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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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.
I wanted to construct a meta that would teach solvers how to approach cryptic clues. :D
Carolyn 3s · over 2 years ago
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 · over 2 years ago
DrTom just said all the things!
HeadinHome 🤓3:14 · over 2 years ago
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 · over 2 years ago
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 · over 2 years ago
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!