Nice one, DrTom. I am boharr here and in the muggles forums.
I K Snamhcok 2s · 2022-09-14T21:46:52.064Z
Had nothing, then just like that, in a flash, I got the “click”. I’m trying to think of some Cecil B. DeMille sort of joke to make here, but it ain’t happening. God #%$&@ it!
DrTom constructor · 2022-09-16T13:33:06.192Z
So you were lost and then the seas parted...hmmm?
Hector 3s · 2022-09-16T03:05:35.814Z
Well I saw the commandment connections right away, and the nudge told me I hadn't missed any themers. Is there some canonical numbering of the commandments that gives REPENT on the top row? I thought they were numbered in dozens of different ways... Or is there another mech I missed?
DrTom constructor · 2022-09-16T05:48:26.354Z
Well I never knew there was any other way than how they are commonly shown, but it turns out the Roman Catholic commandments may differ. The common way I have seen them is : https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/10-commandments/the-ten-commandments/10-commandments-list/ Sorry for any confusion, this is kind of like the color one a while back where it depended on which color wheel you used to get the code. Unfortunately you are not the first to be tripped up by this.
Hector 3s · 2022-09-16T11:03:18.138Z
Oh, thank you. Here is what I found in looking for a canonical numbering: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#Numbering. Yours seems to be what they call "Reformed Protestant Christianity," descending from Calvin.
I like the mechanism. It also occurred to me that there really didn't need to be such a mechanism -- the prompt is really enough once you know that the issue is what you need to do having sinned (and it's a six-letter word). That's how I got the answer, after all. But the "six" aspect made me pretty sure there was more to the mechanism.
Thank you for this puzzle!
DrTom constructor · 2022-09-16T13:32:07.713Z
Yeah, that's my Episcopalian (or I guess it is Anglican) upbringing. In that chart you mention I am either Septuagint or Reformed.
Laura M 🤓11:04 · 2022-09-16T22:36:41.102Z
Excellent! I had the six themers early on but couldn't think of where to go from there, in fact wasn't sure that was the right path until the early nudge. Should have made the connection to commandments given the title and the biblical references, but I got there eventually :-)
Tyrpmom 2s · 2022-09-17T05:42:02.063Z
The themers stood out as funny Dr. Tom clues. Completely missed them on Wednesday. My Catholic education makes me feel guilty for not getting it sooner. Ha!
markhr 🤓10:03 · 2022-09-17T14:21:13.223Z
Well, now I feel dense. I didn't get the connection to commandments, even with the Moses reference. They just seemed like typically wacky Dr. Tom clues.
Guess I wasn't alone, though.
Ergcat 18:03 · 2022-09-17T14:43:47.761Z
Alleluia, I got it! The nudges helped! That was very clever ! Thank you!
Ergcat 18:03 · 2022-09-17T14:49:11.609Z
DrTom, let me add that even after I knew it was the 10 Commandments, it took me a couple of iterations because of the different numbering of the 10 Commandments by different denominations. I grew up Catholic but now Lutheran … Lutherans have slightly different numbering!
DrTom constructor · 2022-09-17T16:39:02.392Z
Yes I know there are some differences. My "helper nudge" gives a link to the commandments as I know them. Actually even if you had stayed Catholic there would have been a difference I am told. Apparently Protestants throw in "No Idols" at #2 moving all the others down and make coveting all inclusive so it is one commandment. I really apologize because this was a HUGE oversight on my part.
Carolyn 4s · 2022-09-17T16:16:27.599Z
Embarrassed that it took me so long. I guess I need to go back to church!
Dow Jones 4s · 2022-09-17T16:55:46.306Z
Good one, Dr. Tom. I was looking down the "computer commands" rabbit hole (scan, text, view, sort, etc) until your nudges put me back on the "straight and narrow". Thanks for the wonderful entertainment.
Same here with computer commands. Although the theme clues seemed like most other DrTom clues, I should have noticed those (?) were Across only. Good gimmick!
ReB 3s · 2022-09-17T19:20:01.737Z
After the first nudge confirmed the themers, I quickly noticed the overlap of the six themers with the Ten Commandments, which the second nudge confirmed. So then I got serious and decided first to look up the numbers for each (digging out my old JPS version which I expected would be closest to what you were using as a reference) and to look at the corresponding number box on the grid - and that worked right away.
DIS 🤓6:21 · 2022-09-18T00:05:14.783Z
It's about time knowing that stuff paid off :-)
kurtalert 🤓8:30 · 2022-09-19T15:55:29.067Z
Clever! This heathen needed all of the nudges, sadly!
Mr Tex 11:01 · 2022-09-20T19:08:02.375Z
I don't see the commandment themers at all. It drives me CRAZY that no one on this website -- creators or solvers -- explains the mechanism in the solution. Every other meta does.
DrTom constructor · 2022-09-21T03:59:57.627Z
The 6 "punny" clues, all with a blank space and a ? all imply commandments. So, IDOL, ROB. LIE, SLAYED, BACKTALK, DAM if you read their clues you will see a commandment tie in. Each of those commandments has a number of course and the square corresponding to that number carries a letter (in order of the answers) that spells out REPENT. I don't know if this will work, but the complete reveal is on the Xword-Muggles.com site under the Other Meta Puzzles, MEOW (https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1839&start=40#p106506)
Mr Tex 11:01 · 2022-09-23T06:45:52.332Z
Thanks, Dr Tom, for explaining. I can't figure out why this isn't part of every solution. It's a frustrating, silly omission.
DrTom constructor · 2022-09-24T04:11:01.811Z
Well, you can check any of the Xword Muggles submissions by going to xword-muggles.com and looking through the various posts. We are a group of Meta solving goofballs who started out doing the WSJ Contests and then the Matt Gaffney weekly crossword and formed a group because we did not like the restrictions of the WSJ comment section. We grew from there and now many of us do our own puzzles and post them on that site (there is the MEOW, MMM, Pun of a Kind, MOAT, Pandora and others). You ought to join our group if you like metas, either solving or creating. It is free and we are very friendly. Putting them on Crosshare is rather new and done so that we do not have to answer a lot of e-mail; about whether people got it right. We always post the solution and the path on our site.