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First World Problems (Meta)

◆ · By benchen71 · Published 2023-05-23T06:00:23.218Z

Meta Prompt
The answer to the meta is a real problem, not a first world problem
There are some very funny first world problems memes out there: "I have three monitors connected to my computer, and I can't find my mouse cursor!" (see https://www.boredpanda.com/first-world-problems-twitter/ for some more). You will face your own first world problems in this meta puzzle. May you find your way to the meta answer, which in this case is a real problem, not a first world problem. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=130896#p130896
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here: https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about/interest4.html. US$10 gives you access to 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game. You won't quite know what to expect: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, sometimes all of those, and sometimes none! One thing is for sure, these are some of the more creative metas my brain has been able to come up with. And there's more: this time there's a mega-meta!
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • Schmeel solved 2023-05-23T09:59:11.855Z
  • boharr solved 2023-05-23T12:29:54.963Z
  • Hector solved 2023-05-23T12:43:06.894Z
  • whimsy solved 2023-05-23T12:58:01.749Z
  • Meg solved 2023-05-23T13:28:07.731Z
  • rjy solved 2023-05-23T14:10:49.916Z
  • kurtalert solved 2023-05-23T15:54:01.065Z
  • Carolyn solved 2023-05-23T16:56:41.706Z
  • DIS solved 2023-05-23T17:00:49.237Z
  • woozy solved 2023-05-23T17:47:36.757Z
  • hoover solved 2023-05-23T18:15:43.872Z
  • ajk solved 2023-05-23T18:21:13.394Z
  • Laura M solved 2023-05-23T18:22:23.588Z
  • imontoo solved 2023-05-23T18:28:44.577Z
  • Tyrpmom solved 2023-05-23T19:40:52.882Z
  • KayW solved 2023-05-23T19:42:41.755Z
  • heidi solved 2023-05-23T19:49:28.817Z
  • Pair O Ducks solved 2023-05-23T19:58:57.157Z
  • JM solved 2023-05-23T21:22:06.403Z
  • Mikey G solved 2023-05-23T21:35:41.417Z
  • lbray53 solved 2023-05-23T22:02:51.176Z
  • Darrell solved 2023-05-23T22:26:55.476Z
  • markhr solved 2023-05-23T22:43:21.477Z
  • BarbaraK solved 2023-05-24T01:37:48.071Z
  • Berto solved 2023-05-24T03:01:29.734Z
  • I K Snamhcok solved 2023-05-24T03:06:22.169Z
  • HeadinHome solved 2023-05-24T03:14:13.191Z
  • DrTom solved 2023-05-24T03:52:30.644Z
  • Adam Simon Levine solved 2023-05-24T13:38:15.191Z
  • Qmark solved 2023-05-24T14:25:56.992Z
  • Bbaack solved 2023-05-24T18:40:25.935Z
  • MatthewL solved 2023-05-24T18:59:59.372Z
  • moron solved 2023-05-25T03:46:01.360Z
  • Mr Tex solved 2023-05-26T01:06:18.448Z
  • CPJohnson solved 2023-05-26T01:10:39.531Z
  • ReB solved 2023-05-26T03:11:23.583Z
  • Spid4567 solved 2023-05-26T03:54:29.120Z
  • PuzNewbie solved 2023-05-26T04:56:38.822Z
  • rayyandroid solved 2023-05-26T14:22:18.455Z
  • Sharkicicles solved 2023-05-26T15:52:59.759Z
  • MrTheHan solved 2023-05-26T15:55:03.145Z
  • Dow Jones solved 2023-05-27T06:01:42.846Z
  • Capn Rick solved 2023-05-27T13:08:16.171Z
  • SJ solved 2023-05-28T13:31:52.309Z
  • Gutman solved 2023-05-29T11:10:05.947Z
  • sledge solved 2023-05-31T19:32:00.234Z
  • Flora Wynn solved 2023-07-10T01:06:13.738Z
  • Lucas solved 2023-09-29T02:44:36.834Z

Comments

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  • whimsy 14:21 · 2023-05-23T13:00:40.911Z
    Too lazy to grab paper and pencil so I initially got lost in the permutations! :) Very nice puzzle and reminder, Ben!
    • Meg 2s · 2023-05-23T13:34:29.942Z
      Several Aha! moments. Fun on a Tuesday morning.
      • kurtalert 🤓7:04 · 2023-05-23T16:02:11.902Z
        Hmmmmm... I look forward to learning the mechanism! I sort of connected CUP -> WORLD CUP -> FUTBOL, GONE -> ABORT, WORLD TRADE -> EEC... and had FA___E, figured FAMINE was a worthy guess. Even knowing that was the answer, though, I'm having trouble backsolving MIN. Doh!
        • DIS 🤓5:20 · 2023-05-23T17:03:18.546Z
          The completing word is the first word of a clue. For example, WIDE -> world wide WEB -> "Web-like material..." which clues MESH for the M.
          • benchen71 constructor · 2023-05-23T22:45:02.865Z
            That's it! After placing WORLD in front of the starred entries you need a third word that will complete a phrase. That third word will be the first word of a clue, and the first letter of those entries spells the meta answer. Lots of firsts!
          • woozy 13:41 · 2023-05-23T17:54:27.185Z
            Ooh. Can I tell!?
            It's funny cause the MINE and the AF were the hard ones.
            BTW. Gone=> insane. And Trade=> Nave.
          • Carolyn 4s · 2023-05-23T17:01:30.807Z
            I really enjoyed this! Challenging enough, but not too much. World Trade Organization had me for a few minutes until I shifted gears to Center. Still working on Wendy's puzzle though.
            • woozy 13:41 · 2023-05-23T17:47:57.066Z
              I see what you did there...
              • hoover 3s · 2023-05-23T18:15:56.863Z
                Nice one! Lots of steps but I got there!
                • ajk 10:51 · 2023-05-23T18:22:13.248Z
                  Very fun, thanks. Had a bit of trouble spotting the completion for WORLD WITHOUT, but at the point the backsolve was easy
                  • imontoo 4s · 2023-05-23T18:30:14.908Z
                    That was a toughie for me. Was glad to finally catch on! Thanks, Ben.
                    • Laura M 🤓10:27 · 2023-05-23T18:24:47.586Z
                      Excellent puzzle!
                      • KayW 🤓9:23 · 2023-05-23T19:43:29.500Z
                        Clever meta and puzzle - and thinking about the answer truly puts my "first world problems" in perspective. Thanks Ben!
                        • Tyrpmom 4s · 2023-05-23T19:42:12.577Z
                          Loved it!
                          • lbray53 2s · 2023-05-23T22:03:16.970Z
                            Great puzzle. Thanks.
                            • HeadinHome 🤓6:07 · 2023-05-24T03:16:01.006Z
                              A solid puzzle, and a meaningful reminder. Thanks!
                              • I K Snamhcok 1s · 2023-05-24T03:09:58.451Z
                                Quite fun. And if I understand correctly, many many many fewer people in the world go hungry today, compared to earlier in my lifetime. That’s encouraging.
                                • Berto 24:42 · 2023-05-24T03:05:36.875Z
                                  I wrote down “hunger” and “famine” as guesses, and then got World Wide Web > M(esh) and World Gone Mad > I(nsane) and knew I was on the right track. Great puzzle, Ben!
                                  • DrTom 5s · 2023-05-24T04:01:01.620Z
                                    Great puzzle Ben, I think it was CUP and TRADE that really confirmed it, then I looked throughout the GRID for the words until I glanced and saw Web... Very tricky and nicely hidden. Now I did have a few moments grief as I looked for the World Wildlife Foundation but I saw Fund and knew that was another WWF (probably the WWF). Good puzzle and a good reminder. As an afterthought you could have named this "Third Word Problem".
                                    • Qmark 4s · 2023-05-24T14:27:06.379Z
                                      Loved it...thanks Ben!
                                      • Bbaack 17:36 · 2023-05-24T18:42:01.268Z
                                        That was a lot of fun, thanks!
                                        • MatthewL 🤓9:17 · 2023-05-24T19:02:58.240Z
                                          Whew -- been staring at this for 2 days and finally saw what was going on. Lesson on this one -- always read the title literally. Very nice puzzle, Ben!
                                          • DrTom 5s · 2023-05-25T17:26:32.595Z
                                            Actually always read the title on EVERY meta. Sometimes one of the pieces a constructor agonizes over the most is the title that will (1) amuse (2) relate to the solve (3) give a hint to the mechanism. The title can literally make or break the puzzle.
                                          • ReB 5s · 2023-05-26T03:23:08.968Z
                                            3rd nudge did it - which led me to decide to look at the clues to confirm my suppositions as to the third word (or to correct me, as in the case of the World Trade Center, which I first thought would be Organization until I spotted Center). The rest then fell into place fairly quickly.
                                            • Capn Rick 9:26 · 2023-05-27T13:08:42.334Z
                                              Well done, Ben! Enjoyed it.
                                              Play today's daily mini crossword
                                              1A
                                              *Sporting trophy
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                                              Across
                                              1. 1A
                                                *Sporting trophy
                                              2. 4A
                                                End, as a process
                                              3. 9A
                                                Fund, as a scholarship
                                              4. 14A
                                                "It's ___-brainer!"
                                              5. 15A
                                                "Able was ___ saw Elba"
                                              6. 16A
                                                "Spanglish" star, Tea ___
                                              7. 17A
                                                River crossed on a "fateful night" in an ABBA song
                                              8. 19A
                                                Shea Stadium mascot
                                              9. 20A
                                                Commercial placard, for short
                                              10. 21A
                                                Book before Jeremiah
                                              11. 22A
                                                Web-like material, as used in flyscreens
                                              12. 23A
                                                "If ___ broke..."
                                              13. 25A
                                                Sgt., for one
                                              14. 26A
                                                "The Crow" actress, ___ Ling
                                              15. 27A
                                                Christmas poem opener
                                              16. 28A
                                                River in northern Papua New Guinea (which is a better clue than a type of erotic massage from Japan!)
                                              17. 29A
                                                Clairo song presumably named after a Cambridge, Massachusetts railway station rather than a shad-like fish
                                              18. 33A
                                                Collection of related information that is composed of separate elements but can be manipulated as a unit by a computer
                                              19. 35A
                                                Post-op area
                                              20. 36A
                                                Oct. follower
                                              21. 37A
                                                What pH measures
                                              22. 41A
                                                Relies (on)
                                              23. 45A
                                                *Departed
                                              24. 46A
                                                The Venerable ___
                                              25. 48A
                                                Dusk, to Donne (get it? it sounds like "dawn"!)
                                              26. 49A
                                                Surgery sites, briefly
                                              27. 50A
                                                Invigorating drinks
                                              28. 52A
                                                Toddler's scrape
                                              29. 53A
                                                Straighten, as hair
                                              30. 55A
                                                *Native fauna
                                              31. 57A
                                                Princess in Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"
                                              32. 58A
                                                Song altered for the airwaves
                                              33. 59A
                                                "___ through the front door" (50 Cent lyric)
                                              34. 60A
                                                Vote in
                                              35. 61A
                                                Common Market inits.
                                              36. 62A
                                                ___ Khan (tiger in "The Jungle Book")
                                              37. 63A
                                                Argentinian capital, Buenos ___
                                              38. 64A
                                                Fire residue
                                              Down
                                              1. 1D
                                                "Ay ___!"
                                              2. 2D
                                                Not optimal
                                              3. 3D
                                                Exclamation for when you accidently include a scatalogical-sounding word in the grid?
                                              4. 4D
                                                Graces partner
                                              5. 5D
                                                Michael Jackson song with the last letter dropped (just doing what the song says!)
                                              6. 6D
                                                Jazz saxophonist, ___ Coleman
                                              7. 7D
                                                Sketch again
                                              8. 8D
                                                Even score
                                              9. 9D
                                                Location where you really don't want to have a nightmare?
                                              10. 10D
                                                Black sheep of an Italian family, "pecora ___"
                                              11. 11D
                                                Roman imperial title
                                              12. 12D
                                                About 4,000 square meters
                                              13. 13D
                                                *In the absence of
                                              14. 18D
                                                Former Prime Minister of Singapore, ___ Chok Tong
                                              15. 21D
                                                Mad as a hatter
                                              16. 24D
                                                "___ a 'orrible day," said the Cockney to his trouble-and-strife
                                              17. 28D
                                                Center of a cathedral
                                              18. 30D
                                                *Broad
                                              19. 31D
                                                Here, in France
                                              20. 32D
                                                Soccer in Spanish countries
                                              21. 34D
                                                Blouse, for example
                                              22. 37D
                                                Rodents found in South America rainforests
                                              23. 38D
                                                Type of pasty from the western-most point of England
                                              24. 39D
                                                Conforming to proportion
                                              25. 40D
                                                Tokyo money
                                              26. 41D
                                                A goal in overtime, often
                                              27. 42D
                                                Brainstorming success
                                              28. 43D
                                                Regards as a god
                                              29. 44D
                                                Dr. Seuss creature that may (or may not) have a star on its belly
                                              30. 47D
                                                Hindu festival of lights
                                              31. 50D
                                                *Buy and sell goods and services
                                              32. 51D
                                                Ultra-cool line from Meg: "Well, thanks for everything, Herc. It's been a real ___"
                                              33. 52D
                                                32 down chant
                                              34. 54D
                                                "To unite" in French (Google Translate is the best!)
                                              35. 56D
                                                Morse code symbols
                                              36. 58D
                                                "The Crying Game" actor, Stephen ___
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