XWord Muggles Forum

DrTom wrote: ↑Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:14 am I have to say that when I saw this puzzle I said to myself; "CAN'T BE!" But as soon as I saw the TESSATHOMPSON I knew it was.

So, when I saw this one I knew the Mx immediately. I'm just sorry I waited until Friday to solve or I would have made page 1 for sure. Yes it was a little different, but not so much that I am not going to claim that, for this one puzzle and this point in time, I have something in common with one of the mavens of Meta!!!

As soon as I saw the title, I immediately thought of your puzzle and figured the meta-nism might be the same! Great minds think alike!!

Zagman49 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 03, 2023 12:30 pm Not to get too picky…but I believe the answer should technically be “Ad-Lib” with a hyphen.

That's what I submitted, guided by the OED. I am confident it makes no difference. Blank, no blank, hyphen - all the same to WSJ Mike.

flyingMoose wrote: ↑Mon Apr 03, 2023 12:44 pm

Zagman49 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 03, 2023 12:30 pm Not to get too picky…but I believe the answer should technically be “Ad-Lib” with a hyphen.

That's what I submitted, guided by the OED. I am confident it makes no difference. Blank, no blank, hyphen - all the same to WSJ Mike.

Yup. Luckily the answer is vetted by a human.

QUICK/BUICK did it for me.

No rabbit holes here, as the need to CORRECT the name of AUTOmobile manufacturers was the first thing I thought of. Had I not thought of that, where could my usual free associations have taken me?

20a - RIO - Made by Kia
45a - MONTE (Carlo) - Made by Chevrolet
12d - PIERCE - Pierce-Arrow was a division of Studebaker
13d - DART(ed) - Made by Dodge
21d - SKY - Saturn SKY, Buick SKYlark
36d - OMNI(vore) - Made by Dodge
59a - FREE + 52d STAR - Ford FREESTAR (Successor to the AEROSTAR)

Thank goodness I didn't notice these first!

Ugh. Textbook Kas 4 on the scale. Sigh.

(Alas, sometimes one is the windshield--but sometimes, one is the bug...)

I first tried to find "typos" in the grid that autocorrect wouldn't correct, like BARQUE (for BARK) or KNOX (for KNOCKS), but it didn't lead anywhere.

Then I thought, "Hehe... wouldn't it be funny if 'auto' referred to automobile?" And then it actually was.

I swear I solve these accidentally more often than not.

Have you Muggles started to love Carmen Miranda videos?
Do you have too many mugs already in your cupboard?
Or (shudder) have you all gotten wiser in solving metas?

Your poor Rabbit can think of no other reason for another week without a single nomination for an award. That’s 3 out of the last 4 weeks he’s had nothing to work with. The XWord Rabbit truly appreciates D.B. Miller’s response #265, but it’s just not the same. Your Rabbit doesn’t want your pity; he wants your genuine stories of frustration and bewilderment (sigh).

What to do? What to do?

After much thought your Rabbit considered writing about one of the cars found in Mr. Shenk’s “Autocorrection” puzzle. Judging from the number of successful solvers, they were plentiful. The first words of the across anchor entries needed to be changed by a single letter into the brand name of a car manufacturer. Those five letters spelled out the meta: A-D-L-I-B.

Maybe something with one of the cars found in the puzzle?
Maybe something with rabbits?
Maybe something with a little culture, perhaps, but still contemporary?

Aha! Found it! … Amadeus meets BTS who meets, well, not exactly rabbits, but they sell KIAs in the process.



Your Rabbit has high hopes for lost Muggles next week. Don’t disappoint him.

The contest answer is AD LIB. The first word of each of the five longest Across answers can become the name of a car make if you change one letter (KID/KIA, FORT/FORD, TESSA/ TESLA, FLAT/FIAT, QUICK/BUICK). The postchange letters, in order, spell the contest answer.

Mike Miller is out of office this week so apologies we don’t have a full report!

Congrats to this week's winner: Tess Klug of Monona, WI!

Insider knowledge: If you want to earn a Mug from The Rabbit, work theremins into your bad-solve.

Joe Ross wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 8:07 pm Insider knowledge: If you want to earn a Mug from The Rabbit, work theremins into your bad-solve.

So many theremin videos on You Tube...
I wonder if Carmen Miranda ever used a theremin...

mconte.wsj wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:03 pm The contest answer is AD LIB. The first word of each of the five longest Across answers can become the name of a car make if you change one letter (KID/KIA, FORT/FORD, TESSA/ TESLA, FLAT/FIAT, QUICK/BUICK). The postchange letters, in order, spell the contest answer.

Mike Miller is out of office this week so apologies we don’t have a full report!

Congrats to this week's winner: Tess Klug of Monona, WI!

Thank you!

Perchance are the entries being saved so Mike can give us the stats when he gets back and caught up and has time?

After "Dude, where's my car" does anyone else think cars as meta keys are quite overrepresented? I think it's my second least favorite subject.

Still a fun meta is a fun meta.

BarbaraK wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 9:16 pm

mconte.wsj wrote: ↑Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:03 pm The contest answer is AD LIB. The first word of each of the five longest Across answers can become the name of a car make if you change one letter (KID/KIA, FORT/FORD, TESSA/ TESLA, FLAT/FIAT, QUICK/BUICK). The postchange letters, in order, spell the contest answer.

Mike Miller is out of office this week so apologies we don’t have a full report!

Congrats to this week's winner: Tess Klug of Monona, WI!

Thank you!

Perchance are the entries being saved so Mike can give us the stats when he gets back and caught up and has time?

Thanks for checking Barbara--grateful that you are such a diligent statistician.
1794 entries, 93% correct!