Slide, You Blockhead! Slide! (Meta)
■ · By benchen71 · Published 2 months ago
Meta Prompt
The answer to the meta is a 7-letter word which is an important facet of the game of baseball
What's this? A meta puzzle involving baseball constructed by an Australian? Has the world turned upside-down?!? Actually, we do have baseball Down Under. But it isn't massively popular, and I really don't know much about the sport. When it crops up in US-centric metas I usually shudder and hope against hope that I'll be able to solve the darn thing. Well, let's see if I did my homework. The answer to the meta is a 7-letter word which is an important facet of the game of baseball. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=118478#p118478
Check out the "Rejected (Non-meta) MOAT Pack" here: https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about/interest4.html. US$5 gets you 10 themed crosswords, most of which were rejected by one crossword publisher or another. Were those editors right to reject them? You be the judge!
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- Bbaack solved at 12:31 on 3/2/2023
Comments
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- Cindy Heisler 2s · 2 months agoI always cringe when I see a meta about baseball, but I was able to get this one. Nicely done, Ben. Thanks!
- I'm right with you there if. I'm always ecstatic when I manage to solve a meta involving sport!
- boharr 13s · 2 months agoConsistency? What did I mess?
- boharr 13s · 2 months agoI meant "miss" not "mess." Sorry.
- Meg 4s · 2 months agoNice one! I love baseball!
- Hector 3s · 2 months agoFacet, heh... Nice challenge, Ben. Is RESOD51DRepair a lawn[-----]a distraction here?
- Hm...I used RESOD51DRepair a lawn[-----]in my solution....obviously I have missolved this...
- Ben should not have to take all the flak for this. I was his tester and unfortunately became too familiar with the puzzle. I should have seen that and alerted him to the possible herring factor. Sorry Ben! Still a superb puzzle though.
- ChrisCross 🤓5:11 · 2 months agoThat sure is a big gap in the middle of the grid. Let’s ignore it and go chase (B)RUINS20AArchaeological site[-----]with no signs of other baseball team names.
- That would have taken a lot of research on my part. I think the only baseball team names I know have SOX in them!
- ChrisCross 🤓5:11 · 2 months agoI think it would have been very hard to do well without making it too easy. I gathered the metanism had something to do with sliding letters and I saw a B could be slid directly up to the black square before RUINS20AArchaeological site[-----]and I thought it had to be it - block head. I looked up other team names and saw nothing stood out. Investigating HOME36AWith 37 across: Hits in which the batter circles all the bases and scores[----]-------RUNS37ASee 36 across[----]was really only meant to be a distraction from my frustration at not seeing other team names, and then I counted the squares between the words and it came very quickly.
- I K Snamhcok 1s · 2 months agoAs a lifelong baseball fan, I appreciate you creating this puzzle, Ben. I’d be lost if the theme were rugby or Australian rules football!
- So RUNE15ANorse letter[----]is RUN with an E and REESE57APeanut Butter Cup confectioner[-----]is a reference to Pee-wee Reese so a P and if the DINO63APrefix for -saur[----]slides into the NITE64AEvening, informally[----]and dislodges the N we get DINO63APrefix for -saur[----]-MITE with an M and.... gee, tough back-solve....
- I'm not sure that's the right mechanism. There are seven baseball terms in the downs. Slide these up or down into the middle area.
- Whoa! Awesome. Slide (and lift). I never would have seen that. I just figured an important aspect of baseball with seven letter. Diamond was the first thing I thought of.I knew it had something to do with sliding and I really should have figured that weird shape was something. To add to my bag of tricks. Long blanks often mean fill in letters.
- Laura M 🤓4:54 · 2 months agoImpressive!
- Dave C 3s · 2 months agoNicely done. I didn't catch the reference to "facet" at first.
- MatthewL 🤓6:05 · 2 months agoFinally got it. Nice puzzle Ben!
- markhr 🤓10:21 · 2 months agoI feel like the title was directed at me. It took me long enough to solve this. Great job, Ben.
- I didn't want anyone to think I was calling them names. I just couldn't resist, though, since I'm literally telling you what to do in the title: slide the head [or tail] of the [baseball-related] blocks. Then you just have to know where to slide them!
- Ergcat 11:57 · 2 months agoThank you, Ben! Fun solve!
- whimsy 🤓8:08 · 2 months agoFinally able to see the way to what I felt from the start had to be the answer -- because of "facet," and from seeing the DIA at the end of my name, and MO(U)ND. I initially kept my sliding to only the open base paths -- BRUINS, even though it was out of whack thematically; HOMERUNS; and STAGE, which would be an alternative to the ARENA50AConcert venue[-----]clue. Ben's clarification of baseball-theme words helped me know those were involved. I did so want to include SPIT10AExpectorate[----]as one of them :) but in the end I had to leave that activity to the EMUS6AFlightless birds[----].
- Carolyn 4s · 2 months agoThat took me way too long! I didn't even need the nudges after all. Thanks!
- ReB 8s · 2 months agoFinally saw the key as to how to slide letters into place to create an apropos baseball word. I actually had the clues circled, but just needed that bolt from above to provide the AHA spark.
1A
"___, I'm Adam"
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Across
- 1A"___, I'm Adam"
- 6AFlightless birds
- 10AExpectorate
- 14ACompany that merged with BP
- 15ANorse letter
- 16ANotable car enthusiast, Jay ___
- 17AAsian gambling mecca
- 18AMichelle Yeoh movie (that I hope wins a ton of Oscars), "Everything Everywhere ___"
- 20AArchaeological site
- 22ALayered pasta dish
- 23AResting place
- 24ARiver blockage
- 26ACorsica, to the French
- 27ARazor model
- 29AExpression of sorrow
- 31AMale deer
- 32AMakes a mistake
- 33ACul-de-___
- 36AWith 37 across37ASee 36 across[----]: Hits in which the batter circles all the bases and scores
- 37ASee 36 across36AWith 37 across: Hits in which the batter circles all the bases and scores[----]
- 40AFuss
- 42AMoney executives (abbr.)
- 46AOne of Canada's largest First Nations
- 47AMulticar accident
- 49AGive an autograph
- 50AConcert venue
- 52ASmall amount
- 54AAntiquated
- 55ABreastbone
- 57APeanut Butter Cup confectioner
- 59A"Amen to that!"
- 61ACity on the Erie Canal (the one Muggle Al Sisti likes to shoehorn into puzzles!)
- 63APrefix for -saur
- 64AEvening, informally
- 65ASlyly malicious (but highly appropriate for a MEOW puzzle!)
- 66AWinter ride
- 67A50 across50AConcert venue[-----]entrance
- 68A"Family Ties" mom
Down
- 1D"___'selle" (Frank Sinatra song)
- 2DAlmond-flavoured liqueur
- 3DMovie that re-enacts actual events
- 4DAmazonian rainforest berry
- 5DPitcher's place
- 6DPitching stat.
- 7D"___ of Kintyre" (Paul McCartney and Wings song)
- 8DPrepares to remove shoes
- 9DPortion of a year during which regulation games are played
- 10DWalks through mud
- 11DTube-shaped pasta
- 12DResident of Machu Picchu
- 13DSock hole protrusion, perhaps
- 19DWhat the Knave of Hearts stole
- 21DExchange of something for money
- 23DBig party
- 25DDamage
- 28DLike an extra tasty cheddar, for example
- 30DConventional title of respect for a man (abbr.)
- 34DRainbow shapes
- 35DMars rover
- 38DPays no attention to
- 39DLaunch an email on its merry way
- 41DMarx Brothers' movie, "Night at the ___"
- 42DMuggle and occasional MEOW contributor Whimsy (or the less well known model Schiffer)
- 43DIron in a table
- 44DOne of three and then the other team has a go
- 45DPractice boxing
- 48DOne of nine (unless scores are tied)
- 50DCarry ___ (sing on key)
- 51DRepair a lawn
- 53DDouble-play involving two 44 downs44DOne of three and then the other team has a go[---]
- 55DPotting requirement
- 56DCatcher's glove
- 58DBibliographic abbr.
- 59DWhat ft can be combined into
- 60DGolf prop
- 62DNautical affirmative
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