Drawing a Blank
■ · By Cap'n Rick and Wendy Walker · Published by Wendy Walker · Published 2023-09-10T04:02:05.949Z
Meta Prompt
The meta answer is a 13-letter phrase.
Here's another SSS collaboration by "Wennedy" (fitting portmanteau word coined by @Al Sisti). We had lots of fun creating this puzzle (as a rookie constructor, Wendy finds that it's a great learning experience working with Rick!) and we hope you enjoy it. Nudges follow:
- Literally, how do you draw a blank? And how might that apply to the puzzle? 2.What subject do many of the clues allude to (pretty blatantly)? Do you suppose it's relevant that one of the constructors just celebrated a significant birthday? 3. Look for six clues that have something in common. 4. Check out Clark E. Tripe's post #15 on the Muggle Forum, where he asked, "Would somebody please fill me in on what's going on???!"
Checking for previous play data...
Leaderboard (updated hourly)
- Hector solved at 3:51 on 9/10/2023
- BarbaraK solved at 12:59 on 9/10/2023
- Gutman solved at 13:44 on 9/10/2023
- SamKat9 solved at 14:16 on 9/10/2023
- Schmeel solved at 14:31 on 9/10/2023
- whimsy solved at 15:02 on 9/10/2023
- Pair O Ducks solved at 15:11 on 9/10/2023
- Katiedid solved at 15:25 on 9/10/2023
- Capn Rick solved at 15:47 on 9/10/2023
- boharr solved at 15:57 on 9/10/2023
- andeux solved at 16:49 on 9/10/2023
- KayW solved at 17:29 on 9/10/2023
- Meg solved at 17:50 on 9/10/2023
- ajk solved at 17:53 on 9/10/2023
- Carolyn solved at 18:01 on 9/10/2023
- Qmark solved at 18:16 on 9/10/2023
- Cindy Weatherman solved at 18:27 on 9/10/2023
- michaelm solved at 18:51 on 9/10/2023
- DIS solved at 18:51 on 9/10/2023
- Darth solved at 19:26 on 9/10/2023
- Laura M solved at 19:43 on 9/10/2023
- Rufus T Firefly solved at 20:52 on 9/10/2023
- CPJohnson solved at 21:12 on 9/10/2023
- MatthewL solved at 22:32 on 9/10/2023
- HeadinHome solved at 22:35 on 9/10/2023
- ReB solved at 1:01 on 9/11/2023
- Tyrpmom solved at 2:12 on 9/11/2023
- I K Snamhcok solved at 2:25 on 9/11/2023
- Berto solved at 3:29 on 9/11/2023
- heidi solved at 3:58 on 9/11/2023
- JM solved at 4:26 on 9/11/2023
- Dow Jones solved at 5:26 on 9/11/2023
- Bird Lives solved at 12:52 on 9/11/2023
- JHSeeman solved at 13:38 on 9/11/2023
- Sharkicicles solved at 15:41 on 9/11/2023
- DrTom solved at 16:49 on 9/11/2023
- Tom Wilson solved at 21:30 on 9/11/2023
- Cindy Heisler solved at 22:32 on 9/11/2023
- markhr solved at 1:07 on 9/13/2023
- hoover solved at 18:15 on 9/13/2023
- Alvibu67 solved at 20:11 on 9/15/2023
- Deb W solved at 2:30 on 9/17/2023
Comments
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- Hector 🤓7:09 · 2023-09-10T13:13:56.182ZEnjoyted this. Thank you, Wennedy!
- You are very welcome, Hector. Thank YOU28A"No soup for ___!" (Soup Nazi's proclamation)[---] for solving!
- Winner gets a bottle of Prevagen?
- whimsy 🤓10:51 · 2023-09-10T15:19:29.439Z
- Ginkgo biloba. OOO, and I can buy it with my new Medicare OTC card!
- SamKat9 🤓9:52 · 2023-09-10T14:19:00.520ZThank you for the puzzle, it was tricky but fun!
- whimsy 🤓10:51 · 2023-09-10T15:03:36.416ZI was gonna skip posting and chalk it up to forgetfulness. Thanks Wendy and Rick!
- Katiedid 🤓6:16 · 2023-09-10T15:33:24.913ZNo nudges. That was a fun one!
- boharr 3s · 2023-09-10T16:00:02.949ZClues! Oh I remember those. Thanks for a fun puzzle.
- Well, that took longer than it should have. Spent a lot of time trying to literally fill in the blanks with other things. Or completing blanks by extending entries on the side, etc. Finally got around to looking at the first letters of the clues.
- We went back and forth trying to figure out if people would be able to get the MOMENTS half of the answer or if we needed to spell it out.
- I think it took me like 5 seconds once I had SENIOR, so I think you called it right
- Qmark 8s · 2023-09-10T18:16:56.009ZVery fun...thanks Wendy & Rick!
- Meg 4s · 2023-09-10T18:01:35.886ZSuch a long and windy rabbit hole I went down! Loved your clue for 48a48ASeeks information, such as why one entered a room[----].
- Haha, because that happens to me multiple times a day! Thanks for solving, Meg.
- Carolyn 3s · 2023-09-10T18:03:06.955ZTricky, but a bit too close to home! I also tried to fill in blanks in the grid to form new words. Very nice!
- DIS 🤓8:35 · 2023-09-10T18:53:49.935ZNice! Got it on my second guess - first was FREUDIAN SLIPS, but I should have gotten it from all the references to memory.
- Target audience reached for sure, Wennedy. Now for the influx of AARP ads.
Excellent puzzle and obviously thanks for the budges, fudges, oh what are they called again?- Life insurance, burial plots, dumbed-down cell phones ... and far, far worse. So glad you solved and thanks for the kind words.
- Laura M 🤓14:15 · 2023-09-10T19:44:48.526ZExcellent! But a little close to home :-)
- I just turned 65 .... so, yeah, for sure! Thanks for solving, Laura!
- I got this after too many failed attempts! I found the hidden message, but the Streisand CORNERS46DSections of Streisand's mind where her memories are stored[-------] answer had me poking at a scrambled BRAIN in the upper right of the grid! haha My overcomplicated guesses: RACK YOUR BRAIN or SCRABBLE BRIAN -- I mean, drawing a blank can be a good thing in Scrabble, right? ;) Thanks for the fun solve.
- HeadinHome 🤓1:39 · 2023-09-10T22:46:44.938ZSENIOR … moments? Is that somewhere, or just intuited? Whatever… I intuited it, so here I am. I had at first spent time on all the entries whose clues related to memory/memorial/forget/overlook etc… and there are nearly thirteen of them! But of course they led only to (no) alphabet soup (for you!). Considered WAGging NOW LET ME THINK, and CAN’T RECOLLECT. Then I looked at the clues with blanks, and saw the phrase they made (lapses which you may wanna forget), but couldn’t think how to get to a 13-letter answer from 6 things, so i didn’t put much effort into looking for letters to string together. (When I finally did try again, SENIOR was easy to find of course.). Loved the puzzle!
- Yes, "MOMENTS" is inferred. Originally we had MOMENT in the grid where LAPSES1ASituations when one really should have known better: ___ in judgment[------] appears, and the answer was simply SENIOR, which is spelled out by the first letters of the fill-in-the-blank clues.
- HeadinHome 🤓1:39 · 2023-09-10T23:49:14.580ZThe fact that the letter total is odd helped me give up on trying to get all the letters directly from the 6 clues/grid once I’d seen “senior.” The theme of memory is so strong, and really nothing else could go with “senior” in this vein… perfectly legit.
- So moments is inferred.... and is the SENIOR also inferred or is it somehow derivable?
- SENIOR is spelled out via the first letters of the 6 symmetrically-placed fill-in-the-"blank" clues, which, when read in grid order say "Lapses which you may wanna forget". (i.e. Senior Moments).
- MatthewL 🤓7:16 · 2023-09-10T22:37:33.632ZFinally got it, but needed that last nudge for sure. Took awhile for that flash of insight to hit. Thanks, Wendy and Rick!
- HeadinHome 🤓1:39 · 2023-09-10T22:55:01.042Z(Ha ha ha ha ha)
- HeadinHome 🤓1:39 · 2023-09-10T22:54:40.483ZALSO — they say that two of the best things for keeping aging brains in good condition is puzzle challenges and community connection. Wish I could find a pastime that combines those two things!
- Sounds good! Let me know if you find such a pastime, Wendy. :)
- Wouldn't that be great? Especially if it was the nicest community on the internet?
- Be careful all of you or we will start seeing infomercials for “Mugagen memory enhancement tool. Created from the collective brains of nice people, this remarkable new product will expand your knowledge and brighten your life. Be one of the first 25 to reply and we will throw in camaraderie and gentle hazing as a bonus.”
- HeadinHome 🤓1:39 · 2023-09-13T01:43:03.197ZI would buy that.
- ReB 4s · 2023-09-11T01:06:29.073ZNeeded the nudges to get the phrase, but then it was being reminded that the significant birthday event was Wendy turning 65 that gave me the answer (the traditional age when one becomes a senior = SENIOR MOMENTS, which turned out the be 13 letters. Definitely a bit off the beaten path for metas. Thanks
- Tyrpmom 2s · 2023-09-11T02:16:49.528ZNo nudges needed. Fun and funny.
- Thank you so much -- we had a great time putting in every reference to memory that we possibly could!
- I K Snamhcok 2s · 2023-09-11T02:28:14.197ZVery satisfying solve! I struggled just long enough to not get frustrated. And found time for my own senior moment — a nice nap — in process. Thanks, Wennedy!
- Glad you enjoyed it! I have been a happy napper even since my college days.
- Berto 🤓2:52 · 2023-09-11T03:37:12.816ZNeeded the nudges. Was drawing a blank, figured out the SENIOR part, and then just went with the first phrase of 13 letters that made sense. I have the big 5-0 coming up next year. I’m always telling my wife that these puzzles are keeping my brain active!! Thanks Wennedy!
- It was our pleasure -- thanks for solving! And that is exactly what we wanted solvers to do: see the SENIOR part of the answer via the clues with blanks and infer the MOMENTS.
- JHSeeman 3s · 2023-09-11T08:10:24.170ZNice challenge... read the blanks... jumped to Sr moments. Didn't realize the clue part until I saw the comments... nicely played
- lol I did the reverse -- saw the clue starts and failed to read the blanks :)
- Bird Lives 8s · 2023-09-11T12:56:58.498ZMy first hunch was that it was going to be about Scrabble. My first guess after filling the grid, finding the blanks, and reviewing the clues was FREUDIAN SLIP, even though FREUDIAN is in one of the clues. I totally missed the initial letters hint, but guessed the right answer.My mother used to tell a great senior moments joke. Too long for here, but maybe Tueday evening.
- Thanks for solving, Jay! Looking forward to hearing your mother's joke.
- Needed the nudges because I was trying to use the letters of the”forgetful” things, then was looking for things in the corner, then was trying to draw squares that might be blank….Finally saw the blanks reference and after one attempt at using the answer letter tried the clue letter. When I only got “SENIOR” I thought”what” but then counted up the letters and decided you forgot to put the last part in
That will start to happen you know, welcome to the club!!!!- Oh no! Over the hill! Thanks for solving, Dr. Tom!
- The benefit is that you tend to remember the good times and forget the bad.
- Ha! Yes! That's it, we "forgot" to add the "moments" part! Thanks, DrTom!
- Okay... hit reveal. Um, .... what the heck is wrong with me? How does the answer work? Why do I not understand anything about the puzzle at all?
- SENIOR is spelled out via the first letters of the 6 symmetrically-placed fill-in-the-"blank" clues, which, when read in grid order say "Lapses which you may wanna forget". (i.e. Senior Moments).
- Alvibu67 4s · 2023-09-15T21:19:15.453ZI took the first letter of the grid entries for (several of) the memory related clues —LISA15ASaxophonist Simpson whose family often forgot her birthday[----], BACH11DBaroque composer memorialized at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig[----], BOBBY EWING, CORNERS46DSections of Streisand's mind where her memories are stored[-------], ANITA53D"West Side Story" character who has only bad memories of Puerto Rico[-----], SHE62D Song title/subject that neither Charles Aznavour nor Elvis Costello could forget[---] — and got 6/8 of the letters to make the word SCRABBLE. I just needed to find the R and E somewhere. You can of course draw blanks in a game of Scrabble. I didn’t see the SENIOR part from the clues until every nudge was read. Then I thought it was SENIOR MOMENT, with the blank space between the words representing the blank tile to make a 13-letter phrase. I definitely overthought this one!
1A
Situations when one really should have known better: ___ in judgment
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Across
- 1ASituations when one really should have known better: ___ in judgment
- 7ANights before
- 11ARecycling container
- 14ALike rising bread dough
- 15ASaxophonist Simpson whose family often forgot her birthday
- 16AShapiro of NPR
- 17AFormerly Datsun
- 18ALike classical poetry
- 20A"I disagree," tersely
- 21ANostalgic movie channel
- 23A"Every ___ Way But Loose"
- 24AEvery beach town has one
- 27ALanguage suffix
- 28A"No soup for ___!" (Soup Nazi's proclamation)
- 29AHow older folks sometimes feel learning a new phone
- 31AOnline auction site
- 35AGeorgia city
- 37APossessed
- 39AWorld Cup cheer
- 40ABacteria that can cause GI misery
- 41AGolf gadget
- 42AMacaroni shape
- 44AKeanu role
- 45AManuscript full of notes
- 47AEarring sites, traditionally
- 48ASeeks information, such as why one entered a room
- 50ANot under
- 51A"If I ___ be so bold ..."
- 52AIt's good for absolutely nothing
- 54ACryptogram solvers
- 58A"Only ___ Be With You" (Hootie & the Blowfish song)
- 60AOperated
- 61ATriumph
- 62AMost hard-hearted
- 65AFreudian concept
- 67ARun smoothly
- 68AThreesome
- 69AVolunteer's offer
- 70ARecede
- 71AHelper (abbr.)
- 72A"Remind me not to ___"
Down
- 1DRedgrave and Swann
- 2DUseful quintet for spellers
- 3DOne who whips up madeleines
- 4DHissing sound, one we hope you don't utter after solving this puzzle
- 5DAmerica, en francais
- 6DCoordinate
- 7DMassachusetts state tree
- 8DOpinion
- 9DArt lover
- 10DDelhi wraps
- 11DBaroque composer memorialized at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
- 12DGlass of NPR
- 13DZilch
- 19DSlurpee alternative
- 22DPotent cocktail
- 25DIdiot
- 26DProvided fuel for
- 30DOne who mocks
- 32D"Dallas" character who will always be remembered for his dramatic return
- 33DSunburn soother
- 34DSome evergreens
- 35DSuvari who starred in "American Beauty" and "American Pie"
- 36DHigh cards
- 38DClub steak
- 43DLaundry quantity
- 46DSections of Streisand's mind where her memories are stored
- 49DGraceful white aquatic bird
- 53D"West Side Story" character who has only bad memories of Puerto Rico
- 55DNev. neighbor
- 56DSpot that can be overlooked
- 57DStuck-up sort
- 58DDevelopment site?
- 59DSale caveat
- 62DSong title/subject that neither Charles Aznavour nor Elvis Costello could forget
- 63DButter holder
- 64DRug rat
- 66DTavern
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