“Hearing Things”

A weekly meta crossword created by members of the forum. Difficulty levels will vary. Hints are usually available starting Wednesday, and solutions are posted on Sunday.
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Bird Lives
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“Hearing Things”

#1

Post by Bird Lives »

“I’m blue every Monday” goes the old song. Maybe especially a Monday when Christmas and New Year’s and their associated metas have faded into the past. No more Silent Nights, no more Cheers. Today’s puzzle is unrelated to any holiday.

Thanks to Al Sisti for coming up with the prompt and to Abide for suggestions on adjusting the clues so as to get the right level of difficulty, which I would estimate as a 2.5. Of course, as the repair people say, that's only an estimate.

The answer is a five-letter word meaning how you might put things together.

Unfortunately, as test-solver Wendy Walker pointed out to me, there is some ambiguity as to the things that are put together, a flaw for which I apologize in advance.

Hearing Things PUZ

Hearing Things PDF

Hearing Things Excel

PM me with your answer by Saturday 10pm, or solve at Crosshare and get immediate Correct/Incorrect feedback.

https://crosshare.org/crosswords/p3vrds ... ing-things

I’ll post nudges here on Wednesday.
Jay
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Meg
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#2

Post by Meg »

Nicely done, Jay! Some nice twisty turns in the path to the answer.
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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DrTom
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#3

Post by DrTom »

Off the couch, but not without failing several attempts to get up. I was hearing things, seeing things, doing things but my thingking wasn't doing anything (and I was about to start drinking things!).

Luckily a last minute idea came to me - nice twists and lots of smelly red fish Jay, but I liked it of course just as I always do your puzzles.


I have loosed the cat, appropriately disguised match from whence he came.
Disguised cat.jpg
Last edited by DrTom on Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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!
Schmeel
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#4

Post by Schmeel »

Off the couch.
Good puzzle! Thanks Jay.
I was stuck deep in the cushions before I managed to free myself.
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MarkWoychick
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#5

Post by MarkWoychick »

Solved and confirmed on crosshare - thanks for the fun puzzle, Jay!
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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boharr
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#6

Post by boharr »

Off the couch. Very sneaky and very fun! Thanks, Jay.
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ChrisKochmanski
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Location: Saline, Michigan

#7

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Off the couch!

Very nice!
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RPardoe
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Location: Houston, TX

#8

Post by RPardoe »

Solved and submitted (confirmed at Crosshare)
Dplass
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#9

Post by Dplass »

DrTom wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:03 pm Off the couch, but not without failing several attempts to get up. I was hearing things, seeing things, doing things but my thingking wasn't doing anything (and I was about to start drinking things!).

Luckily a last minute idea came to me - nice twists and lots of smelly red fish Jay, but I liked it of course just as I always do your puzzles.


I have loosed the cat, appropriately disguised match from whence he came.

Disguised cat.jpg
a. That's not a cat, it's a plucked chicken
and
2. Loosening cats is for Wednesday puzzles!
markhr
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:56 pm

#10

Post by markhr »

Off the couch. Excellent puzzle, Jay.
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Cap'n Rick
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#11

Post by Cap'n Rick »

Off the couch! Fun one, Jay!
Ahoy! Check out my meta puzzles here! Check out "Smooth Sailing Sundays" here!
Dplass
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:09 am

#12

Post by Dplass »

I'm thisclose to the answer. I just can't find it. So so so close. Many red fish, that's fer sher.
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Anita
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#13

Post by Anita »

I do believe I'm off the couch! Confirmed with Crosshare. Nice one!
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benchen71
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#14

Post by benchen71 »

Off the couch! Thanks for a fun puzzle.
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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lbray53
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#15

Post by lbray53 »

Off the couch! Great puzzle! I always feel enlightened when I solve a Bird Lives meta.
My avatar proves that it is sometimes better to be lucky than good!
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rjy
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#16

Post by rjy »

Dplass wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 7:55 pm I'm thisclose to the answer. I just can't find it. So so so close. Many red fish, that's fer sher.
Ditto, I’ve found multiple promising, clever paths but they’re leaving me juuuuuuuust this short of an answer. Enjoying the journey so far tho…
Ray
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vandono
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Location: Texas

#17

Post by vandono »

I feel like I found a step but can't see where to go from there - but I did find someone else who listens to "Music for Airports" so I have that going for me. Which is nice.
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DrTom
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Location: Jacksonville, FL

#18

Post by DrTom »

Dplass wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 4:50 pm
DrTom wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:03 pm Off the couch, but not without failing several attempts to get up. I was hearing things, seeing things, doing things but my thingking wasn't doing anything (and I was about to start drinking things!).

Luckily a last minute idea came to me - nice twists and lots of smelly red fish Jay, but I liked it of course just as I always do your puzzles.


I have loosed the cat, appropriately disguised match from whence he came.

Disguised cat.jpg
a. That's not a cat, it's a plucked chicken -Wow, you really know how to hurt a cat!
2. Loosening cats is for Wednesday puzzles! - Dang it, I knew my answer was couched in escapist terms.

Oh, and loosening cats is not for Wednesday puzzles, loosing cats is. Loosening cats I believe is against the SPCA rules.
Last edited by DrTom on Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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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KayW
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#19

Post by KayW »

:couch_and_lamp: I needed some assistance to put it together properly, but I'm now unseated.
chairwrong.jpg
Great puzzle, Jay!
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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Bird Lives
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#20

Post by Bird Lives »

Day one report. In the first 24 hours, we have 22 solvers, give or take. Take, because it's possible that someone uses a different name on Crossshare than on x-muggles and got counted under both names. Give because I probably missed someone. If that's you, please let me know.
(TS) Al Sisti
(TS) Abide
(TS) Wendy Walker
1. FrankieHeck
2. Meg
3. Schmeel
4. boharr
5. Laura M
6. DrTom
7. Hector
8. Mwoychick
9. ChrisKochmanski
10. Chaddog
11. DJB
12. Rpardoe
13. Tyrpmom
14. markhr
15. DIS
16. Bbaack
17. Anita and Steve
18. Cap'n Rick
19. benchen71
20. lbray53
21. BarbaraK
22. KayW
Jay
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