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Alphanumeric
◆ · By Bird Lives · Published 2023-03-06T11:43:56.306Z
Meta Prompt
The answer is a nine-letter film title that would complete the sequence.
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Leaderboard (updated hourly)
- Cindy Weatherman solved 2023-03-06T13:12:42.693Z
- Hector solved 2023-03-06T13:13:17.443Z
- Meg solved 2023-03-06T13:31:58.163Z
- Schmeel solved 2023-03-06T13:52:18.346Z
- boharr solved 2023-03-06T14:11:16.449Z
- Darth solved 2023-03-06T14:18:52.031Z
- troysail solved 2023-03-06T14:22:50.575Z
- dplass solved 2023-03-06T14:33:08.642Z
- BarbaraK solved 2023-03-06T15:08:45.673Z
- rjy solved 2023-03-06T15:20:08.041Z
- JM solved 2023-03-06T16:02:27.700Z
- Mr Tex solved 2023-03-06T16:14:11.389Z
- I K Snamhcok solved 2023-03-06T16:15:15.288Z
- lbray53 solved 2023-03-06T16:16:23.039Z
- JHSeeman solved 2023-03-06T16:17:05.220Z
- Carolyn solved 2023-03-06T16:18:08.559Z
- MatthewL solved 2023-03-06T16:41:40.297Z
- DIS solved 2023-03-06T17:00:38.110Z
- bhamren solved 2023-03-06T17:36:56.410Z
- markhr solved 2023-03-06T17:54:45.249Z
- hoover solved 2023-03-06T18:26:07.059Z
- michaelm solved 2023-03-06T18:26:13.352Z
- Steve M solved 2023-03-06T18:45:01.915Z
- Tyrpmom solved 2023-03-06T18:58:08.686Z
- DrTom solved 2023-03-06T19:17:45.395Z
- Abide solved 2023-03-06T19:45:23.664Z
- Gutman solved 2023-03-06T20:01:08.229Z
- wendy walker solved 2023-03-06T20:05:56.744Z
- Eric Porter solved 2023-03-06T20:17:39.876Z
- heidi solved 2023-03-06T20:51:55.758Z
- woozy solved 2023-03-06T21:17:23.443Z
- whimsy solved 2023-03-06T21:42:40.002Z
- Anita and Steve solved 2023-03-06T22:10:13.302Z
- LB800 solved 2023-03-06T22:57:47.735Z
- KayW solved 2023-03-06T23:22:36.116Z
- Jeremy Smith solved 2023-03-07T00:29:12.379Z
- HeadinHome solved 2023-03-07T02:28:42.574Z
- Mikey G solved 2023-03-07T03:45:42.853Z
- Qmark solved 2023-03-07T04:50:00.500Z
- LesY solved 2023-03-07T12:25:25.004Z
- Jaclyn solved 2023-03-07T18:05:04.404Z
- PuzNewbie solved 2023-03-07T21:21:54.219Z
- Richard solved 2023-03-07T22:58:14.375Z
- Laura M solved 2023-03-07T23:12:52.070Z
- Deb W solved 2023-03-07T23:19:20.036Z
- Darrell solved 2023-03-08T03:54:43.867Z
- Naptown Kid solved 2023-03-08T12:35:31.095Z
- Snood solved 2023-03-08T15:58:40.226Z
- Bbaack solved 2023-03-08T16:37:12.350Z
- ajk solved 2023-03-08T17:23:25.876Z
- CPJohnson solved 2023-03-08T17:23:42.343Z
- Pair O Ducks solved 2023-03-08T17:39:08.635Z
- Cindy Heisler solved 2023-03-08T18:24:20.996Z
- Dow Jones solved 2023-03-08T19:53:02.242Z
- SeamusOL solved 2023-03-08T23:49:40.404Z
- jbird solved 2023-03-09T02:35:51.713Z
- Teamdoubletow solved 2023-03-09T11:16:10.736Z
- K7 solved 2023-03-09T16:12:59.018Z
- Max Chemtov solved 2023-03-09T16:56:09.433Z
- JR solved 2023-03-09T16:56:13.376Z
- Sharkicicles solved 2023-03-09T18:30:31.414Z
- Jimbo solved 2023-03-09T21:40:09.384Z
- Sanne Budd solved 2023-03-09T22:52:37.513Z
- frostyjhammer solved 2023-03-09T22:58:54.011Z
- Golem solved 2023-03-09T23:26:23.245Z
- Mwoychick solved 2023-03-10T02:29:59.047Z
- Adam solved 2023-03-10T04:00:04.647Z
- Capn Rick solved 2023-03-10T14:12:15.141Z
- Tane solved 2023-03-10T15:41:09.131Z
- Jim Dean solved 2023-03-10T17:51:22.053Z
- Pandora's Blocks Weekly Meta Crossword solved 2023-03-11T03:26:47.376Z
- bergie solved 2023-03-11T07:55:26.693Z
- Jerry Miccolis solved 2023-03-15T00:03:04.807Z
- somylai solved 2023-03-27T07:53:10.187Z
- SJMcK solved 2023-04-11T03:55:58.597Z
- Lucas solved 2023-07-17T01:52:18.301Z
Comments
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- Hector 3s · 2023-03-06T13:15:52.165ZFun solve, thanks, Bird! ALLA BREVE is tantalizingly close to ALFA BRAVO; was that intentional?
- Bird Lives constructor · 2023-03-06T13:44:30.767ZIt never occurred to me.
- Meg 2s · 2023-03-06T14:34:45.431ZOh, sure
- JHSeeman 3s · 2023-03-06T16:18:04.914ZAdd Oskar to that list
- I pondered a bit when I saw ALLA, BREVE, OSKAR and was glad that there were no book title by PAPA Hemmingway. But the ALLA BREVE (which I did NOT know) was not symmetric (RECONNECT had no NATO alphabet even close) so I finally decided on all my other phonetics which were all Roman numerals.
- PuzNewbie 14:41 · 2023-03-07T21:24:42.581ZYes, I wondered the same! That answer set off the NATO alpha in my head and the rest fell into place, lol.
- Meg 2s · 2023-03-06T13:33:06.409ZALLA to ALFA, ROSEO to ROMEO. A few interesting rabbit holes… Thanks Jay!
- troysail 15:31 · 2023-03-06T14:23:17.215Zfun one
- Was OSKAR intentional?
- Bird Lives constructor · 2023-03-06T14:54:06.921ZNo. My original prompt was just "a name." So nothing in the puzzle was about movies.
- I meant, OSCAR [sic] as O in the Nato phonetic alphabet.
- Bird Lives constructor · 2023-03-08T04:07:25.692ZThat was just a coincidence necessitated by the fill..
- boharr 8s · 2023-03-06T14:11:54.241ZFun one. Thanks, Jay
- I K Snamhcok 1s · 2023-03-06T16:16:11.537ZGood one. Thanks, Jay!
- Carolyn 3s · 2023-03-06T16:18:55.137ZEnjoyed it! Thanks for a nice way to start the week.
- MatthewL 10:29 · 2023-03-06T16:45:14.446ZNice one. I knew memorizing the military/NATO alphabet would come in handy some day.
- DIS 🤓6:02 · 2023-03-06T17:01:31.174ZBravo!
- Lots of long fill! Filled in numbered squares corresponding to # in alphabet 3, 4, 9, 12, 22, 24. Got to STATE D... (DAMN) if that D had been an F... lol Was that intentional? Thanks for the additional movie workout, Bird.
- hoover 2s · 2023-03-06T18:27:52.041ZWith the title, once I had VICTOR and XRAY, the jig was up.
- Tyrpmom 2s · 2023-03-06T19:03:46.582ZWell done meta. Thanks.
- Whew, I was afraid this was going to be my last dance! I had just finished my bartending shift and was puzzling over the meta when it hit me like a pole. So I stripped off all my excess baggage and just ground away at it until all was revealed.I must say I tried to use the letters and the numbers together ERDRON but of course that was nothing, and would be more than 9 letters. It was when I was writing out the other letters I V X L C D that it hit me they were all Roman numerals! From there I spent way too much time looking for movies called NILE 500 or DENTAL 10 until I realized there was yet another Roman numeral, M or MIKE and I two stepped home.Thanks for the puzzle Jay.
- Ha! Clever! I thought the roman numerals in the clue would indicate grid square numbers....But this is really good.
- whimsy 14:59 · 2023-03-06T21:53:22.693ZTotally missed the Roman numerals -- made things too difficult by going the "STATED" route -- finally solved via brute force and trial and error -- High Sierra, Damn Yankees, Last Tango, Rio Bravo.... Yeah, so I can't count...Very nice composite, Jay! (Now that I've seen the light.)
- Bird Lives constructor · 2023-03-06T23:33:06.116ZHmmm. Sounds like a meta in the making..
- HeadinHome 🤓5:14 · 2023-03-07T02:31:51.009ZI also was trying to make words out of the letters you’d have to change in some of the entries to get a NATO letter/word: alla, breve, oskar. Not sure what made me then notice the sequence of ROMAN numerals in the real themers and abandon that hole. Fun idea, well executed!
- Qmark 🤓19:39 · 2023-03-07T04:50:30.547ZEnjoyed it...thanks!
- Laura M 🤓23:51 · 2023-03-07T23:16:08.397ZSolved without fully understanding what the sequence was. Now that I get it, I'm even more impressed!
- Snood 🤓2:26 · 2023-03-08T15:59:18.860ZLots of fun! Thank you!
- Bbaack 🤓21:24 · 2023-03-08T16:39:39.749ZNeeded the first nudge to get me focused, then it all fell into place. That meta was neato (or NATO)! Thanks for the fun!
- Burned too much time focusing on either the 6 across 9s or those plus DENTALXRAY and ROSEOFLIMA. Never thought to exclude ALLABREVE and RECONNECT. As soon as the nudges focused me there it was instant. Embarrassed because I hang out in frequent flyer groups and regularly listen to ATC transmissions. :D Great stuff
- Sharkicicles 2s · 2023-03-09T18:31:32.249ZNeeded a nudge but what a neat construction!
- Found DELTA and got hung up on the other alphabet that uses that before having the light bulb go off. Nice puzzle, Jay!
- sarahlou28 🤓4:10 · 2023-03-11T14:04:56.595ZA beginner here. All these comments seem to be about how they figured out the meta, or what confused them. Could somebody explain what the meta is? What letters or clues in the puzzle lead to "Magic Mike"?
- Bird Lives constructor · 2023-03-11T16:21:21.508ZHi sarahlou and welcome to the wonderful world of metas. A meta is a puzzle that is derived from the puzzle. In this puzzle, the prompt says that the answer is a 9-letter movie title . Unless you have unusual psychic powers, you first have to solve the puzzle in the traditional way. Then, the filled-in grid (or part of it) will allow you to derive the answer to the prompt.For example, last week Matt Gaffney posted a puzzle (on his own website, not here) with the prompt, “The answer is a well-known TV show.” To get that answer, again barring the psychic shortcut, you have to fill in the grid. When you do, you will see five long Across entries: EAST RIVER, ELECTRIC RAZOR, EARLY RETIREMENT, EDDIE REDMAYNE, EASY RIDER.So the TV show derived from these five entries is E.R. Most meta puzzles are not that easy.All the people posting here got to this page by solving the meta. They had at least some idea about the connection between some of the entries in the grid and Magic Mike. I don’t know how you managed to get here if you had no understanding of that connection. In any case, for a full explanation of this one, check the Muggles forum tomorrow, where all will be revealed. https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=2096
- sarahlou28 🤓4:10 · 2023-03-12T01:48:42.920ZThank you very much for your reply. I'm familiar with meta puzzles to the extent that I subscribe to Matt Gaffney's puzzles and often can solve them, especially the easy ones like ER. I refer to Joon Pahk's Crossword Fiend when I can't figure them out, although often the explanations are over my head. Sometimes I can also get the WSJ and others Matt often refers us to. But after the entry time is up I go to Joon's explanation and he tells us how he figured out the meta. The people on this site were discussing how they were misled, etc., but nobody actually explained how the meta worked to reach that solution. Perhaps i looked into it too soon, before the entry time was up. Somehow I recently started receiving the Crossshares puzzles, which I am enjoying solving, and I guess the comments posted are not giving explanations because it's too early. I will definitely check the Muggles forum tomorrow. Thanks again for taking time to talk to a beginner.
1A
___ Company that colonized much of South Asia
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Across
- 1A___ Company that colonized much of South Asia
- 10AString instrument, possibly heard in 1 Across
- 15ACut time
- 16AA good find
- 17ALabel for Britney Spears, Mario Lanza, et al.
- 18AFanning and femmes
- 19AChord components
- 20AGardner or DuVernay
- 22ACPR adept
- 23AAt least once
- 24AIt shows what's inside a canine
- 28ABruce or Laura of Hollywood
- 29A"In space no can hear you scream," but they could in the theater when this movie was shown
- 30A"Duke of ___" or ___ of Kent
- 31ASt. Louis radio station I used to be able to hear in Pittsburgh late at night
- 32A"Tomorrow" musical
- 33AEstonian capital
- 37ASome Hyundais
- 39A"Prufrock" poet
- 40ABank on
- 41APort Gulf pirates are partial to
- 42AWoman hailed in Carling's beer ads
- 44ASend a package
- 48APatron saint of embroiderers, florists, and those suffering family problems
- 50AProng
- 51A"if you ask me. . .,"
- 52AVariety of fly noted in the scorecard
- 53AJoins firmly
- 54ADjoker or Kim
- 56A"Good ___ Brown" (Schulz book)
- 60AGarbo or Gerwig
- 61AGet together again
- 62AMore resentful
- 63AFertile area where the Rosetta Stone was found
Down
- 1DDeserved
- 2DApse (yes, it's the clue for once, not the entry)
- 3DChristian in the movies
- 4DMermaid or Moe's
- 5DBird sacred in ancient Egypt
- 6DAEC succesor
- 7DLions or Tigers on the scoreboard
- 8D___ Andric, 1961 Literature Nobel laureate
- 9DBubble the aquarium
- 10DTake something the wrong way
- 11DNot virtual, in a text
- 12DAccepting
- 13DWhen the Saints throw a Hail Mary, do they call it this?
- 14DChanges the look of
- 21DVehicle for movers but, hopefully, not shakers
- 24DRhett's famous last word
- 25DMusk that doesn't come from a male deer
- 26DNo way
- 27DLawless enactment
- 31DDIY purchase
- 32DWhichever
- 33DTorus-shaped goodies
- 34DItalian prime minister later kidnapped by the Red Brigades
- 35DWhat my bonnie does vis-à-vis the ocean
- 36DLike that Ranger who rides again
- 37DAppear
- 38DSpanish stew or pot
- 40D52 Across fly, usually
- 42DJulliard degree
- 43D___ State, Mississippi school
- 44DTristram Shandy author
- 45DJewish sage who asked, "If not now, when?"
- 46DBring charges
- 47DOld money in Spain
- 49D"The Tin Drum" narrator
- 53DPotter prop
- 55DHad a bite
- 57DFlowery neckwear
- 58DCarnival Corp. on the NYSE
- 59DIn back of back or Ivan
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