A place to discuss the WSJ Weekly Crossword Contest and other "meta"-style crosswords
https://xword-muggles.com/
Knew I could count on you, Doc! But where's the Wankle pun?DrTom wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 2:13 amSorry, just got back to the forum...I was otherwise engaged gearing up for some other transmission. But I did not want to piston anybody off by thinking I had given this group the shaft or the boot. I didn't want anyone with a bee in their bonnet and certainly did not want to trunkate this conversation. So I looked though my bumper crop of car puns (which are matched only by my rap puns if I let my hair down) and even wondered if I could interchange them; alternating between the two. At any rate, I do have to make this short because I'm going ot have to get together some things to clean the car. Seems I hit a wild animal and though I did not kill it I did get a lot of fur up around the rear wheels...so I have got to go and trim the axel area hair....
My kids and I always finish the entire grid before working on the meta. Then we have a little friendly competition to see who can solve the meta first. (Unless it's hard and we have to trade ideas.) Son saw this one while we did the grid and had the metanism immediately after we finished. Daughter caught on very shortly thereafter. I was the slowpoke who took awhile.chriscross wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:01 am Now that the answer is out, I'm very curious how most people solved the meta. I think, with some evidence by what people were saying in the forums, that most people noticed the metanism of changing a letter in the clue while solving the grid. I wonder which clue is the one that got people to see the metanism.
For me it was IRAN/IRON.
For me, it was CLEESE/CHEESE. Fast solve after seeing that.chriscross wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:01 am Now that the answer is out, I'm very curious how most people solved the meta. I think, with some evidence by what people were saying in the forums, that most people noticed the metanism of changing a letter in the clue while solving the grid. I wonder which clue is the one that got people to see the metanism.
For me it was IRAN/IRON.
It was IRAN/IRON for me too. And I didn't notice that it was the last word that was changing either. My most silly thing though was missing the first one (ACTOR/ASTOR), and ended up with MALL CHANGE, which didn't make sense at all!pjc wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:29 amFor me, it was CLEESE/CHEESE. Fast solve after seeing that.chriscross wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:01 am Now that the answer is out, I'm very curious how most people solved the meta. I think, with some evidence by what people were saying in the forums, that most people noticed the metanism of changing a letter in the clue while solving the grid. I wonder which clue is the one that got people to see the metanism.
For me it was IRAN/IRON.
The funny thing is that I didn't notice that it was the LAST word that was changing in each of the clues (no idea how I missed that); therefore, I had NO idea what the title of the puzzle had to do with anything!
@Limerick Savant i think your limerick is spot on to the relation between meta and title !Limerick Savant wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:17 am No rabbit holes for me this week. I was pretty much locked in to the metanism with 14A and 17A and then 9A confirmed it. What still confuses me is the puzzle title. Maybe one of you veteran Muggles can explain how it relates.
So, with a nod to the Great British Bake Off, my wife’s favorite streaming TV show, I give you my recipe for what I would have titled
A Christmas Trifle
From actor to number you’ll range
And perform just a minor exchange
On a word in the clue
A mere letter will do
In the end it amounts to small change
CLEESE/CHEESE for me as well. I wonder how long it took to construct this puzzle, coming up with those clues/answers, fitting them in the grid in order while filling in the rest of the grid. Seems like there would not be much room for intentional rabbit holes, but I wouldn't want to underestimate Mr. Gaffney.pjc wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:29 amFor me, it was CLEESE/CHEESE. Fast solve after seeing that.chriscross wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:01 am Now that the answer is out, I'm very curious how most people solved the meta. I think, with some evidence by what people were saying in the forums, that most people noticed the metanism of changing a letter in the clue while solving the grid. I wonder which clue is the one that got people to see the metanism.
For me it was IRAN/IRON.
The funny thing is that I didn't notice that it was the LAST word that was changing in each of the clues (no idea how I missed that); therefore, I had NO idea what the title of the puzzle had to do with anything!
I did the same thing. M... MA.. MALLCH... MALLCHAN.... (This has to be the right mechanism, but what the heck is this going to spell?)Secret Adversary wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:35 amIt was IRAN/IRON for me too. And I didn't notice that it was the last word that was changing either. My most silly thing though was missing the first one (ACTOR/ASTOR), and ended up with MALL CHANGE, which didn't make sense at all!pjc wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:29 amFor me, it was CLEESE/CHEESE. Fast solve after seeing that.chriscross wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:01 am Now that the answer is out, I'm very curious how most people solved the meta. I think, with some evidence by what people were saying in the forums, that most people noticed the metanism of changing a letter in the clue while solving the grid. I wonder which clue is the one that got people to see the metanism.
For me it was IRAN/IRON.
The funny thing is that I didn't notice that it was the LAST word that was changing in each of the clues (no idea how I missed that); therefore, I had NO idea what the title of the puzzle had to do with anything!
BLUE/CLUE for me. (I suppose I should thank Steve.)clonefitz wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:53 amCLEESE/CHEESE for me as well. I wonder how long it took to construct this puzzle, coming up with those clues/answers, fitting them in the grid in order while filling in the rest of the grid. Seems like there would not be much room for intentional rabbit holes, but I wouldn't want to underestimate Mr. Gaffney.pjc wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:29 amFor me, it was CLEESE/CHEESE. Fast solve after seeing that.chriscross wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:01 am Now that the answer is out, I'm very curious how most people solved the meta. I think, with some evidence by what people were saying in the forums, that most people noticed the metanism of changing a letter in the clue while solving the grid. I wonder which clue is the one that got people to see the metanism.
For me it was IRAN/IRON.
The funny thing is that I didn't notice that it was the LAST word that was changing in each of the clues (no idea how I missed that); therefore, I had NO idea what the title of the puzzle had to do with anything!
Oh wow! Just a happy accident. I totally missed that it was always the last word of the clues that was altered. Does that void my solution?Ergcat wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:38 am@Limerick Savant i think your limerick is spot on to the relation between meta and title !Limerick Savant wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:17 am No rabbit holes for me this week. I was pretty much locked in to the metanism with 14A and 17A and then 9A confirmed it. What still confuses me is the puzzle title. Maybe one of you veteran Muggles can explain how it relates.
So, with a nod to the Great British Bake Off, my wife’s favorite streaming TV show, I give you my recipe for what I would have titled
A Christmas Trifle
From actor to number you’ll range
And perform just a minor exchange
On a word in the clue
A mere letter will do
In the end it amounts to small change
You made a SMALL CHANGE like in “tweak” the word that is ENDING the clue to get the grid answer.
I sold my Audi TT a couple of years ago, last in a very long line of stick shifts. For the first time in my life, driving automatic. Sigh.Limerick Savant wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 10:59 amOh wow! Just a happy accident. I totally missed that it was always the last word of the clues that was altered. Does that void my solution?Ergcat wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:38 am@Limerick Savant i think your limerick is spot on to the relation between meta and title !Limerick Savant wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:17 am No rabbit holes for me this week. I was pretty much locked in to the metanism with 14A and 17A and then 9A confirmed it. What still confuses me is the puzzle title. Maybe one of you veteran Muggles can explain how it relates.
So, with a nod to the Great British Bake Off, my wife’s favorite streaming TV show, I give you my recipe for what I would have titled
A Christmas Trifle
From actor to number you’ll range
And perform just a minor exchange
On a word in the clue
A mere letter will do
In the end it amounts to small change
You made a SMALL CHANGE like in “tweak” the word that is ENDING the clue to get the grid answer.
It certainly does explain the title and the odd syntax.
Where did this come from - an article or Q&A? I have a very hard time swallowing that. Think it's very obvious that meta grids are master classes in misdirection.Joepickett wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:40 am Whatever happened to the constructors saying, "We don't intentionally create rabbit holes."
It need not be intentional. If I told you the NYT crossword puzzle today was a meta (it's not), you would go to it and find 10 different rabbit holes. Coincidences abound, it's the nature of solving a puzzle that has no instrucions.31 Down wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 1:38 pmWhere did this come from - an article or Q&A? I have a very hard time swallowing that. Think it's very obvious that meta grids are master classes in misdirection.Joepickett wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:40 am Whatever happened to the constructors saying, "We don't intentionally create rabbit holes."