Hi, my name is Rick. I was born and raised in central Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State back in the 80's. After grad school at UMass Amherst, I moved to Nahant, Massachusetts (smallest town in the state) and have been living here for the past 30+ years. I recently retired from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where I worked as a Systems Analyst and Project Manager for the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.
My wife and I own a boat - a 26' Seaswirl Striper WA - and we fish recreationally and commercially for striped bass and bluefish in and around Boston Harbor. The fishbones avatar is also my boat logo, and "WI-FI" is short for "Wicked Fishah!" - my boat name. I'm thinking about getting a Captain's license someday and possibly running small fishing charters.
I've been doing crosswords for several years now, and I used to construct them for our (now defunct) town newsletter - "Nahant Harbor Review". The meta puzzles take crosswords to a whole new level, and I began constructing them in January 2022. So far I've been having a lot of fun with them.
Below are the metas that I've published to date:
Tip Capn Rick
All donations go directly to the constructor via PayPal
I'm looking for both answers, which you can check simultaneously on Crosshare via one of the following formats:
- 8-letter word followed by 2-word phrase (e.g. SHAMROCK LADY LUCK)
- 2-word phrase followed by 8-letter word (e.g. LADY LUCK SHAMROCK)
Hint…
Hint: Did you notice the repetitive clues for 30D and the central 39A?
Hint: Wait! Wait! Even the title has repetition!
Hint: Gee, I'm pretty famished right now. In fact, you could say I'm "hungry like a wolf".
Hint: After you've found the 6…
Hint: One of the early titles for this puzzle was "Shenk's for the Memories"
Hint: ||40-Across is a hint to the "event" that occurred 5 years ago (see https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=36)||
Hint: The mechanism used here is similar to the…
Note: This is a tribute puzzle to the moderators of the XWord Muggles Forum.
Here's a link to the solution on the "XWord Muggles Forum" - https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1980&start=40#p115958
Hint: The funny thing about fishing is that one can get away from you anytime, and more importantly, anywhere.
Hint: For this meta, the one getting away is not a fish but rather a series of letters.
Hint: The letters "ONE" have gotten away from 7…
Hint: Remember how good it felt to be reunited back in the 70s?
Hint: Six pairs of singing artists who've done a song together are "reunited" in the grid.
Hint: One of my pretesters and fellow constructors commented that "TUNA" was the obvious fill…
Hint: Gee, there's really only one Halloween-related clue in the puzzle - right there in the center.
Hint: But wait, 6 other grid entries can have their own GHOST "encounters".
Hint: Those 6 GHOST encounters form other words/phrases that can be…
Hint: I learned a long time ago that if you don't see anything in the grid, look elsewhere for hints to the meta.
Hint: Ever watch the Saturday morning cartoons when you were a kid?
Hint: Four "Looney Tunes" characters are hidden among the clues…
Hint: Think "echo" = "repeat', and look for entries that can be repeated.
Hint: Five symmetrically-placed grid entries can be "echoed".
Hint: When "echoed", the 5 entries fit other clues.
Hint: The first letters of those other clues' original…
Hint: Vegas is a popular gambling mecca, but you should ignore the slots and the sports teams.
Hint: The clue and answer for 11-Down provide a couple of hints.
Hint: Sometimes the clues come in very handy when constructing (and solving) metas.
Hint: …
Loading...