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Collectively (Meta)
■ · By benchen71 · Published 2023-05-16T06:00:47.573Z
Meta Prompt
The answer to the meta is a number
Age is just a number, they say. True, but we still like to celebrate birthdays! It's nice to enjoy those sort of milestones when they occur. Anyhoo, on with the meta, the answer to which is a number. If your meta answer is not accepted: Despite the title and 38 across you do not have to do any addition. Those things refer to something else! Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=130237#p130237
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)
- woozy solved 2023-05-16T06:14:57.936Z
- markhr solved 2023-05-16T06:55:41.186Z
- SeamusOL solved 2023-05-16T07:57:42.836Z
- Schmeel solved 2023-05-16T09:10:50.259Z
- Cindy Weatherman solved 2023-05-16T10:27:58.198Z
- rjy solved 2023-05-16T11:17:26.789Z
- Pair O Ducks solved 2023-05-16T12:15:29.494Z
- boharr solved 2023-05-16T12:32:02.013Z
- Hector solved 2023-05-16T12:41:40.322Z
- lbray53 solved 2023-05-16T13:14:21.245Z
- Meg solved 2023-05-16T13:18:25.705Z
- kurtalert solved 2023-05-16T13:49:43.006Z
- Sharkicicles solved 2023-05-16T13:50:31.351Z
- MatthewL solved 2023-05-16T14:18:57.494Z
- Jaclyn solved 2023-05-16T14:44:14.489Z
- Bird Lives solved 2023-05-16T15:13:16.655Z
- Tyrpmom solved 2023-05-16T15:29:42.413Z
- Carolyn solved 2023-05-16T15:49:29.209Z
- DebbieC solved 2023-05-16T16:00:23.805Z
- DIS solved 2023-05-16T16:15:13.315Z
- JR solved 2023-05-16T16:29:42.577Z
- BarbaraK solved 2023-05-16T17:28:42.987Z
- rayyandroid solved 2023-05-16T17:38:47.385Z
- Dow Jones solved 2023-05-16T18:09:48.141Z
- Laura M solved 2023-05-16T18:22:19.912Z
- Bbaack solved 2023-05-16T18:51:06.435Z
- SirMrGuy solved 2023-05-16T19:00:23.211Z
- I K Snamhcok solved 2023-05-16T19:07:32.379Z
- John Oresko solved 2023-05-16T19:43:45.109Z
- whimsy solved 2023-05-16T19:49:09.996Z
- Darth solved 2023-05-16T20:40:29.026Z
- KayW solved 2023-05-16T20:57:38.485Z
- ReB solved 2023-05-16T21:19:07.321Z
- CPJohnson solved 2023-05-16T22:46:26.029Z
- Ergcat solved 2023-05-16T22:51:26.370Z
- Berto solved 2023-05-16T23:19:05.499Z
- PuzNewbie solved 2023-05-16T23:47:13.334Z
- Darrell solved 2023-05-17T00:26:43.139Z
- hoover solved 2023-05-17T00:52:58.309Z
- falsec solved 2023-05-17T01:23:41.486Z
- HeadinHome solved 2023-05-17T02:44:44.449Z
- caprine solved 2023-05-17T03:02:05.516Z
- Spid4567 solved 2023-05-17T03:34:36.875Z
- frostyjhammer solved 2023-05-17T04:13:05.333Z
- Caswell solved 2023-05-17T05:54:11.694Z
- Qmark solved 2023-05-17T11:48:32.445Z
- Charles Montpetit solved 2023-05-17T12:50:22.792Z
- Alex Sisti solved 2023-05-17T14:18:24.095Z
- DrTom solved 2023-05-17T14:45:39.384Z
- MrTheHan solved 2023-05-17T15:38:17.690Z
- Larry Edelstein solved 2023-05-17T16:33:02.154Z
- emmie solved 2023-05-17T16:52:42.880Z
- Johnny Luau solved 2023-05-17T17:12:43.861Z
- alex solved 2023-05-17T17:13:03.671Z
- ChrisCross solved 2023-05-17T17:25:27.661Z
- Cindy Heisler solved 2023-05-17T20:57:59.085Z
- imontoo solved 2023-05-17T23:25:58.180Z
- clev solved 2023-05-18T03:30:45.706Z
- moron solved 2023-05-18T03:49:22.827Z
- edestlin solved 2023-05-18T11:33:23.256Z
- Adam solved 2023-05-18T14:17:42.511Z
- James solved 2023-05-18T14:33:10.748Z
- SJ solved 2023-05-18T14:49:14.083Z
- Cate C solved 2023-05-18T14:58:59.117Z
- Jasonbr solved 2023-05-18T15:25:31.479Z
- sw3aterCS solved 2023-05-18T15:38:54.703Z
- bergie solved 2023-05-18T16:16:20.083Z
- VinceS solved 2023-05-18T16:30:10.922Z
- Danielle Sommer solved 2023-05-18T17:50:17.099Z
- Jim23809 solved 2023-05-19T03:59:38.392Z
- Jessica Schirle solved 2023-05-19T05:05:41.991Z
- okjb solved 2023-05-19T05:21:34.666Z
- lisajay solved 2023-05-19T15:37:04.917Z
- Jimbo solved 2023-05-19T17:45:03.514Z
- Jerry Miccolis solved 2023-05-20T01:01:42.174Z
- kamashdad solved 2023-05-20T18:21:04.280Z
- Alex R solved 2023-05-21T21:40:34.770Z
- Trent Huber solved 2023-05-22T04:34:50.867Z
- Tane solved 2023-05-22T16:45:40.104Z
- Mr Tex solved 2023-05-22T17:15:06.936Z
- Samik solved 2023-05-23T13:53:51.144Z
- sledge solved 2023-05-25T15:31:14.203Z
- dooiemus solved 2023-05-26T14:33:18.673Z
- Gutman solved 2023-05-30T23:51:45.601Z
- Lucas solved 2023-09-27T03:57:53.401Z
- Danny K Bernstein solved 2024-01-24T17:42:55.678Z
Comments
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- kurtalert 🤓4:27 · 2023-05-16T13:49:58.947ZEnjoyed it a lot, thanks!
- Sharkicicles 2s · 2023-05-16T13:50:57.758ZCongrats Ben! This one made me laugh.
- MatthewL 🤓6:44 · 2023-05-16T14:20:46.175ZNice one, and just the speed I needed after the Aussi slang puzzle. Thanks Ben! (Also, loved the clue for 35D).
- Bird Lives 4s · 2023-05-16T15:15:27.150ZI got fooled by "Collectively" both as a tital and as the clue for 38A (IN TOTAL). So I guessed the total of the themers: 400.
- Tyrpmom 2s · 2023-05-16T15:40:37.815ZDon’t forget 35D.
- imontoo 3s · 2023-05-17T23:29:25.490ZThat’s what I did to, initially, guess 500.
- ReB 4s · 2023-05-16T21:31:47.226ZOh, I did the same and then went further with then including 35D (500) and then trying to include a modified 17A (A 'C' Note) for 600 - and then felt I had to decipher 63A on symmetry grounds. Then I tried binary - and finally sent a PM to Ben, who told me that all this addition was unnecessary. It's a shame that the WSJ Rabbit doesn't take stories from other metas because I have a truly classic tale.
- Ergcat 🤓15:17 · 2023-05-16T22:53:52.300ZMerry too! Adding up all sorts of things!
- Tyrpmom 2s · 2023-05-16T15:37:45.236ZFirst added in 20 for score and ten from Athena and missed century. So, a complete mess. Quickly regrouped and submitted 100.What were some incorrect guesses last week? I tried cutie and quota.
- "Shoot" and "Chute" were very common; but in the list of wrong answers I can see "Snake", "Yobbo", "Yurwe", "Chuth", "Today", "Emu" (this is not even a 5-letter word), "Towel", "Chewy", "Cuter", "Cheetah" (neither is this), "Child", "Cheat", "Osbun", "Judea", and "Check".
- BarbaraK 3s · 2023-05-16T17:29:55.187ZSo 100 MOATs? Congratulations!
- 100 metas, although they weren't all MOATs. See https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=129654#p129654 for the complete list!
- Laura M 🤓7:36 · 2023-05-16T18:28:59.831ZI also first submitted 400 due to 38A (didn't think about adding 35D though). Congrats and thank you for 100 great metas!
- I K Snamhcok 2s · 2023-05-16T19:09:11.499ZI too first submitted 400. “Collectively” might imply that we should up the 100s. But no complaint. Fun puzzle. Thanks, Ben!
- Bbaack 🤓12:43 · 2023-05-16T18:54:05.825ZThat was a fun one. "C" ya!
- whimsy 🤓12:21 · 2023-05-16T19:53:36.909ZLike this a lot -- probably because my tendency to treat the grid and themers as "impressionistic" or "interpretive" art paid off for a change, instead of it being the usual me going out on some silly limb ! :) Thanks Ben!
- ReB 4s · 2023-05-16T21:24:58.216ZI was totally led into a deep rabbit hole between the title (COLLECTIVELY) and 38A (IN TOTAL), which led me into adding up the various hundreds (and other creative branches) instead of just answering with the evident 100. I needed Ben to tell me that this was an inadvertent red herring. It was still fun in retrospect.
- Ergcat 🤓15:17 · 2023-05-16T22:52:09.888ZThank you for the hint…. Because I was adding… thank you, Ben!
- PuzNewbie 16:55 · 2023-05-16T23:47:33.811ZVery fun and clever!
- hoover 3s · 2023-05-17T00:54:08.291ZMy first guess was 400, because there were 4 variations of 100, and the middle entry says "in total." I didn't get I SENT YURI until I just saw it typed that way by woozy below/above. :)
- HeadinHome 🤓11:24 · 2023-05-17T02:53:45.543Zvery straightforward, and entertaining to boot! Did someone turn 100?
- HeadinHome 🤓11:24 · 2023-05-17T02:56:06.448ZAhh… just saw the list of 100 on muggle forum. Congrats! That’s quite an achievement. Thanks for sharing your talents!
- OMG 35D!
- Qmark 10s · 2023-05-17T11:49:28.737ZFun one...thanks Ben!
- Frangelico? I thought sure you would have used one of the three ultimate British imports (Nutella - the other two being Marmite and Vegemite). I was also surprised not to see 35D be “Number of acres in a certain woods” since there was neither a Milne nor an Oreo reference and I thought by law they had to be included. Well at least you snuck in an Ali reference. Fun one Ben!
- ChrisCross 🤓6:49 · 2023-05-17T17:27:12.715ZCongratulations on 100 puzzles! I think I enjoy MOATs more than the WSJ crossword puzzle, your metas are very diverse in mechanism and really fun. Thanks for the source of entertainment!
- High praise indeed! I do try not to repeat myself. But it's getting increasingly harder!
- Cindy Heisler 4s · 2023-05-17T21:00:32.640ZI tried to add at first, but that wasn't working out. Fun one and congratulations on 100 metas!!!
- imontoo 3s · 2023-05-17T23:27:32.282ZI’m a day behind each meta this week. Cute one, Ben. Thanks!
1A
Map ratio
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Across
- 1AMap ratio
- 6AEntryway
- 10AAgts.
- 14AShoestrings
- 15ABidding site
- 16A"Yesterday, upon the stair, ___ a man who wasn't there"
- 17AMiddle C, for example
- 18AMusic for instrument accompanying a drum?
- 20ADried edible seaweed
- 21AFurry friend
- 22AGrew rapidly
- 23AState of finding camping stressful?
- 26AKoine Greek word that means "that" (also an anagram of "toi")
- 27ASpy who likes his martinis shaken, not stirred
- 28A"Men in Black" actor
- 32AGoddess of wisdom
- 35ALOTR actor, ___ McKellen or ___ Holm
- 36AUncommon blood type, for short
- 37ARadio personality, ___ Glass
- 38ACollectively
- 41A"I'll take that as ___"
- 42AKnock senseless
- 44ACorporate VIP
- 45A"Anne of Green ___"
- 47AAntman, for example
- 49AFirefighter's need
- 50ABigger than med.
- 51AAnswer to the question, "Who went on the secret KGB mission?"
- 56AWhere the thrilla took place
- 59AHorse food
- 60AStench
- 61AFear of Attila?
- 63ABilly Joel song, "___ It Goes"
- 64AFill to excess
- 65ARecording medium, once upon a time
- 66AIsolate during the winter
- 67A[My bike tire is leaking again!?!]
- 68ATook to court
- 69ABruce and Laura
Down
- 1DItalics feature
- 2DLake boat
- 3DPotential oak
- 4DBeatles tune that references mother Mary
- 5DLanguage suffix
- 6DProtect from attack
- 7D"In memoriam" items
- 8DBig galoot
- 9DDeli breads
- 10DLasagna ingredient
- 11DEasily moved
- 12DMachu Picchu's country
- 13DStaircase part
- 19DGo to the mall
- 21DAct of contrition (and definitely not where the G & S pirates came from!)
- 24D"Un-break My Heart" singer, ___ Braxton
- 25DE of QED
- 29DSuffering torment
- 30DActress who played Thor's mother, ___ Russo
- 31DAmnesty Int. and the Red Cross, for example
- 32DOpera about an Ethiopian princess
- 33DNickname for someone called Travis, probably
- 34DKey ingredient of Frangelico
- 35DHow did this entry get into the grid? Hope the across entries are enough because this is unclueable!
- 39D"Desperate Housewives" actress, ___ Hatcher
- 40DFinal
- 43DPeter Jackson movie, "Mortal ___"
- 46DDestiny's Child member
- 48DNeuter, as a horse
- 49DScored a goal in soccer without using one's feet
- 52DEd Sheeran song, "___ Of You"
- 53DSource of milk
- 54DViolinist's need
- 55DHave many ___ in the fire
- 56DQuantity of matter in a physical body
- 57DExclamations when you solve the meta
- 58DPainting and sculpture, for example
- 62DParisian water
- 63DAssistance
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