This meta was the result of the disturbed sleep I experienced the night after my kidney stones procedure. I make no apologies, though, since I think the end result will be fun for all the family! The answer to the meta: "Nice audible 'oui'" And yes, that's obscure for a reason! Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=121171#p121171
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here: https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about/interest4.html. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
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Leaderboard (updated hourly)
woozy solved 2023-02-14T06:09:23.855Z
Schmeel solved 2023-02-14T07:55:22.079Z
Mikey G solved 2023-02-14T08:04:35.194Z
markhr solved 2023-02-14T09:37:38.335Z
Cindy Heisler solved 2023-02-14T11:30:21.690Z
Hector solved 2023-02-14T13:29:34.688Z
Darth solved 2023-02-14T13:54:27.664Z
Meg solved 2023-02-14T14:23:51.729Z
lbray53 solved 2023-02-14T14:30:50.972Z
I K Snamhcok solved 2023-02-14T14:53:07.486Z
rjy solved 2023-02-14T15:17:23.596Z
Ergcat solved 2023-02-14T15:25:52.733Z
Bird Lives solved 2023-02-14T15:27:24.044Z
boharr solved 2023-02-14T15:28:25.834Z
DIS solved 2023-02-14T16:54:18.582Z
BarbaraK solved 2023-02-14T17:04:58.490Z
Tyrpmom solved 2023-02-14T18:05:13.864Z
ChrisCross solved 2023-02-14T18:07:54.804Z
MatthewL solved 2023-02-14T20:30:46.414Z
Cindy Weatherman solved 2023-02-14T20:52:59.990Z
Laura M solved 2023-02-14T21:16:05.620Z
Darrell solved 2023-02-14T23:02:44.168Z
Carolyn solved 2023-02-15T00:37:02.910Z
Pair O Ducks solved 2023-02-15T00:40:50.799Z
DebbieC solved 2023-02-15T05:57:51.215Z
Golem solved 2023-02-15T06:54:00.453Z
DrTom solved 2023-02-15T15:23:45.048Z
oldjudge solved 2023-02-15T19:12:13.875Z
Mr Tex solved 2023-02-15T19:25:17.134Z
Bbaack solved 2023-02-15T19:33:32.428Z
hoover solved 2023-02-15T22:47:08.442Z
ajk solved 2023-02-15T22:53:34.870Z
HeadinHome solved 2023-02-16T02:21:19.561Z
Dow Jones solved 2023-02-16T05:58:10.156Z
KayW solved 2023-02-16T20:45:32.690Z
JR solved 2023-02-16T21:28:55.098Z
Qmark solved 2023-02-17T04:19:46.568Z
Jeffrey solved 2023-02-17T16:21:33.390Z
Katiedid solved 2023-02-17T16:39:53.076Z
Abide solved 2023-02-17T16:44:23.320Z
K7 solved 2023-02-17T16:59:46.840Z
ab solved 2023-02-17T17:11:18.045Z
david solved 2023-02-17T17:21:15.933Z
Eckless solved 2023-02-17T18:51:00.054Z
Jim Dean solved 2023-02-17T20:17:40.447Z
Jerry Miccolis solved 2023-02-17T20:42:12.760Z
JM solved 2023-02-17T20:49:33.407Z
Rog solved 2023-02-18T01:24:08.164Z
Bob J solved 2023-02-18T02:11:34.749Z
rvkal solved 2023-02-18T02:23:00.531Z
Spid4567 solved 2023-02-18T04:33:42.723Z
CoyoteCreed solved 2023-02-18T09:20:09.363Z
Steve M solved 2023-02-18T16:30:50.017Z
Alex Sisti solved 2023-02-18T16:33:19.294Z
BobJas solved 2023-02-19T11:53:50.327Z
Shalaka solved 2023-02-19T15:57:32.038Z
Adam Simon Levine solved 2023-02-19T17:33:46.677Z
Comments
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Was right there with you, NOT ON must be one of those roo things. Metric Gunter, Cracker Gunter???? Took me a while to see that it had to be ANAGRAM to end up with something pressing. I also spent a lot of time trying to fit all of the ROY GBIV letters from INVINOVERITAS into the answer until I realized that the connection was going OVER the rainbow.
MatthewL 🤓8:05 · 2023-02-14T20:33:31.898Z
Well that was ... interesting. Not usually a big fan of cryptics, but this was just about my speed.
Laura M 🤓10:15 · 2023-02-14T21:17:38.330Z
Cryptics aren't really my thing, but I loved this!
I wanted to construct a meta that would teach solvers how to approach cryptic clues. :D
Carolyn 3s · 2023-02-15T00:42:26.341Z
Hmm, my first time solving cryptics. My knowledge of French suggested the answer once I had three of the letters, but I'll be interested in reading the comments and the explanation to learn more. Thanks!
Well that was distinctly drug induced thinking! I was all over with this one. I thought about NOUS very early on, but thought that cannot be enough for a nice audible. So I tried NAIL OVER URGENT SIT (N'il ouvert arget cette) audibly which loosely translates to "Does he open this money?" - obviously not. FINALLY the light bulb went on Nice (very common crossword misdirection meaning a French word is the answer) audible (what it would sound like if spoken) Oui (we) and then the NOUS became clear. So very tricky and no doubt the result of an opiate at the very least.
hoover 9s · 2023-02-15T22:48:04.678Z
DrTom just said all the things!
HeadinHome 🤓3:14 · 2023-02-16T02:31:33.098Z
which makes me think of this old fave, Dr. Tom with your phonic french: Un petit d'un petit
S'étonne aux Halles
Un petit d'un petit
Ah! degrés te fallent
Indolent qui ne sort cesse
Indolent qui ne se mène
Qu'importe un petit d'un petit
Tout Gai de Reguennes.
Sorry could not translate, and I even asked my French friend Lentille je arc orner, but he was busily eating a pie over in the east corner of the room and did not have time to answer - I believe it was a plum pie. Still that piece about the child of a child was interesting, I love stories about the reconstruction period in France.
Jut spent a little, highly enjoyable, time looking at these "homophonic translations" ....there might well be a meta in there somewhere. Think about the story of "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut"...the meta answer is about a girl and her tortured grammar!
Bbaack 13:28 · 2023-02-15T19:40:24.392Z
Now I understand the cryptic meta answer in the instructions. Clever one, thanks!
WOW do I really not like cryptics. Probably because I haven’t done enough of them to “get” them… and I don’t do enough of them because I don’t like them because I don’t get them. (somebody help me out of this circular argument). I’m still not sure why rainbow connection is “over.” Is “connection” a word for preposition? LIke, over is the preposition that always goes with rainbow? ANYhoo… probably good for me to keep trying and finally get this one, but please let’s return to standard form. Thankyouverymuch. ( :
I thought it was a connection because you go somewhere OVER the rainbow. I, surprisingly, am also not good at cryptics. You would think with my odd sense of humor that I would be, but it is just another on a long list of things I can't rally do well.
DrTom had it: OVER connects with rainbow in the song from The Wizard of Oz. To be perfectly honest, my cryptic clues might not pass the editor of a good cryptic crossword column!
Dow Jones 3s · 2023-02-16T06:11:23.705Z
I didn't see it until the nudges. What a brain-twister. Thanks, Ben
WHOA. That was a doozy!! I needed to think about the nudges but really very clever. So sorry you had to suffer for your art, Ben. But the end result was "Nice" indeed.
Congrats on the Gaffney shoutout! Pre-nudge solve here. I had the four clues deciphered on Wednesday but didn't think to just spell N-O-U-S until today. I appreciate the comments explaining the prompt.
Yes, you are correct. I don't tend to get my crosswords checked before publication so a few errors inevitably creep in. But I appreciate it when solvers tell me where I've gone wrong!