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PCC#17 "Aaugh!"

◆ · By Philip Chow · Published 2023-11-26T22:22:18.241Z

Meta Prompt
[Level 2.5] Meta prompt: The answer to the meta is an oxymoron
Hint #1: an oxymoron is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction such as "jumbo shrimp" and "wise fool"
Hint #2: the five theme answers all start with a surname... do these people have anything in common?
Hint #3: the five theme answers all end with a word... is there anything "shade-y" that they share in common?
Hint #4: combining hints #2 and #3 would lead you to a comic book character
Hint #5: the answer to the meta is a two-word catchphrase of this comic book character... one of the two words is hinted at by the sentiment of the clues of the five theme entries which follows a certain pattern
Hint #6: the clues progress through the five stages of ___ (deep sorrow)
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • Mr Tex solved 2023-11-26T22:43:31.581Z
  • Hector solved 2023-11-26T23:58:02.036Z
  • benchen71 solved 2023-11-27T00:24:06.685Z
  • FrankieHeck solved 2023-11-27T00:35:39.411Z
  • A738840496 solved 2023-11-27T01:08:33.445Z
  • Sendhil Revuluri solved 2023-11-27T01:34:52.086Z
  • merlinnimue solved 2023-11-27T03:01:06.227Z
  • whimsy solved 2023-11-27T21:11:18.079Z
  • kurtalert solved 2023-11-28T00:06:12.963Z
  • David Clyde solved 2023-11-28T05:11:39.725Z
  • LCC17 solved 2023-11-28T18:17:03.343Z
  • AxelPlays solved 2023-11-28T18:58:23.175Z
  • rdavey1287 solved 2023-11-29T00:32:44.039Z
  • GamingGuy907 solved 2023-11-29T21:09:16.233Z
  • DrTom solved 2023-11-30T17:44:19.296Z
  • Cindy Weatherman solved 2023-12-01T20:07:34.992Z
  • Darrell solved 2023-12-05T07:31:47.330Z
  • iceman solved 2023-12-05T20:16:20.151Z
  • Pair O Ducks solved 2023-12-08T20:46:08.005Z
  • Meg solved 2023-12-15T18:56:33.039Z
  • Flora Wynn solved 2024-01-22T04:54:22.575Z

Comments

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  • Philip Chow constructor · 2023-11-26T22:34:42.046Z
    Answer explanation: The five theme answers all start with a famous Charlie and end with a shade of brown... so "Charlie Brown" is one half of the puzzle... then the clues go through the five stages of GRIEF: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. And so the meta answer is Charlie Brown's catchphrase "Good Grief!"
    "Good Grief Day" on November 26 honors the life and the legacy of "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz: https://nationaltoday.com/good-grief-day/
    • DrTom 13s · 2023-11-30T17:51:48.271Z
      VERY NICE, I did not see that until you mentioned it, but very tight mechanism.
    • benchen71 🤓6:54 · 2023-11-27T00:25:53.975Z
      The jump from CHARLIE BROWN to his signature phrase was a bit of a leap! It felt a bit like running up to kick a football only to have someone pull it out of the way at the last minute. ;-)
      • whimsy 🤓12:31 · 2023-11-27T21:13:15.742Z
        LOL
      • merlinnimue 🤓6:44 · 2023-11-27T03:03:44.462Z
        nice puzzle... took a minute to work out charlie brown, and thanks to jeopardy! for reminding a moron like me that his catchphrase is an oxymoron
        • whimsy 🤓12:31 · 2023-11-27T21:15:44.910Z
          Wonderful! I missed the stages completely but what a terrific tie-in! And a great tribute -- Thanks, Phil!
          • kurtalert 🤓5:34 · 2023-11-28T00:06:41.999Z
            Ahhh, so good... only gave me a little bit of grief!
            • DrTom 13s · 2023-11-30T17:50:31.680Z
              Very nice! I got waylaid by the browns and went for LIGHT BROWN which like DARK WHITE always makes my teeth grit. Then I saw all the Charlies and their various browns and said to myself “OH GOOD GRIEF”. The fill, Phil, was a little crunchy but I was able to complete without Mr. G so no harm no foul. Nice AHA!
              Play today's daily mini crossword
              1A
              Colorful parrot
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              Across
              1. 1A
                Colorful parrot
              2. 6A
                Mournful bugle call
              3. 10A
                "Not guilty," for one
              4. 14A
                "It's ___ bet!" ("You can't lose!")
              5. 15A
                State with conviction
              6. 16A
                Cereal grains
              7. 17A
                I refuse to believe the "Two and a Half Men" actor wears such business casual pants fabric!
              8. 19A
                Good fortune
              9. 20A
                When some office workers start
              10. 21A
                Sounds of relief
              11. 22A
                Some HDTVs
              12. 25A
                I am so mad that the "Rolling Stones" drummer drinks chocolate-flavored coffee!
              13. 27A
                Leila who played Jamaica St. Croix on "Son of the Beach" (and anagram of "I, racier")
              14. 29A
                Rimbaud's "___ Saison en Enfer" (A Season in Hell)
              15. 30A
                Group that advocates for legalizing cannabis: Abbr. (and one letter missing from a word meaning "standard")
              16. 31A
                "Sesame Street" basics
              17. 34A
                Long heroic tale
              18. 38A
                Please don't let "The Gold Rush" silent film legend roast it on an open fire, take my pistachio instead!
              19. 41A
                Red ticklish Muppet
              20. 42A
                On a cruise, perhaps
              21. 43A
                Traditional Vietnamese garment that is 80% vowels
              22. 44A
                Collegiate home of the Lobos located in Albuquerque: Abbr.
              23. 46A
                Decorative Japanese garden feature with colorful fish
              24. 48A
                I am so sad that the "Sons of Anarchy" star is petting that baby deer!
              25. 52A
                ___ v. Wade (1973 landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturned in 2022)
              26. 53A
                Large group of people
              27. 54A
                The Coaster's song "___ Yak (Don't Talk Back)"
              28. 56A
                Word-of-mouth
              29. 57A
                I finally come to terms with the "See You Again" singer drinking this dairy-free milk option!
              30. 61A
                Norwegian capital
              31. 62A
                ___ Day (vitamin brand)
              32. 63A
                Duck prized for making fluffy pillows
              33. 64A
                Annoyance
              34. 65A
                PC scrolling key
              35. 66A
                Black-and-white cookies
              Down
              1. 1D
                They're often asked to look, especially by young'uns biking hands-free
              2. 2D
                Campfire residue
              3. 3D
                Prompt
              4. 4D
                K-pop girl group Blackpink's "In Your ___ World Tour"
              5. 5D
                Proceeded smoothly
              6. 6D
                Some French Polynesians
              7. 7D
                ___-garde (cutting-edge)
              8. 8D
                Lap dogs favored by Chinese royalty, for short
              9. 9D
                ___ Lanka (country whose name means "resplendent island" in Sanskrit)
              10. 10D
                Activity in which an officer might get frisky?
              11. 11D
                Giggle or guffaw
              12. 12D
                ___ Sketch (classic drawing toy in which shaking erases your drawing)
              13. 13D
                Requests permission
              14. 18D
                Tree trunk protuberance (and anagram of "rank")
              15. 21D
                Icarus, to Daedalus
              16. 22D
                Jousting weapon
              17. 23D
                Foo Fighters frontman Dave
              18. 24D
                "Beat it!"
              19. 26D
                Source of an artist's inspiration
              20. 28D
                Tow truck's destination
              21. 32D
                Modern opposite of A.D.
              22. 33D
                "I Feel for You" singer regarded as the "Queen of Funk"
              23. 35D
                Conjunction with a slash
              24. 36D
                Fertilizer derived from bat droppings
              25. 37D
                "There is ___ in the affairs of men" (quote from Brutus in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar")
              26. 39D
                Simon & Garfunkel's "___ Rock"
              27. 40D
                University near Tampa named after a canonized pope
              28. 45D
                180 degrees from SSW
              29. 47D
                "I ___ debt of gratitude to..."
              30. 48D
                Someone with hippophobia has a fear of this animal
              31. 49D
                Mountain range between Europe and Asia
              32. 50D
                Progressive metal band Dream Theater bassist John (and anagram of "my gun")
              33. 51D
                Determined by destiny
              34. 53D
                Metaphorical hurdle to jump through
              35. 55D
                Primeval giant of Norse mythology (and anagram of "miry")
              36. 57D
                Unannounced, as a quiz
              37. 58D
                "___ to Joy" (choral part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony)
              38. 59D
                "The Matrix" character who had a choice between the red pill and the blue pill
              39. 60D
                TV's Oz and Phil, for two: Abbr.
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