Speak Your Mind

Haha!

Was looking for ON and NEST for a minute there lol

What a fun way to start the week, and praise be to symmetry.

I found the three slanters, reread the prompt closely and guessed the answer, then backsolved. I found the "I," but even then, I didn't see how it was going to play out till I got to the M and MAI, then finished the rest with a smile on my face.

This was brilliant. Of course, that's just what I think.

Caught all the "oped" endings and the "BIASED OPINION PIECES," and then sounded out the six entries. Clever, clean and as usual, symmet-RICK-al. (Speaking of which, do you suppose we could ever collaborate with Brian Cimmet and do a Cimmet-Rick-Al puzzle? I'll let myself out now...).

That was very nice. Love the symmetry.

Very clever. I fell into your trap before seeing the whole picture. Very nice!

Ooh ahh wha huh AHA. IMHOme finally. And humbled indeed. Thanks, Cap'n Rick! LOL

Did it the “hard” (non logical) way. Saw the opeds and looked at the clues IMH -PERFECT, then BPY, WHAT????. I went with IMHO just because (having first done OPED and SANE (letters in a row on slant) I went back and found biased opinion but never “pieces”? Then finally I sounded it out…DELIGHTFUL and so typically Rickish. Thank you.

Very fun!

Whew! I found the diagonal words and tried a few bad guesses (the first of which was OPED) before going back to the puzzle and realizing that OPED was embedded in a bunch of the clues... That led me to IMHPBY, from which it was but a short hop to the right answer.

The advantage of a poor memory. I got to solve this twice, and loved it just as much the second time around! (and haha. When re-solving, I'm always just a little anxious that I WONT be able to find the answer at all the second time)

I found the diagonal words and got oped. I then submitted several wrong answers before being nudged to the next step by a kindly muggle. Very clever meta. Thanks!

Tried several ways to submit “Op Ed.” Back to the drawing board, and remembered there were some very odd little clues (one being 1A!). Then it was off to the races. So fun!

I couldn’t resist trying OPED. Really good stuff.

Awesome idea, and great construction, Cap'n! Loved it! =)

Finally got it, after being led by the nose to the correct solution. Really violated one of my most important meta solving rules -- when you don't see anything else, look at the clues. Which, of course, I never did, until prompted to do so. Doh! Thanks for the puzzle, Cap'n!

Wow! I did not see the three slanters in the grid until after solving it. Even more impressed. (Just solved from OPED in the clues.)

I need an ice pack for when I slapped my forehead. Maybe even a blue-tent-concussion-protocol. Elegant puzzle!

Perfect, but too clever for me! I submitted OP ED even though I knew it was wrong, because I couldn't figure out what on Earth I was supposed to be sounding out! I needed the third nudge, and then forehead slap.

Very clever! I needed the nudges…. Especially the last 3 to know what to do with the “slanted” letters! Thank you for a real mind twister!

lol needed nudge 3, even though I had spotted the unusual nature of the 1A and (of course) 22A clues. Very nicely done, thanks.

IMHO, “BIASED OPINION PIECES” does not suggest “op-ed”, it suggests “op-eds.” Plural clue, plural answer. Still solved it though. Thanks.

so good.... i needed hint 4... i didn't sound them out which was so stupid because i sounded out the 3 diagonal entries over and over slowly but not the 6 3-letter words... the gratuitous cluing of "pooped" right off the bat at 1A let me know something was going on with that entry... very nice construction - love when a puzzle has multiple (and logical) layers... i'm just so mad at myself i didn't see it

Got to this a week late, but didn't peek at the solution. I found the 3 slanted entries, made the "OPED" connection, but needed nudge 3 to remind me to look in the clues for the next step. Got the rest without nudges...thanks for another great meta Cap'n Rick! P.S. I loved how the entry "Blo" made a nice transition from "hum-ble" to "o-pinion".