchen71 »

Cat's out, thanks to that last nudge. Happy new year, everyone!
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! :shock:
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woozy
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#24

Post by woozy »

Dplass wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 5:58 pm
whimsy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 4:57 pm Alrighty then, let's try another, one that madhatter5 gave me when I was stuck while testing.

You might want to check for letter frequency.
But it's NEVER this! Except when it is...
But even when it is... it isn't.

:(
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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MarkWoychick
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#25

Post by MarkWoychick »

I've submitted an answer and will update when I know for sure. I thought of and checked what is suggested in the last nudge, but didn't see anything yesterday - second look may have set the cat free - we'll see

Edit: cat (and paws) are free :D
Last edited by MarkWoychick on Fri Dec 30, 2022 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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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whimsy
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#26

Post by whimsy »

A nightcap nudge --
I would describe the mechanism as visually interactive.

Oh, why not?! Make it a double --
The message is four words long.
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whimsy
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#27

Post by whimsy »

More solvers -

MMe
benchen71
MarkWoychick (3/4 of the way there and soon to be made whole, I bet! :D )
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whimsy
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#28

Post by whimsy »

Dplass wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 5:58 pm
BarbaraK wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 5:16 pm
whimsy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 2:11 pm OK -- here's the first nudge; but it's a 3-parter and I think it will contain something helpful:

8 ball is not part of the mechanism.
The four ball-dropper clues are not part of the meta answer.
The four "PAUSE" are not precisely part of the meta answer, and (don't be misled as I was :lol: ) they don't refer to a cat -- or paws, for that matter.
Well you just ruled out everything I have highlighted
Same
That was pretty much my first exchange with Josh. :D
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BarbaraK
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#29

Post by BarbaraK »

Nudged to an answer. Unconfirmed, but seems pretty solid.

Thanks for all the puzzles, and looking forward to many more
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.)
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KayW
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#30

Post by KayW »

The cat has been nudged out of the bag and is dropping the ball
Image

(the related video HERE is worth watching IMHO)

Very cool meta!! Thanks to @madhatter5 for the holiday treat, and to @whimsy for handling the posts.
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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whimsy
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#31

Post by whimsy »

More solvers --

Al Sisti (oops - 2 days ago - sorry, Al)
BarbaraK
KayW
Laura M

And Mark's cat is all the way out of the bag now, as expected! :D
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whimsy
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#32

Post by whimsy »

I'm feeling generous. (Probably end of the year tax purposes.)

I'm not a physicist, but, in this case at least, when a round object falls, it goes straight down.
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TeamDoubleTow
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#33

Post by TeamDoubleTow »

PM sent after many misapplications of nudges. I believe the cat is finally out of the bag. Happy New Year to everyone!
Team DoubleTow=Ali who posts here, Alex & Maya the hound(with occasional assistance from son)
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Laura M
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#34

Post by Laura M »

Nice puzzle, even though I was really dense about figuring it out!
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Dplass
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#35

Post by Dplass »

Laura M wrote: ↑Sat Dec 31, 2022 5:15 pm Nice puzzle, even though I was really dense about figuring it out!
Same and same.
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whimsy
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#36

Post by whimsy »

Today's solvers --

TeamDoubleTow
lbray53
dplass


And one last nudge --

As far as I know, Silver is not into metas or signed on as a member of the forum.
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DrTom
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#37

Post by DrTom »

Well, the cat is free but I REALLY dropped the ball. Madhatter was just too too clever for me. I guess I had forgotten in his absence just how unique his Metanisms can be. Good for him and a triumphant reappearance.

Thanks for the puzzle Josh (but not for the angst of staring at BOTH your and Matt's puzzles and hearing crickets)
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!
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Dplass
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#38

Post by Dplass »

whimsy wrote: ↑Sat Dec 31, 2022 10:15 pm Today's solvers --

TeamDoubleTow
lbray53
dplass


And one last nudge --

As far as I know, Silver is not into metas or signed on as a member of the forum.
Even though I solved (thanks to a nudge shove and a kick) I still don't grok that last nudge lol.
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whimsy
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#39

Post by whimsy »

^^ Just me being rather silly, I'm afraid.
Several people had missed one of the four words of the message, including myself while testing. (I actually pared it back to just two words, initially; was being as TERSE as possible, I guess! :P )
Anyway, It was just a way to get folks to look at that word, and maybe compare it to a word for someone who is on the forum and does do metas, a word that just might help indicate the method of the titular "dropping the ball."



And another solver --

DrTom
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woozy
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#40

Post by woozy »

Okay... from the nudges I know *exactly* what to do. And it doesn't yield anything.....
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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