"Countdown" - July 8, 2022
- Onaquest
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2021 7:09 am
We had nothing despite going round and round. Very nice meta, even though we were nowhere near. We will be travelling to Ireland tomorrow for a month and soothing ourselves with Guinness. Also revving back up for this week’s puzzle. Have a good week everyone.
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- Posts: 145
- Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2021 1:54 pm
- Location: Tennessee
Many times I look for answers that are not quite what they should be which is why I considered the center grid entry of “liftoff.” I initially thought “”blastoff” would be the more common answer. So I thought about lifting off letters from the grid and tried that with the words of the theme answers using 3-2-1.
Our minds work in all different kinds of ways!
Our minds work in all different kinds of ways!
- Joe Ross
- Moderator
- Posts: 5199
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
- Location: Cincinnati
To hell with the mug...
Slainté!
- clonefitz
- Posts: 195
- Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:23 pm
- Location: Oakland County, Michigan
Great construction! It always seems so obvious in retrospect. My rabbit holes:
1. COUNTing the DOWN clues
2. Trying to align all the letters needed to spell ASTEROID (so many places they seem to potentially line up)
3. The O/OOO above LIFTOFF looks like nose of rocket
Ten week streak is over, time to start a new one!
- pjc
- Posts: 247
- Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:12 am
I spent too much time trying to do a 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 countdown through the long answers. If you take the first B as a starting point, then count 10 letters to the next letter, then 9, then 8, you end up at 1 at the very last letter of the final long answer. How could that be a coincidence? Sigh.
And I played with LIFTOFF, assuming that something had to be removed somewhere. That got nowhere, too.
I did notice very early on that the four long answers had three words each, but it wasn't until Friday night that I made the '3, 2, 1' connection with the three words per answer structure.
On to Thursday!
And I played with LIFTOFF, assuming that something had to be removed somewhere. That got nowhere, too.
I did notice very early on that the four long answers had three words each, but it wasn't until Friday night that I made the '3, 2, 1' connection with the three words per answer structure.
On to Thursday!
- femullen
- Posts: 473
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:02 pm
- Location: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Cannot agree more with @ZooAnimalsOnWheels
I find most of them fairly simple once I see it. If only I could see it! This one, nada. Noticed right away that each theme answer had three words and that 36A's 3...2...1 must play on that somehow. Never guessed how.
Deepest rabbit hole I dug was finding an alternate "word following 3...2...1," which is, of course, "zero." But there are no Zs in the grid. But in the lower right we have "EASY," which sounds like "EZ," so can anything be made by changes Es to Zs? Nope. Can I do anything with the letters O, which look like zeroes? Nope. That diagonal line of Os in the middle of the grid pointing at anything? Nope.
Nope, nope, and nope.
For nudges, feel free to PM me. I won't have a clue how to help you, but you might shove me ashore.
- Prozach
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2020 8:19 pm
- Location: Columbus, OH
A fun informative last-call session that was actively taking out all the rabbit halls and preserving the aha moment for all of us whose wavelengths were not concordant with Mike's this week. I didn't have much time this weekend to delve into the puzzle, but i doubt that i would have cracked it. I was paying too much attention to the LIFTOFF (as per Mike's fondness for middle entries) and not to its cluing.
- Joe Ross
- Moderator
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- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
- Location: Cincinnati
Brian Barnhart's comment on WSJ recommending XWord Muggles needs a lot of
Give a to Terence's comment, too, to call attention to Brian's recommendation.
(You'll need to be logged onto WSJ site to read & recommend.)
Brian, you're here, somewhere! Take a bow, please.
Give a to Terence's comment, too, to call attention to Brian's recommendation.
(You'll need to be logged onto WSJ site to read & recommend.)
Brian, you're here, somewhere! Take a bow, please.
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
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- Posts: 185
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2020 12:57 pm
- Location: Westford, MA
BLOOD: Red
FROG: Green
YALE: Blue
Three primary colors of LIGHT.
Word after 3..2..1: "Happy New YEAR"
Obviously; LIGHT YEAR
FROG: Green
YALE: Blue
Three primary colors of LIGHT.
Word after 3..2..1: "Happy New YEAR"
Obviously; LIGHT YEAR
- ship4u
- Posts: 968
- Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2021 7:00 am
- Location: At Wit's End, Shaker Heights, Ohio
- Contact:
And, 48A = A RAM. We went down that rabbit hole for a while also.SHIWUTONG wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 2:15 am As far as rabbit holes go, what I immediately saw was:
3 down LION = Leo constellation
2 down WALE = Whale constellation( Cetus)
1 down ORBS = Stars
Answer: Constellations
But I just as quickly discarded that idea since 9 times out of 10 the Answer is spelled out with actual letters from the Grid...
Don & Cynthia
We are always happy to get to know other muggles and help in any way! PM's are always welcome. The next best thing to winning a mug is helping a fellow muggle win a mug!
We are always happy to get to know other muggles and help in any way! PM's are always welcome. The next best thing to winning a mug is helping a fellow muggle win a mug!
- ship4u
- Posts: 968
- Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2021 7:00 am
- Location: At Wit's End, Shaker Heights, Ohio
- Contact:
I can certainly relate to your frustration, as we have been there many times (as have most of us from time to time). However, each time we have been saved by the help and encouragement of this wonderful group! We try to take each week as a learning experience of new ways to look at the meta. Don't hesitate to communicate with other muggles. And, most of all, DON'T GIVE UP!
Don & Cynthia
We are always happy to get to know other muggles and help in any way! PM's are always welcome. The next best thing to winning a mug is helping a fellow muggle win a mug!
We are always happy to get to know other muggles and help in any way! PM's are always welcome. The next best thing to winning a mug is helping a fellow muggle win a mug!
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- Posts: 47
- Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2021 8:31 pm
To add to this, there was four different ONE's in L's shapes in the grid(top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right-ish). These four ONE's encompassed the letters L H T Y as part of a cube. Thought for sure it was going to be light year as well! Until I saw the actual answer that is, lol.
- Bonnibel
- Posts: 232
- Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:40 pm
- Location: Westlake Village & La Jolla CA
This meta should have been easy as 1-2-3 (or 3-2-1) for me!
Sadly, my head was stuck in space. I thought I would share how I got to my (hail Mary) submission: VIRGO. Counting down from 10 t0 4 (leaving the 3-2-1 as given in 36A), and using the longest grid answers, I got "SEP STAR," which in my head translated to VIRGO. And then I had the even crazier thought that all those Os in the grid would somehow make the constellation pattern. Never mind that I could not really see that.
I knew I was off base but that's the best I could come up with.
Next time hopefully I will look at the clues in every possible way and avoid getting stuck.
Congrats to all who saw the OUTER PLANETS.
Sadly, my head was stuck in space. I thought I would share how I got to my (hail Mary) submission: VIRGO. Counting down from 10 t0 4 (leaving the 3-2-1 as given in 36A), and using the longest grid answers, I got "SEP STAR," which in my head translated to VIRGO. And then I had the even crazier thought that all those Os in the grid would somehow make the constellation pattern. Never mind that I could not really see that.
I knew I was off base but that's the best I could come up with.
Next time hopefully I will look at the clues in every possible way and avoid getting stuck.
Congrats to all who saw the OUTER PLANETS.
- lacangah
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 12:58 am
- Location: Claremont, CA
As a Virgo I felt compelled to respondBonnibel wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:01 pm This meta should have been easy as 1-2-3 (or 3-2-1) for me!
Sadly, my head was stuck in space. I thought I would share how I got to my (hail Mary) submission: VIRGO. Counting down from 10 t0 4 (leaving the 3-2-1 as given in 36A), and using the longest grid answers, I got "SEP STAR," which in my head translated to VIRGO. And then I had the even crazier thought that all those Os in the grid would somehow make the constellation pattern. Never mind that I could not really see that.
I knew I was off base but that's the best I could come up with.
Next time hopefully I will look at the clues in every possible way and avoid getting stuck.
Congrats to all who saw the OUTER PLANETS.
Image 7-7-22 at 7.08 PM.jpeg
I really liked the 'constellation' pattern rabbit hole (if that is possible); I imagine it's been used elsewhere and may show up here in the future, if it hasn't already. My stand-by Hail Mary was 'retrograde,' thinking that counting down and lifting off would imply some interesting 'right-to-left' motion.
Have a great week,
- iggystan
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2021 5:39 pm
I originally asked for nudges a few times when I first started working these, but I felt that was less than satisfying than solving myself. So, I may or may not work them in the future, but I’m not wasting time on them.ship4u wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 12:30 pmI can certainly relate to your frustration, as we have been there many times (as have most of us from time to time). However, each time we have been saved by the help and encouragement of this wonderful group! We try to take each week as a learning experience of new ways to look at the meta. Don't hesitate to communicate with other muggles. And, most of all, DON'T GIVE UP!
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- Posts: 88
- Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2021 3:56 pm
Nice meta. I had the triple words and the countdown part, but kept trying to start at 10, as in 10..9..8...etc. Obviously that went nowhere although a few times I got excited when the first few letters looked reasonable. Congrats to the solvers.
- mlvilv
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:06 pm
well that was a fat head slap. I was looking for the 3, 2, 1 in the long answers but taking the 3rd letter, then counting 2 to the next one, then taking the next letter. I don't know how it didn't occur to me to go to the second and third word. Oh well, the streak resets...
- Annabelle
- Posts: 217
- Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 4:26 pm
It's so simple when you see the explanation! Trivia: the central east coast of Florida, where Cape Canaveral is, is known as the Space Coast, and the telephone area code there is 321! Had a nice visit there last year when my husband ran the Space Coast Marathon!
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- Posts: 301
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:46 pm
The contest answer is OUTER PLANETS. In each of the four three-word Across answers, if you take the third letter of the first word, the second letter of the second word and the first letter of the third word (as suggested by the “3...2...1...” in the clue for LIFTOFF), you’ll spell the contest answer.
This was a tough one! It stumped us here at contest HQ, but we had 924 entries and fully 75% were correct, further proof that our solvers are better at this than contest HQ. Other stabs included LIGHT YEAR (9), ECLIPSE (8), BLACK HOLE (7, maybe just a cry for help?), MOON (5), and ABSOLUTE ZERO (4).
Congrats on this week's winner: David Kaimrajh of Downington, Penn.!
This was a tough one! It stumped us here at contest HQ, but we had 924 entries and fully 75% were correct, further proof that our solvers are better at this than contest HQ. Other stabs included LIGHT YEAR (9), ECLIPSE (8), BLACK HOLE (7, maybe just a cry for help?), MOON (5), and ABSOLUTE ZERO (4).
Congrats on this week's winner: David Kaimrajh of Downington, Penn.!
- Wendy Walker
- Posts: 1757
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:44 pm
- Location: Unionville, PA
If that is "Downingtown," the Mug winner is about half-an-hour away from me! Chester County Rules OK!
Good luck, fellow Muggles!