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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
  • Qmark solved 2024-05-07T21:26:05.614Z
  • Avlan solved 2024-05-31T06:12:20.789Z
  • LarsCaine solved 2024-07-20T12:47:42.351Z

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!
              • Qmark 6s · 2024-05-07T21:26:37.405Z
                A classic oxymoron! Thanks Phil! (no hints needed)
                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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