MEOW #111 Chain Letters

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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DrTom
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MEOW #111 Chain Letters

#1

Post by DrTom »

There has been such a run of guest constructors, and of course the return of the Madhatter himself, that I have not had a puzzle in about a month. Luckily I have been making a bunch so I have some ready, and this one I had actually submitted to Matt...and he turned it down.:( I think the reason given was that it was like one he did a while back; hopefully not "I could never associate my name with this!".

Anyway, some of my testers have told me it was at least a Persian, though if you catch the metanism (which is not as elegant or complex as anything we have been seeing lately) the solve is very straightforward.

So, I'll go with a Persian, or maybe a Persian with attitude and see where everyone lands.

The meta is something that promises to bring you big rewards

Kitten
Calico
PERSIAN
Puma
Lion


"Chain Letters" - Crosshare
(NOTE: If you enjoy solving on Crosshare, help keep the site running by donating a few bucks).

Chain Letters PUZ

Chain Letters PDF

Chain Letters spreadsheet


Image


Actually I just noticed that this was puzzle 111 and it comes on 1/11 - sounds like I should play those lottery numbers!

Nudges on Friday (and of course anytime with PMs)
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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DrTom
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#2

Post by DrTom »

MUGGLES - so sorry, I meant to post this last night and was SURE I did, but it turns out I only did the write up then Preview and not the submit. I was wondering why there was absolutely no activity on the puzzle, now I know. Geez Tom, get it right!
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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rjy
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#3

Post by rjy »

Cat’s out! Fun one, and great clueing as always!
Ray
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DrTom
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#4

Post by DrTom »

rjy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 9:29 am Cat’s out! Fun one, and great clueing as always!
Thanks! As I have said repeatedly, clueing is the most fun in constructing. The English language is a very devious tool....of course the same accusation has been leveled at me in the past so.
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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Ergcat
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#5

Post by Ergcat »

Cat is out! Can’t believe I actually “saw it” on my first pass! Fun one!
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rjy
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#6

Post by rjy »

Ergcat wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 10:03 am Cat is out! Can’t believe I actually “saw it” on my first pass! Fun one!
Same - and I guess that’s fair since DrTom got the MOAT that way, while I’m still nowhere on it. Funny how these things go…
Ray
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boharr
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#7

Post by boharr »

Cat is free. Yes, the cluing is terrific and the puzzle great fun.
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ChrisKochmanski
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#8

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Cat’s out.

I took a slight nudge from another Muggle, since I’m a bit pressed for time today.

Good one! Thanks. Dr. T!
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whimsy
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#9

Post by whimsy »

Wasn't sure whether I'd tested or not. [...puzzle, smile, think, muse, scratch head, grin...]
Yes, I had! Just as good as first time!
Untitledcool.png
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KayW
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#10

Post by KayW »

:crossed_swords: :rabbit: :cat: :cat: The nice thing about having absolutely no memory is you keep getting to do new metas :D
I recognized enough of the grid that I KNEW I had test solved this one earlier, but it still took me quite a while to come up with the metanism the SECOND time.
Image
Well done, DrTom! Lots of fun cluing here.
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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Meg
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#11

Post by Meg »

The cat had to be yanked out with the help of a friendly Muggle. I loved 36d!
Check out and support http://CrosswordsForCancer.com.
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hcbirker
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#12

Post by hcbirker »

Cat's out! Nicely done Dr Tom!
Heidi
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Bird Lives
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#13

Post by Bird Lives »

The cat is busily doing chain mail lest the chain be broken and bad luck come sweeping in. The solution came quickly, but I needed a minute to get the connection between the title, the mechanism, and the answer.
Jay
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dsbened
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#14

Post by dsbened »

(Oops, I did it again...)
Seattle DB
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DrTom
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#15

Post by DrTom »

dsbened wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 9:30 pm (Oops, I did it again...)
Solved or cursed the constructor?
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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DrTom
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#16

Post by DrTom »

Day one draws to a close and the chain letters are rolling in. There were 14 of you that responded to the challenge and mailed in your answers!

1 Hector
2 rjy
3 Ergcat
4 Whimsy
5 boharr
6 KayW
7 Meg
8 Cindy Weatherman
9 Ckochmanski
10 Small Wave Dave
11 Gutman
12 Laura M
13 Bird Lives
14 hcbirker

Thanks to all those who have solved and looking forward to many more of you joining the chain.
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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benchen71
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#17

Post by benchen71 »

Cat's out! Cool puzzle - thanks, @DrTom!
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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edestlin
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#18

Post by edestlin »

Cat's out. Saw it pretty early and enjoyed the cluing and fill. Nice job, @DrTom!
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MarkWoychick
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#19

Post by MarkWoychick »

Out of the bag - thanks, Dr. Tom - great clues, grid, and meta!
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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Dplass
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#20

Post by Dplass »

Whoosh, needed a bunch of nudges from the good Dr. Thanks for the puzzle.
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