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Medal-winning Positions (Meta)
◆ · By benchen71 · Published 2022-09-06T06:00:14.955Z
Meta Prompt
The answer to the meta is an Olympic event
If you haven't noticed, I've been trying to follow the Gaffney model of meta puzzles such that the month starts with an easier puzzle and then they get harder as the month progresses. Of course, it's hard to judge the difficulty of a puzzle when you're the creator! All that to say, I have tried very hard to make this an easier puzzle. The answer to the meta is an Olympic event. Go for gold! Answer and explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=105657#p105657
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)
- Laura M solved 2022-09-06T07:18:49.175Z
- dplass solved 2022-09-06T11:11:38.796Z
- Qmark solved 2022-09-06T11:42:22.631Z
- Hector solved 2022-09-06T11:48:15.922Z
- hoover solved 2022-09-06T12:52:11.580Z
- SporcleMirror solved 2022-09-06T13:10:19.880Z
- Cindy Weatherman solved 2022-09-06T13:50:44.446Z
- Meg solved 2022-09-06T13:55:49.289Z
- BarbaraK solved 2022-09-06T13:56:01.357Z
- I K Snamhcok solved 2022-09-06T14:17:15.040Z
- Schmeel solved 2022-09-06T14:20:29.657Z
- boharr solved 2022-09-06T14:59:13.080Z
- markhr solved 2022-09-06T16:45:39.347Z
- zonkswonk solved 2022-09-06T16:53:47.328Z
- Ergcat solved 2022-09-06T17:37:45.740Z
- whimsy solved 2022-09-06T20:10:01.750Z
- Gutman solved 2022-09-06T20:38:04.865Z
- Bbaack solved 2022-09-06T21:55:25.380Z
- BrennerTJ solved 2022-09-06T23:56:26.782Z
- DrTom solved 2022-09-07T00:38:25.813Z
- lbray53 solved 2022-09-07T01:42:53.204Z
- Tyrpmom solved 2022-09-07T03:58:30.052Z
- rjy solved 2022-09-07T04:05:22.140Z
- Darth solved 2022-09-07T17:52:39.652Z
- DIS solved 2022-09-07T17:57:29.608Z
- imontoo solved 2022-09-07T20:42:38.730Z
- SJMcK solved 2022-09-07T23:31:39.075Z
- ajk solved 2022-09-08T15:14:04.481Z
- kurtalert solved 2022-09-08T15:42:09.809Z
- Carolyn solved 2022-09-08T21:31:39.002Z
- bereolos solved 2022-09-09T04:16:39.523Z
- SeamusOL solved 2022-09-09T06:23:55.940Z
- ReB solved 2022-09-10T20:25:34.599Z
- Tobonic solved 2022-09-10T23:03:56.029Z
- Cindy Heisler solved 2022-09-11T00:58:14.370Z
- woozy solved 2022-09-11T03:10:15.128Z
- edestlin solved 2022-09-11T14:39:55.068Z
- KayW solved 2022-09-11T16:32:59.495Z
- Dow Jones solved 2022-09-12T01:55:58.111Z
- MrTheHan solved 2022-09-12T20:14:34.577Z
Comments
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- Laura M 🤓9:17 · 2022-09-06T07:19:48.518ZFun! I think the difficulty was about right.
- Good to know. I find "week 1" metas the trickiest, since you don't want to make it too obvious (like with "Risky Business" perhaps?)
- hoover 2s · 2022-09-06T12:53:42.145ZI agree with Laura M. I would suggest there's probably no need for the * in the clues for the themers, though.
- Qmark 🤓13:02 · 2022-09-06T11:44:51.846ZSuper puzzle, Ben...thanks!
- I K Snamhcok 1s · 2022-09-06T14:17:47.212ZVery nice!
- Ergcat 19:04 · 2022-09-06T17:39:23.585ZThanks, Ben! Fun puzzle with Very clever construction…once I figured out where to get the 1st, 2nd and 3rd “places”!!
- Gutman 2s · 2022-09-06T20:39:07.609ZAt least I didn't have to look at the periodic table for too long!
- whimsy 🤓13:02 · 2022-09-06T20:11:31.596ZGold for a fun puzzle! Thanks, Ben!
- Bbaack 22:20 · 2022-09-06T21:57:51.469ZNice one, although now I'm dreading the end of the month!
- This month's "week 4" is a doozy! (That said, it should be easier than last month!)
- Tyrpmom 3s · 2022-09-07T04:00:56.480ZIt may be nice to do your weeks backward so the month is a bit more balanced.
- imontoo 4s · 2022-09-07T20:43:28.678ZFun! Thanks
- ReB 5s · 2022-09-10T20:30:11.757ZWell, I went back to the one spoiler (plus the title) and this time found the right way to sequence, dealing with letters instead of words. Pleasant in retrospect.
- Cindy Heisler 2s · 2022-09-11T01:00:41.258ZFinally got it using your nudges. I tried something similar to the correct mechanism plus a whole lot of other nonsense. Seeing it now, it seems pretty straightforward. Another great one, Ben. Thanks.
- Oh, not a-ruddy-gain! I don't think I'm ever going to used to that mechanism.
- I'm so sorry for touching a raw nerve. But imagine how I feel: I constructed this crossword first, and then still failed to solve "Countdown"!
- I meant it humorously. As for the nudges it "Yeah-- of course; uh-huh got that; figured as much; well yeah and.... oh"
1A
Bond novel, "___ Majesty's Secret Service"
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Across
- 1ABond novel, "___ Majesty's Secret Service"
- 6AWhere you go to board a plane
- 10ARelated to the mouth
- 14A"My Fair Lady" composer
- 15A"But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, 'Stop weeping! Look, the ___ of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.'" (Rev. 5:5)
- 16A32 across, for example
- 17A* Purchase that lets you complete both parts of your journey, there and back, within 24 hours
- 20AWhere Mary and Joseph didn't stay (not because there was no room but because it's a mis-translation; see my meta "First Christmas" for details)
- 21AColour-changing substance
- 22AThose responsible for the mail surge mentioned in the clue for 63 across
- 23AAnon, but less Shakespearean
- 25AUbiquitous Adobe file
- 27ABlog feed letters
- 28AThe only US state outside North 12 down
- 30APronounce "s" as "th", for example
- 32AMe (the one cluing this crossword!)
- 35A"Alas..."
- 37ASomething you really don't want to find in your food
- 39A* Generically-named government-run educational institution
- 43AMrs. Rumpole, otherwise known as "She Who Must Be Obeyed"
- 44A"You can't see that painting; it's currently on ___ the Tate"
- 45A"Let me think about that..."
- 46AParisian God
- 48AWhat Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks have lots of
- 52AWriter of 1 across, ___ Fleming
- 53AJack ___, a common English term originally used to refer to seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy
- 55AMarriage proposal location (with "down on one")
- 56A"No! My mind is made up. ___ swayed."
- 60A"Wanna___?" ("Are you absolutely certain?")
- 62AContribute to a conversation
- 63A* Mail surge that post offices have to deal with in December
- 66AHip hop artist born Eddie Castellanos (an anagram of "road")
- 67AHairy hunter of Genesis
- 68A"Encore!"
- 69A"___, ___, a pirate's life for me" (lyrics from a theme song for a Disney ride)
- 70AArthur ___, protagonist of Douglas Adams' "A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy"
- 71AIf violets are blue, these are red
Down
- 1DGetting on in years (sorta)
- 2D"Simple and harmonious" in Tahitian, popularised by Paul Gauguin and a Danish fashion label
- 3D"___, ___, don't dream it's over" (lyrics from a Crowded House song)
- 4DNew Jersey airport code
- 5DClarinet need
- 6D"We were literally ___ to the TV!" (couldn't look away; and definitely not meant literally, no matter what they say!)
- 7D"I can feel it coming in the ___ tonight, oh lord" (lyrics from a Phil Collins song with a famous drum fill)
- 8DLots (but also probably not meant literally)
- 9DComes in
- 10DHow I like to buy my music, no matter what my wife says about superseded technology and the ease of streaming
- 11DUseful tool during autumn (if you have deciduous trees)
- 12DSee 28 across
- 13DAnswer to "Shall we?"
- 18DOccupation that once took place in pools
- 19DChecks for quality
- 24DFemale nymph associated with water
- 26D"___ like a lizard drinking" (evocative Australian expression for working hard)
- 29D"See you then!"
- 31DConcept represented by a light bulb in cartoons
- 32D"To Kill A Mockingbird" character, ___ Radley
- 33D"Mr. Blue Sky" band, for short
- 34DNo score in soccer
- 36DCommercial event involving a drop in prices
- 38DTriangular-shaped object under a wheel
- 39D"I'm really enjoying this time in the sauna!"
- 40DEdge of a cup
- 41DTree associated with a horror movie franchise
- 42DSomeone who makes for an unpleasant roommate
- 47DLike Norwegian Lundehunds, apparently
- 49DHow quite a lot of the world refers to a pineapple
- 50DWhat Josh Gad, as LeFou, wears in "Beauty And The Beast"
- 51DClassic four-door cars
- 52DOpening remarks
- 54D"I need to see a man ___ a horse" (loo-visiting euphemism)
- 56D"Now ___ me down to sleep"
- 57DPluralised wedding vow
- 58D"Alternatively..." (in an SMS)
- 59DFrench suffix that forms the female version of some occupations (for example, vicomt-)
- 61DPeter the Great, for one
- 64DLess current synonym for "stan"
- 65D"A long time __, in a galaxy far, far, away"
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