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Sounds Greek to Me

· By DrTom · Published 2024-11-20T12:30:01.375Z

Meta Prompt
The answer is a Greek city with widely worn shoes
No it is not déjà vu nor is it the Oresteia, but it is a Greek Trilogy! This is the third puzzle, the first being Wendy Walker on 4/29/24 “It’s All Greek to Me” , 10/9/24 “Greek To Me” by ]Joe Ross[/smention (with some help from me) and this one which Wendy’s puzzle inspired because I thought this would be her Mx but it was not. I am hoping this will be an epic tale and not a tragedy. I am going to put it in Persian/Puma territory because I was pretty sneaky AND I had an immense amount of help from Al Sisti who came up with the PERFECT prompt and meta answer, which is also a little sneaky. Besides Al I had a lot of people test run this and give me VERY valuable input: Capn Rick, Bird lives and Meg. I hope that I have followed all of their advice on cleaning this up so that it is both solvable and enjoyable. Al’s input should provide a very special AHA moment, I’m looking forward to comments on this one. If I have forgotten any testers, please forgive me and remind me so I can award praise where it is due. These are often so far from their creation date that I lose track.
Kitten
Calico
≽^•⩊•^≼ Persian
≽^•⩊•^≼ Puma
Lion
Friday Nudges and probably an early reveal (since I am leaving Tuesday AM to go to relative’s for Thanksgiving). Solve well and keep an eye out for Trojan horses.
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • Tom Wilson solved 2024-11-20T06:17:57.223Z
  • Danny K Bernstein solved 2024-11-20T07:09:22.533Z
  • woozy solved 2024-11-20T09:04:12.265Z
  • Dave C solved 2024-11-20T13:10:16.141Z
  • Darth solved 2024-11-20T13:37:21.707Z
  • LarsCaine solved 2024-11-20T14:09:46.006Z
  • hoover solved 2024-11-20T14:29:18.699Z
  • boharr solved 2024-11-20T14:38:10.993Z
  • SJ solved 2024-11-20T14:57:24.462Z
  • rjy solved 2024-11-20T15:01:49.563Z
  • CPJohnson solved 2024-11-20T15:55:30.758Z
  • Meg solved 2024-11-20T16:32:25.411Z
  • kymike solved 2024-11-20T16:42:45.378Z
  • Hector solved 2024-11-20T17:01:38.544Z
  • Mg305 solved 2024-11-20T17:02:50.548Z
  • markhr solved 2024-11-20T17:06:34.910Z
  • MatthewL solved 2024-11-20T17:08:41.606Z
  • Carolyn solved 2024-11-20T17:13:08.909Z
  • Serafin solved 2024-11-20T17:40:14.171Z
  • Berto solved 2024-11-20T18:12:04.428Z
  • Capn Rick solved 2024-11-20T18:42:39.306Z
  • HeadinHome solved 2024-11-20T18:53:49.081Z
  • JM solved 2024-11-20T19:20:38.972Z
  • Cindy Weatherman solved 2024-11-20T19:30:07.570Z
  • Jeremy Smith solved 2024-11-20T19:36:50.118Z
  • DIS solved 2024-11-20T20:19:37.746Z
  • Tyrpmom solved 2024-11-20T20:22:05.239Z
  • Mr Tex solved 2024-11-20T20:27:06.515Z
  • kurtalert solved 2024-11-20T20:30:41.582Z
  • Jaclyn solved 2024-11-20T20:40:05.507Z
  • FedexPope solved 2024-11-20T20:44:19.629Z
  • JakeDaSnake solved 2024-11-20T21:11:47.696Z
  • Tim solved 2024-11-20T21:42:29.880Z
  • heidi solved 2024-11-20T21:57:42.678Z
  • LB800 solved 2024-11-20T22:00:28.221Z
  • FrankieHeck solved 2024-11-20T22:15:45.554Z
  • DebbieC solved 2024-11-20T23:24:37.502Z
  • Cindy Heisler solved 2024-11-20T23:26:36.525Z
  • imontoo solved 2024-11-20T23:55:52.717Z
  • Abide solved 2024-11-21T00:37:43.404Z
  • Gutman solved 2024-11-21T00:47:02.170Z
  • andeux solved 2024-11-21T01:21:16.813Z
  • whimsy solved 2024-11-21T01:25:33.361Z
  • Pair O Ducks solved 2024-11-21T02:11:13.447Z

Comments

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  • woozy 🤓12:39 · 2024-11-20T12:30:01.375Z
    Great! And fun.
    Not sure I get the wide shoes part though.
    • Tom Wilson 🤓6:55 · 2024-11-20T12:58:31.512Z
      A "triple-E" shoe is very wide, indeed!
      • Darth 12:06 · 2024-11-20T14:06:59.406Z
        Oh, of course!! :P
      • woozy 🤓12:39 · 2024-11-20T16:02:14.765Z
        Oh.... Dang. Wish I had seen that. That's such a common Xword clue too so.... That's good.
        Now I have to confess I'm not getting all this "Mx" discussion either....
      • Dave C 3s · 2024-11-20T13:11:49.741Z
        Fun. I too am unaware of Tripoli shoes, but Mr. Google says they exist.
        • DrTom constructor · 2024-11-20T14:34:06.954Z
          Well Mr. Google is correct, but they are "widely worn" because they are Triple E (Tripoli) - that was the clever Al twist because he said "keep going with the sound alike thing". Truthfully, until I looked it up I thought that there was only the one Tripoli in Libya (famous for its shores), turns out there is one in Lebanon and one in Greece which originally was THREE cities (hence the Tri Polis) Oea, Sabratha and Leptis Magna. Oea is the only one to survive and took the name Tripoli. There is also a Tripoli in Turkey and three in the U.S.A (Iowa, WIsconsin and Pennsylvania - but neither the Midwestern accents nor the PA Dutch twang loaned itself well to sound alike names in a crossword)
        • Darth 12:06 · 2024-11-20T13:46:26.071Z
          I noticed "taut" had TAU in it, so that was my gate to solving. :D Never heard of Tripoli shoes, so learned something new! Thanks, DrT.
          • DrTom constructor · 2024-11-20T14:35:02.239Z
            Exactly as I planned - Mwah, hah, hah....
          • hoover 2s · 2024-11-20T14:36:12.774Z
            Ahh I see! Er, I hear! If it weren't for your comment in last week's thread, this would have been a Puma, but having read that comment, I think it's a Calico. But surely Tripoli is the capital of Libya! Explored/colonized by ancient Greeks, perhaps. [After some googling...] Dang! Berbers, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Spaniards, Ottomans, Italians, ...
            • DrTom constructor · 2024-11-20T17:05:11.058Z
              Capital of Libya, 2nd largest city of Lebanon, capital of the Peloponnese region of Greece and very small town near Lehigh, Pennsylvania (what a surprise, Pennsylvania that has a Moscow, Lebanon, Troy...and not to be ignored, Intercourse)
              • DrTom constructor · 2024-11-20T17:08:17.160Z
                And yes, I did appear to let the cat out its bag, or at least loosen the strings a bit....loose lips sink metas
              • boharr 6s · 2024-11-20T14:39:13.721Z
                Pun one. Thanks, DrTom.
                • MatthewL 🤓8:23 · 2024-11-20T17:13:12.344Z
                  Very punny Tom. Fun cluing, as usual (particularly enjoyed 52A). Not sure I understand 25D though. In any event, thanks for the puzzle, Tom!
                  • FedexPope 🤓33:17 · 2024-11-20T21:03:05.752Z
                    I'm sure that an explanation for 25D is forthcoming. We just have to wait for Tom to get around to it.
                    • whimsy 13:48 · 2024-11-21T01:40:01.917Z
                      I know! I know! 🖐️! (see below)
                  • Carolyn 3s · 2024-11-20T17:14:25.043Z
                    Excellent! I really enjoyed solving this one.
                    • Capn Rick 🤓6:45 · 2024-11-20T18:44:23.458Z
                      Just as much fun the second time around, DrTom!
                      • kurtalert 🤓6:43 · 2024-11-20T20:34:33.341Z
                        Fantastic meta! Smooth sailing here, very happy with the solve. Thank you!
                        • FedexPope 🤓33:17 · 2024-11-20T20:48:35.318Z
                          Omegawd, this was a fun one!
                          • HeadinHome 🤓1:12 · 2024-11-20T18:54:54.338Z
                            From the prompt I was trying to think of cities with 3 E’s. (Like GREECE has!). Clever & enjoyable - thanks for the fun! I like how the title uses the sound-alike too!
                            • imontoo 4s · 2024-11-20T23:57:34.599Z
                              Really clever, Tom! Thanks.
                              • Abide 2s · 2024-11-21T00:40:11.639Z
                                Nice one. Came here to understand the prompt. That Al…
                                • whimsy 13:48 · 2024-11-21T01:37:54.197Z
                                  25 Down was probably one of the easier things in the whole puzzle for me. For years, my mother kept a cardboard card propped up on a shelf. My brother had drawn a circle on it and labeled it "To It". It was a joking reminder that she always talked about getting "A Round To It." So he gave her a round to-it. 😄
                                  • rvkal 🤓5:33 · 2024-11-21T06:05:08.313Z
                                    Very creative concept and execution!
                                    1A
                                    Nude synonym, "In the ___"
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                                    Across
                                    1. 1A
                                      Nude synonym, "In the ___"
                                    2. 4A
                                      Propel a scull
                                    3. 7A
                                      Tijuana locale
                                    4. 11A
                                      Strike out in the newspaper world
                                    5. 12A
                                      Financial giant nailed for junk fees and opening fake CC accounts, familiarly
                                    6. 13A
                                      Rhône village specializing in dry rosé
                                    7. 14A
                                      Not for
                                    8. 15A
                                      Los Angeles footballers
                                    9. 16A
                                      "Do you have time for ___?", asked Dracula
                                    10. 17A
                                      Drop anchor
                                    11. 18A
                                      "Take ___" (coach's punishment words I often heard)
                                    12. 19A
                                      Saclike pouch that sometimes has to be surgically removed
                                    13. 20A
                                      Yankee-Doodle adjective
                                    14. 22A
                                      Never used
                                    15. 23A
                                      "Curiously strong" mint
                                    16. 26A
                                      Dictator overthrown by Castro
                                    17. 30A
                                      Bossy remark?
                                    18. 31A
                                      "Zip-a-dee ___", "Song of the South", Disney
                                    19. 34A
                                      Lima's land
                                    20. 35A
                                      Madonna role where she implores people not to weep
                                    21. 37A
                                      The mathematical one is often squared but the bakery one isn't
                                    22. 38A
                                      Covering for a tête
                                    23. 39A
                                      Shyest of the Marsh sisters
                                    24. 40A
                                      Turns State's evidence
                                    25. 42A
                                      Confucian path
                                    26. 43A
                                      Place to store old magazines
                                    27. 45A
                                      Nymphs you can find hanging around the pool
                                    28. 47A
                                      Bard's "Curses!"
                                    29. 48A
                                      Block a winter flight
                                    30. 50A
                                      HIgh end Bose competitor
                                    31. 52A
                                      A J. Lo boyfriend that she stopped short of seeing after two years
                                    32. 53A
                                      Israel's Netanyahu, familiarly
                                    33. 57A
                                      Pine product producing turpentine
                                    34. 58A
                                      Bishop's dir.
                                    35. 59A
                                      "___ I" (same here)
                                    36. 60A
                                      Large bill in a restaurant
                                    37. 61A
                                      Pay to play
                                    38. 62A
                                      Stay in the service
                                    39. 63A
                                      Forbids
                                    40. 64A
                                      Kobra ___
                                    41. 65A
                                      Part of a school yr.
                                    Down
                                    1. 1D
                                      Gambling city that, aptly, rhymes with Casino
                                    2. 2D
                                      Lower than soprano higher than tenor
                                    3. 3D
                                      Oddball
                                    4. 4D
                                      "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" author Dahl
                                    5. 5D
                                      "I was walking though the park one day, .in the merry, merry month ___ ..."
                                    6. 6D
                                      Insect that lent it's name to a scooter
                                    7. 7D
                                      Cleaner that might contribute to the end of an infant
                                    8. 8D
                                      Second only to Hertz
                                    9. 9D
                                      Singer Joan with a "Bad Reputation"
                                    10. 10D
                                      Alternative to stout
                                    11. 11D
                                      "What's in our way NOW? - Oh, ___"
                                    12. 12D
                                      Famous Godfather
                                    13. 13D
                                      Without voice - but for an instrument
                                    14. 21D
                                      Verdi opera
                                    15. 22D
                                      "No thanks", slangily
                                    16. 23D
                                      Low life?
                                    17. 24D
                                      "Phile" meaning when tacked onto something (like audio)
                                    18. 25D
                                      Those "round" things people wait for in order to start long-delayed projects
                                    19. 26D
                                      Modern day sweethearts
                                    20. 27D
                                      Perfect Sleeper
                                    21. 28D
                                      Depth measured by Lincoln's head
                                    22. 29D
                                      Chevys, Fords and Chryslers
                                    23. 32D
                                      Iridescent gem of Australia
                                    24. 33D
                                      Code word
                                    25. 36D
                                      What Sgt. Friday wanted, "Just ___"
                                    26. 38D
                                      ___ Brith
                                    27. 40D
                                      Sally Field's "Norma ___"
                                    28. 41D
                                      Taut
                                    29. 44D
                                      Nook, cranny or hidey-hole
                                    30. 46D
                                      Musical place to find sots
                                    31. 48D
                                      Youngest sister of the "Three Sisters"
                                    32. 49D
                                      South American racoon. but not of many colors
                                    33. 50D
                                      She told Ike to take a hike while she got "Rollin"
                                    34. 51D
                                      Very posh English prep school
                                    35. 52D
                                      Westernmost city in the Unites States
                                    36. 54D
                                      "Ah, got it!"
                                    37. 55D
                                      Emerald City's creator
                                    38. 56D
                                      Child with a devilish nature
                                    39. 57D
                                      Banned chemical compound
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