Beg pardon, "IPO" can mean a lot of things (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPO_%28disambiguation%29) but as "Stock exchange news" I think it is only "Initial Public Offering." Humbly submitted . . .
@BobK (and r.alph, I see): yep. Just looked up IPO, and it is prexactly what U said. Funny how my mind warped "Public" into "Product", at some point… wrong again, M&A breath.
Just to show there are no hard feelings, the next runtpuz promises to be a real biter…
5:16, but I had to ask to see which one letter I had wrong -- turns out I had mixed up 2 Down and 11 Down, so when I checked my grid, I didn't notice the error.
And just now I see that my link to my solution isn't working, which reminds me that when I did the puzzle, the "tab" key wasn't working either; I had to move to each answer manually.
Questionable Logic: http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzA3MTg5MTUxMzk0NjA3OA Still working on the significance of the circled letters.
@BobK Thanks for letting me know about the tab key not working. I have added support for Marching Bands puzzles and broke the tab key in the process. Will fix.
No, I am so sorry, I just solved the puzzle as a straight-forward grid. Now I looked at it, re-read the clues, didn't get it, finally went back a second time and saw what a marvel it is! Now I hear Johnny Cash and June Carter singing, "Let the Circle Be Unbroken"! (I hope that's close to the title.)
I know I shouldn't have attempted this runt so early in the morning, but I couldn't resist. I mis-read the title at first, and thought answers would look like [virtue, or the opposite of sin]. It was only with generous use of the "reveal incorrect letters" function that I was able to get the true theme and finish. I feel virtue in not having been given any correct letters, but since on paper one cannot ask what is wrong, I know I have sinned.
I got the theme early on and finished under 2. Was your clue {Nut without the gusto} a response to the {Some Windows systems} in today's puzzle?
Curiously I have been thinking about a puzzle that has BETTERLIVING crossing CHEMISTRY which is a visual pun on "Better living through chemistry." This may be why I got the theme of this one so fast.
Throws Around Four a Spell http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjU5MTkxODU1OTQ3NDIz I feel that the title is trying to tell me something that I am not getting.
Furry Road http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTIxNTYxOTMzODYzNTQ2 Future runtpuz scholars will mark this puzzle as an important step in the evolution of the genre.
Have you seen the new "Mad Max: Fury Road"? I was dragged to it somewhat reluctantly. Not bad, but I thought the kind of movie for which one should be a bit buzzed, by alcohol or otherwise, before going in.
Have only seen the previews, so far, to the new Mad Max schlock flick. Looked mildly interesting. Always have liked the Mel Gibson trilogy, especially the runty Road Warrior dog. So, will probably see it, eventually, without bein dragged.
@BobK Years from now we will be proud that we attempted this puzzle! The concluding lines of Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech come to mind: And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
p.s. Believe it or not, am about to head out on another road trip. This one should be much shorter. Less than a week. After the next runtpuz, plus this last "Lucky" one, U will need and deserve a bit of rest, anyhoo.
(Just a suggestion, in case a similar clue is ever needed: Isn't a menu "what you get before the appetizer" or something like that? Seems like it would be accurate but a cruel mis-direct!)
@BobK: Also, in a separate inspirational moment, I can see the runtpuz title now: "U Write the Clues". Easy on the constructioneer, but talk about yer tougher-than-snot solve! Groundbreakin! Arrgh!
Possibly your best puzzle! My wife is taking me to various art museums in London and the creativity I see there reminds me of the creativity evident in your puzzles.
@BobK: this Anomaly runtpuz was all yer fault. Good comment, makin old M&A look up what a Schroe-dinger was. Which led to this fine mess. Mucho thanx, amigo!
I swore I would work this out. And even though it took 26 Min and 4 sec, I did. And I almost didn't cheat; that is, I had to ask if there were wrong letters, but when there were, I didn't ask which ones they were. Once I caught on . . .
Write your weird clue! http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTk5ODIzMjE5MzQzMjU0NQ This puzzle set a personal record for the number of mini alphabet runs needed to get through a puzzle. If you replaced the *! clues with ?? this puzzle would set the record for the shortest ?? clue and the most ?? clues.
Another question. How did @BobK's post (Just a suggestion, in case a similar clue is ever needed: Isn't a menu "what you get before the appetizer" or something like that? Seems like it would be accurate but a cruel mis-direct!)
Yesterday land http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDA0MTY3MjY0MDI0MjE0NQ Really felt good to get this one without assistance. Nice job.
@BobK: Pretty respectable solve time on the Stumpy Stupor, actually. What the (runtpuz) world needs now is a themeless 7x7 with some sort of nervous tic…
@r.alph: "Frequently dotty addr." seems ok, from the (admittedly slightly desperate) point of view of "punctuated frequently with dots"…
Spent most of today trying to build a 15x15 nytpuz submission, so I arrive here tonight totally runtless. M&A will try to make the next runtpuz as hard as two or three average runtz, to compensate.
Congrats to @r.alph, on scoring a copy of the Galactic Invaders paperback, today, at bargain prices. That FireballPuz he sent out is tougher than snot. M&A did get 43-A and 45-D immediately, on account of… well, U know…
@BobK: Decent solve time, as I tried hard to make this latest Stumpy Stumper as feisty as possible. Even left off the double-?? jobber, as that is usually a gimme for U guys, anyway.
SPOILER ALERT __ Read no further unless you have constructed or solved the Stumpy Stumper
On January 14. 1954, Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe. The next day, two little boys, definitely pre-teen, see the headline in the newspaper. One, a great DiMaggio fan, says with a deep sigh, "I wish I was Marilyn Monroe!"
* * * * * *
Yeah, terrible, I didn't make it up, but somebody thought it was funny sixty years ago.
What?! 5:25? 11:16? On a mangy runtpuz about a coupla rivers? I know U folks can do better than this. Were U out celebration somethin last night? Indie 500 debut festivities?
Okay, try out this puppy. It even has extra double-?? clues, to really "smooth" the way. I'm seein near-record solve times, here…
M&A, r.alph -- I have been in touch with Loren Muse Smith, and she mentioned that she would like to discuss some ideas with M&A. I believe that at one time r.alph set up a "parking garage" system whereby M&A could carry on an exchange while retaining anonymity.
Could this system be used by LMS? Her email address, which she has made public in the past, is nerol2@msn.com.
Grasshoppers in Re:verse http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTk3NDU5MzQxNjY0OTgzNQ Please explain what the title has to do with puzzle.
@r.alph: Title is kind of a nostalgic highlight reel of snippets from some of the puz's more desperate clues. What can M&A say: Was running out of other cool words to go with Stumpy.
But, I ask U -- where else do U get primo titles like "Grasshoppers in Re:verse" or "Senseless Poop" or "Kung Silver's Burial Mound"? They just draw people in off the streets to work that runtpuz, right?
Cramming all the elements into the runtz may prove difficult, because of the one-letter ones. Unless M&A adopts (and perverts) the NYTPuz's recent COMA clue strategy…
"In re:verse" means "With respect to stuff in poetry", to the runts.
p.s. I'm beginning to suspect that @muse recently leaving that cool runtpuz theme idea at our doorstep was more a kind of "drop and run" dealie, rather than a "potential collab" dealie. But hope springs eternal, in the M&A mindpit.
So, maybe I should just go ahead and crank out a "first blood" runtpuz, based on her brilliant suggestion? If that's ok? I know @muse is pretty busy.
Hey, Old Buddy! I am so blown away with teaching that I can barely get the NYT done and post a comment. These runts will have to go on hold. So, yes, that revealer idea is my gift to you. I tried to think of a 15x with it but got nowhere. The key noun phrases are 11 and 12. The reveal is 9... See what you can do with it. I tell ya, though, I think the reveal is so great that if you can think of some way to do a 15x, I'd love to try.
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between question and answer, and it lies between the pit of solver's fears and the summit of their knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twi-Runt Zone.
@BobK: Well, I gotta admit, I was pretty concerned about this puppy. It may have been a couple dumps short of house trained. Sorry, if it was a bit too out there.
Let me be the first to assure U, this was *not* the runtpuz idea proposed by the mighty @muse.
More on the Twi-Runt Zone tomorrow, after @r.alph gets to take a shot at it.
@muse: I did come up with a nice runtpuz that used your theme idea. Also thought of a spinoff runtpuz, from that first one. No luck yet, on adapting the whole schmear to the wide screen (15x). Do y'all get summer vacations, at that school? Hopefully U can at least drop by here, to give some runt a belly rub, now and then.
Trouble with making a new (fabulous) runtpuz, is then M&A wants to put it out there right away. So, let's call this the Sunday morning puz, but coming out a bit early, sorta like the NYT does it.
p.s. M&A has **not** published the runtpuz that was based on @muse's fabulous themer idea, yet. Kinda hate to pull the trigger on that puppy, as it has such potential as a widescreen puz theme revealer. So at least M&A has some willpower.
"Stumpy Stumper: With Warm Afterglow" - 7x7 themeless. Does have hanky panky, tho:
@M&A - Please convey Birthday greetings to Mrs. M&A!
@Ted Cruz - Congrats on the Tom Swiftie!
@r.alph - Perhaps eye owe ewe an explanation: In some genres, say science fiction, it is not uncommon for an author to come out with a trilogy, i/e., three books in a series, and if it does well, put out yet another book, often jocularly referred to as "the fourth in the trilogy." My specific reference was to M&A's noting that he had done a trilogy of runts where extra, ungridded letters were found above, below, and to the right of the grid.
Guardians of the Galaxy II http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzkzMzM3Mzg1MDk4NDA5MA
So "I am become debt" is a pun on Oppenheimer's "I am become death" This link explains the seeming bad grammar: http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-significance-of-the-grammatical-error-in-now-I-am-become-Death-the-destroyer-of-worlds
Factazoid: "I Owes You" was written in the same ancient dialect as "I Am Become Death".
@BobK: OK. Batter up. This next runt is well-trained, gentle, house-broken, noble, and all them other Lassie-like attributes. I am become puttin this puppy out a bit early in the day, as we are continuin to celebrate spouse's b-week…
@r.alph: In last two clues in "Galaxy of the Guardian II", M&A decided to go a bit rogue. Just to keep things sparkly. These Mystery Runtpuzs may be in the same galaxy with the Guardian's Cryptic Crosswords, but they ain't from the same planet.
Beach Bunny http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzA5NTU5MzkzODEyMzM5OQ This bunny got beached on the greek letter. By the way you left out URP. USURP is the United States Union of Runt Puzzlers. Did you know that a group of runt puzzlers is called a ululation probably because of the howling sounds and wordless lamentation often heard in the vicinity of a runt puzzle. This is the reason why there have been no runt puzzles tournaments; the neighbors call the police.
Tribute to Guardian setter Araucaria who died in 2013 at age 89 http://www.theguardian.com/news/video/2015/jun/08/dear-araucaria-guardian-cryptic-crossword-video
M&A is getting real behind on his runtpuz roundup file dealies. And lots of other stuff. Heck, just finished fillin and cluin up this puppy, five minutes ago. Hope it's okay…
"Just Like Reusable Undies" - 7x7 themed:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15819&id2=166
M&A
p.s. 1. Nice solve time, @BobK. 2. I'll try to catch up, tomorrow. Today was anniversary -- four friggin days after spouse's b-day!
"Undies": 7:36, no cheats, and LOL! (I keep looking for a time of day when my head is clear, but I haven't found it. And then another runt messes with said head.)
Best wishes to undoubtedly long-suffering wife on anniversary! ;>)
You ask, "What should the title of the next themed runtpuz be?"
Is there an "F" in Creativity? Yes, on my report card! There is a reason that you are the one who turns out these cruciverbal gems, and I am the one who struggles to solve them. But I have given the matter a bit of thought.
Of course, to suggest a title for a themed puzzle means to suggest a theme, an added burden.
But how about:
Bran Burner, the breakfast cereal puzzle.
Summer Paws, all about that vacation with your pets.
Jurassic Weird (um, something about dinosaurs?)
Basta! (with a "B", Italian for "enough!") -- Here are more than 50 shapes of Pasta: http://pastafits.org/pasta-dictionary/
Your Plaice or Mine? All those fish names, and so many are also common nouns and verbs. (Yeah, probably has been done before.)
What's the Snooze? Utilizing the names of the hundred or so people hoping to win the Republican nomination for President. And hey, JEB BUSH and TED CRUZ are each 7 letters, and each has a "U"!
Minority Retort (Sez U!)
A Trip to the Moon - How many names are there for the human posterior?
Ender's Game -- All those beautiful suffixes (and don't forget our friend, the CypriOTE.)
Stranger in a Stumpy Land - ?
(C) Starting a week from today I will be on a small island in the middle of a large sea (OK, Mallorca), and away from my computer for two weeks, so I will not be doing any runts, or anything else online.
@BobK: A) Pretty good solve time, on yer own puz theme. B) har. U animal! U are a runtpuz theme machine! C) Mall Orca! Ensaimades! Yum. day-um… when U and r.alph take road trips, U folks really get outta town.
Bran Burner (Is this a pun?) http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjE0MzE1NDQyMjk4OTY0OA @BobK Great wrong entry: Opera SERIA (plural: opere serie; usually called dramma per musica or melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770.
@r.alph: yep. pun. Ain't BobK good at coming up with runtpuz themes?! Like U said in yer writeup, this Bran Burner theme could keep spittin out themer entries til the cows come home. Could only fit 5 themers comfortably in the 7x7 confines, however. Liked how almost all of the black squares ended up bein cheater squares, for some reason.
@BobK: Two weeks or more without the runtz? I know you'll be fine, but the runtz will sure be kinda lonesome. Afraid they will start to howl, during the evenings.
Thanx for jarring the idea out of me. I'll try to explain all the entries, after @r.alph has a shot at it. He's always pointing out neat stuff that M&A has so brilliantly done; M&A needs to learn about these previously unsuspected things, so he can be sure to take credit for them.
Stumpy Squeaker: 3:32
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTk0MTE3MTQ0MDU2OTg4Mg
Thanks!
@r.alph (ref. to previous comment block comment): day-um, dude. Major road trip. Enjoy it! Thanks for feedin and waterin the runts, while I was gone.
ReplyDelete@BobK: Nice solve time on the Stumpy Squeaker.
M&A
Reflections on the Ensiled runtpuz, here…
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjEzMjA2MTQ2NDEwNTg2Mw
M&A
Beg pardon, "IPO" can mean a lot of things (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPO_%28disambiguation%29) but as "Stock exchange news" I think it is only "Initial Public Offering." Humbly submitted . . .
Delete@BobK (and r.alph, I see): yep. Just looked up IPO, and it is prexactly what U said. Funny how my mind warped "Public" into "Product", at some point… wrong again, M&A breath.
DeleteJust to show there are no hard feelings, the next runtpuz promises to be a real biter…
har.
M&A
"Questionable Logic" - 7x7 themed. I suspect this one might be fairly challenging:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15100&id2=87
M&A
Fair and Challenging!
ReplyDelete5:16, but I had to ask to see which one letter I had wrong -- turns out I had mixed up 2 Down and 11 Down, so when I checked my grid, I didn't notice the error.
Thanks!
Keep forgetting:
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjE5MzA3MTUxMzIyNzU1NA
And just now I see that my link to my solution isn't working, which reminds me that when I did the puzzle, the "tab" key wasn't working either; I had to move to each answer manually.
DeleteTest:
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjE5MzA3MTUxMzIyNzU1NA
Questionable Logic:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzA3MTg5MTUxMzk0NjA3OA
Still working on the significance of the circled letters.
@BobK Thanks for letting me know about the tab key not working. I have added support for Marching Bands puzzles and broke the tab key in the process. Will fix.
Sorry, r.alph, but now when I click on the link to your solution, I get the formatted page but no content, same as with my own solution.
Delete@r.alph: All the solution files now seem to have this same "emptiness" problem, when viewed. Program is marchin to a different drumbeat.
ReplyDelete@BobK: Truly remarkable solve time, especially if that included your getting the "marching runtband" part.
M&A
No, I am so sorry, I just solved the puzzle as a straight-forward grid. Now I looked at it, re-read the clues, didn't get it, finally went back a second time and saw what a marvel it is! Now I hear Johnny Cash and June Carter singing, "Let the Circle Be Unbroken"! (I hope that's close to the title.)
Delete@M & A
ReplyDeleteIt should be working now. If not please try refreshing the browser when it is displaying the empty page
yep. Works.
DeleteThanx,
M&A
This Questionable Logic runtpuz probably will require a little explanation from the author. Here yah go:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTQ3NjMyMTU1MTM5OTUyNw
M&A
"Stumpy Runt Stuff" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15127&id2=106
M&A
4:53. Sorry, clicked on the link instead of copying, so can't show my work. Should have waited until I was awake.
DeleteThanks.
Stumpy Runt Stuff
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzQ1ODY1MTYwNzczNDkzMw
Stumpy Runt Stuff roundup:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjAzOTY2MTYyNTY4ODUyOQ
@r.alph: thanx, for yer Overall comment on this one.
M&A
"*Through the Looking Glass" - 7x7 weird:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15145&id2=79
M&A
Hello, my name is Bob, and I am a Runtpuz addict.
DeleteI know I shouldn't have attempted this runt so early in the morning, but I couldn't resist. I mis-read the title at first, and thought answers would look like [virtue, or the opposite of sin]. It was only with generous use of the "reveal incorrect letters" function that I was able to get the true theme and finish. I feel virtue in not having been given any correct letters, but since on paper one cannot ask what is wrong, I know I have sinned.
Anyhoo, completed in 13:05.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTg4MzgxMTY4NjIwMjEzMg
Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTgwNjczMTcwMjg3NjAxMg
ReplyDeleteI got the theme early on and finished under 2. Was your clue {Nut without the gusto} a response to the {Some Windows systems} in today's puzzle?
Curiously I have been thinking about a puzzle that has BETTERLIVING crossing CHEMISTRY which is a visual pun on "Better living through chemistry." This may be why I got the theme of this one so fast.
@BobK: harlarious post. Thanx. Most folks only get addicted, when there is a few hundred bucks in prizes.
ReplyDelete@r.alph: Mind-shatterin solve time. Three-handed clap.
M&A
p.s.
NTS is a real tough customer to clue, without the aid of the desperate double-??.
Perhaps a 1.5-?? clue:
{Ants without their leader?}
But how did you know that NTS would be an answer in today's NYT grid? As is often said, "Can't be a coincidence!"
Delete@BobK: Huh? Did I know that? I didn't know I knew that.
ReplyDeleteLooking Glass: author vantage point...
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjEzOTUwMTcyNzg5Njc2OQ
M&A
"Sweating the Stumpy Stuff" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15165&id2=500
M&A
Sweating the Stumpy Stuff
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODk4ODExNzY4Mzg3MTYw
This could be mainstream.
Amen to r.alph's comment. Good, solid crossword, all those grid spanners!
ReplyDeleteI have for the first time tried to post my comments with the solution, although I didn't have much to say:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTQwNzMxNzczMDUzNDM5
Hey -- U guys didn't Sweat the Stumpy Stuff. Well done, on the solves.
ReplyDeleteSome authoratarian notes:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjU3ODQ4MTc5NzUzNjE1Ng
M&A
runtdaddy
"Throws Around Four a Spell" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15186&id2=527
M&A
Throws Around Four a Spell
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjU5MTkxODU1OTQ3NDIz
I feel that the title is trying to tell me something that I am not getting.
Throws Around . . .
ReplyDelete3:17
My solution, with comments:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTUyMTE4NzI4MjYyMjg
Thanks
Let's Throw Around some constructioneer commentary, here:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Njg2MjgxMTg5Mjc4ODgwMw
I get the feeling people might not have grokked the puztheme on this one.
Or maybe it was just so bland that it left people speechless. Probably it.
M&A
"Stumpy Stumper: Furry Road" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15209&id2=885
M&A
Furry Road
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTIxNTYxOTMzODYzNTQ2
Future runtpuz scholars will mark this puzzle as an important step in the evolution of the genre.
Furry Road - My solution, with comments, here:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjU3MDU4MTk1OTU5NDMyNQ
Have you seen the new "Mad Max: Fury Road"? I was dragged to it somewhat reluctantly. Not bad, but I thought the kind of movie for which one should be a bit buzzed, by alcohol or otherwise, before going in.
After reading r.aplh's comments, and re-reading the clue for 11D a fourth or fifth time, I see I was wrong about the Schroedinger comment.
Delete@BobK: a Schroedinger runtpuz would be quite a sight, tho…
ReplyDeleteSome comments about Furry Roadpuz:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODk4MTEzMTk3ODE5ODg4MQ
Have only seen the previews, so far, to the new Mad Max schlock flick. Looked mildly interesting. Always have liked the Mel Gibson trilogy, especially the runty Road Warrior dog. So, will probably see it, eventually, without bein dragged.
M&A
"Everybody Gets LUcky" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15234&id2=573
Just made this puppy today; but, kinda already attached to it.
M&A
Everybody gets LUcky
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzY2NjA3MjAyMDMzMzIxMA
@BobK
Years from now we will be proud that we attempted this puzzle! The concluding lines of Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech come to mind:
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
"Everybody gets LUcky" - Except me!
ReplyDelete14:21
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTU4NzU2MjAzOTMyMTcxMw
Thanks!
har. U guys suffered. As @r.alph points out, this is good for U, in the long run.
ReplyDeleteLuckyRunt constructioneer reflections and excuses:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODMwMzQyMDU3NjI0NjE0
M&A
p.s.
Believe it or not, am about to head out on another road trip. This one should be much shorter. Less than a week. After the next runtpuz, plus this last "Lucky" one, U will need and deserve a bit of rest, anyhoo.
(Just a suggestion, in case a similar clue is ever needed: Isn't a menu "what you get before the appetizer" or something like that? Seems like it would be accurate but a cruel mis-direct!)
ReplyDelete@BobK: Wow. Primo clue! U are very inspirational. U are about to find out, probably to your slight discomfort, just *how* inspirational. har
ReplyDeleteM&A
@BobK: Also, in a separate inspirational moment, I can see the runtpuz title now:
ReplyDelete"U Write the Clues". Easy on the constructioneer, but talk about yer tougher-than-snot solve! Groundbreakin! Arrgh!
M&A
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Anomaly" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15264&id2=645
This one might be extra tough, because of the way the xword info solver app works. Anyhoo, as always, mucho thanks for givin it a try.
M&A
Anomaly
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzM3OTk1MjEwNTY3MDMxOQ
Possibly your best puzzle! My wife is taking me to various art museums in London and the creativity I see there reminds me of the creativity evident in your puzzles.
Anomaly -- Used too much help to claim to have solved it.
ReplyDeleteLot of very clever clues and answers, got most of them, except for the ones I didn't:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzQzMDEwMjEzNTcxNTI1Ng
Thanks.
@BobK: this Anomaly runtpuz was all yer fault. Good comment, makin old M&A look up what a Schroe-dinger was. Which led to this fine mess. Mucho thanx, amigo!
ReplyDeleteAnomalistic author's comments:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzgwOTIxNDEyNTQ5NjA
And now, on to figurin out how to make a "Write Yer Own Clues" runtpuz could work…
M&A
Will put this new little pup out there, before we shove off on our little road trip. Again, thanx to @BobK. for the wonderful inspiration…
ReplyDelete"Write Your Own Weird Clue!" - 7x7 themed (sorta):
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15281&id2=894
Adoo,
M&A
Yahoo! you mean.
ReplyDeleteI swore I would work this out. And even though it took 26 Min and 4 sec, I did. And I almost didn't cheat; that is, I had to ask if there were wrong letters, but when there were, I didn't ask which ones they were. Once I caught on . . .
Thanks so much, and have a great little trip!
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODI3NTg3MjE3NDgwNTYyOA
Write your weird clue!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTk5ODIzMjE5MzQzMjU0NQ
This puzzle set a personal record for the number of mini alphabet runs needed to get through a puzzle. If you replaced the *! clues with ?? this puzzle would set the record for the shortest ?? clue and the most ?? clues.
Another question. How did @BobK's post
(Just a suggestion, in case a similar clue is ever needed: Isn't a menu "what you get before the appetizer" or something like that? Seems like it would be accurate but a cruel mis-direct!)
Or was there some other inspiration?
@r.alph: yep. That was indeed the BobK comment that inspired "Write Your Own" runtpuz. He wrote his own clue for a previous runtpuz answer, U see.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't take much, to set off a weirdo.
M&A
"Stumpy Stumper: Forever Along" - 7x7 themeless and maimed meme:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15338&id2=985
M&A
"Foever Along" -- 3:13.
DeleteRushing off to the beach, but some day must know more about 9A!
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDE2Mjc3MjQ2Mjg1MzUyMw
"Galaxy of The Guardian" - 7x7 doubly questionable:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15372&id2=719
M&A
"Galaxy of the Guardian": 20:14
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mzc5MzU0MjU2NzAxMTU0Nw
Almost did it all by myself, but had to ask for incorrect letters, of which I had three before finishing.
I'm glad I waited until after the parade before tackling this one!
Love these puzzle titles. Looking forward to "Yesterdayland."
Thanks.
Forever along:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDAwMTc4MjUzODY2NDY0NA
Did this sitting on a device at Charles DeGaulle airport
Galaxy of the Guardian
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDA1OTIyMjU4NDI1OTYzMw
Continuing after 9 hours back in the U.S.A
Hey, @r.alph: Welcome back home! M&A decided to serve U up a Brit-style runtpuz, to make you feel at home.
ReplyDeleteAuthor commentary:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzQ4MTQ2MjU5Mzk4OTU0Ng
Now, on to makin a YesterdayLand runtpuz…
M&A
"YesterdayLand" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15403&id2=398
Thanx, @BobK.
M&A
Yesterday land
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDA0MTY3MjY0MDI0MjE0NQ
Really felt good to get this one without assistance. Nice job.
Yesterdayland --
ReplyDelete9:57. Sorry, I had to ask which one of my letters was wrong.
But brilliant theme and execution! Your creativity continues to amaze me!
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDc3NDA2MjY2Njc3NTIyNQ
Thanks!
Author comments for "YesterdayLand" runtpuz:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjczOTYwMjY4MDgzNTc2MQ
M&A
"Stumpy Stupor" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15419&id2=158
M&A
Stumpy Stupor
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjkxNjU0MjcyODYwNTI3Mw
Stumpy Stupor - 3:40, no cheats.
ReplyDeleteThought I had emerged from my stupor, but perhaps not.
Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTIyOTI4MjczOTg0MzAwNQ
@BobK: Pretty respectable solve time on the Stumpy Stupor, actually.
DeleteWhat the (runtpuz) world needs now is a themeless 7x7 with some sort of nervous tic…
@r.alph: "Frequently dotty addr." seems ok, from the (admittedly slightly desperate) point of view of "punctuated frequently with dots"…
M&A
"in search of the biter themeless"
"Just in Time Grid Symmetry" - 7x7 themed, I guess you'd say:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15449&id2=113
M&A
"Just in Time . . . ":
Delete5:37, but no cheats and no write-overs.
Brilliant as always! Sorry I only saw the theme significance after I finished solving.
Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODQzODMwMjgxMDA2OTU0Mg
Will write up "Just in Time Grid Symmetry" later but check this out:
ReplyDeletepuzzlecrowd.com/puzzles/FB4-37.puz
"Just in Time Grid Symmetry"
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTg5NDQ5Mjg2NDg2MDQyNw
Found a photo of a runt with a crossword pattern:
https://www.ica.org.uk/shop/editions/juergen-teller-wildschweinmutter-kolkata-india-2014-2014
@BobK - knowing where Sebastopol was really helped you.
Confessions of a scamp runt constructor, Just In Time…
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mzk5NzA0Mjg2ODcwMDYxMQ
Spent most of today trying to build a 15x15 nytpuz submission, so I arrive here tonight totally runtless. M&A will try to make the next runtpuz as hard as two or three average runtz, to compensate.
Congrats to @r.alph, on scoring a copy of the Galactic Invaders paperback, today, at bargain prices. That FireballPuz he sent out is tougher than snot. M&A did get 43-A and 45-D immediately, on account of… well, U know…
Nighty night,
M&A
Okay, sports fans, this oughta do it. (Mucho Thanx to an AnonymoUs friend, for the idea):
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15507&id2=810
M&A
5:21, no cheats.
DeleteSports fans? Do you know this very old joke about the kid who was a big fan of Joe DiMaggio? (Joke available upon request.)
Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDkwNTY2MjkxOTUxNTE2OQ
@BobK: Decent solve time, as I tried hard to make this latest Stumpy Stumper as feisty as possible. Even left off the double-?? jobber, as that is usually a gimme for U guys, anyway.
ReplyDeleteRe: joke: do tell.
M&A
SPOILER ALERT __ Read no further unless you have constructed or solved the Stumpy Stumper
DeleteOn January 14. 1954, Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe. The next day, two little boys, definitely pre-teen, see the headline in the newspaper. One, a great DiMaggio fan, says with a deep sigh, "I wish I was Marilyn Monroe!"
* * * * * *
Yeah, terrible, I didn't make it up, but somebody thought it was funny sixty years ago.
har.
DeleteStumpy Stumper ... With a Side Dish
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjU3ODUyOTE3NDM5NTg2
Cute puzzle.
"Right Here in River City" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15527&id2=231
M&A
"River City": 5:25, no cheats.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDA1ODc5Mjk4MjUyNjU4Mg
Thanks.
Rivers
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzQ3ODc2Mjk5NzM0MTM1OQ
What?! 5:25? 11:16? On a mangy runtpuz about a coupla rivers? I know U folks can do better than this. Were U out celebration somethin last night? Indie 500 debut festivities?
ReplyDeleteOkay, try out this puppy. It even has extra double-?? clues, to really "smooth" the way. I'm seein near-record solve times, here…
"Stumpy Stumpmeister" - 7x7 themeless pushover:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15539&id2=213
M&A
"Always Lookin for a Second Chance"
"Stumpmeister" - 6:28. (Near record times in which direction?)
Delete(Also, LOL at the idea that a puzzle with two "River X flows through City Y" clues is in any way easy!)
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjYxOTY5MzAyMDA3NzY2MQ
Thanks.
Well, yeah… NAF and the food additives with rats really messed U up bad.
DeleteOtherwise, U were really chuggin along.
Kinda liked that NAF answer, btw.
Comin soon: Cities Near Mountains. har
M&A
"Stumpy Stumper: Senseless Poop" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15558&id2=910
M&A
"Senseless Poop": 7:13.
DeleteLooks like I am the one who was pooped out.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTA4NDk0MzE1NTI4Njg3NQ
Thanks.
"Stumpy Stumper: Kung Silver's Burial Mound" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15578&id2=331
M&A
"...Burial Mound": (Hey, that word I knew!) 7:37 - Nice name for an airplane; not so good as a time, but no cheats. I await explanation of 4 A.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjkzMjc2MzI0MDgyNTE3Mg
Thanks.
D'oh! Forehead slap!
ReplyDeleteNow I get 4 A, no further info needed.
As always, perfectly correct when correctly interpreted!
"Stumpy Stumpmeister" - 7x7 themeless pushover:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTA3ODg0MzA3MjM3ODg4Nw
"Stumpy Stumper: Senseless Poop" - 7x7 themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTM3MzA0MzI0NDMyNTA2NA
"Stumpy Stumper: Kung Silver's Burial Mound" - 7x7 themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTA5NzU1MzI0NTM3MzMzNA
@r.alph - Stars on American flag = states.
DeleteOkay. Enough Mr. Mean Guy. This puzzle's *gotta* give everybody their nerve back…
ReplyDelete"Stumpy Stumper: With Sugar On Top" - 7x7 themeless?:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15596&id2=304
M&A
Yeah, yeah, there it was, right in front of my face, and I couldn't take a hint!
Delete11:46.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjI3NDEzMzI3MjA2MzIxOQ
Thanks, I think.
Yowch. Well, good ACPT puz#5 practice, at least…
DeleteM&A
M&A, r.alph -- I have been in touch with Loren Muse Smith, and she mentioned that she would like to discuss some ideas with M&A. I believe that at one time r.alph set up a "parking garage" system whereby M&A could carry on an exchange while retaining anonymity.
ReplyDeleteCould this system be used by LMS? Her email address, which she has made public in the past, is nerol2@msn.com.
Thanks.
@r.alph: OK by me, if U want to give her the Parking Garage keys…
DeleteM&A
Hey - I have the password but can't access the Parking Garage. I just have this one idea I thought could be cool.
Delete@muse: Cool idea. The runtz are barkin in anticipation…
DeleteI'll make the grid, if you'll clue it up?
M&A
"Theme is Everything!" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15601&id2=689
M&A
2:27, no cheats.
ReplyDelete"Theme is Everything!" indeed!!!
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzU1NzQ2MzM0MjIwMzEzNQ
Thanks.
@M&A
ReplyDeletePlease check the parking garage. There is a message from Loren there.
@r.alph: got it. Thanx.
ReplyDelete@BobK: Real superb solve time. That kinda stuff is what we are talkin about, my man!
ReplyDeletePost-mortem remarks, below. Didn't wait for the r.alph remarks, this one time, just to be different, and anti-schedule-oriented…
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDA4MTYyMzM1MzA4NTUxMQ
M&A
p.s. In case it weren't clear, above remarks are for the "Theme is Everything!" runtpuz. Clear. Out.
DeleteM&A
"Stumpy Stumper: With Sugar On Top" - 7x7 themeless?:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjM2NzkwMzMzMjYzMDY1NA
"Theme is Everything!" - 7x7 themed:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDc3NTk5MzMzMzA4NjEyNg
"Stumpy Stumper: Grasshoppers in Re:verse" - 7x7 themeless-ish:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15616&id2=608
M&A
Good one; too tough for me -- had to ask to find out which seven letters I had wrong, before ending at 8:29.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjI1NDY5MzM4NzI0NjU4NA
Thanks.
Grasshoppers in Re:verse
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTk3NDU5MzQxNjY0OTgzNQ
Please explain what the title has to do with puzzle.
@r.alph: Title is kind of a nostalgic highlight reel of snippets from some of the puz's more desperate clues. What can M&A say: Was running out of other cool words to go with Stumpy.
DeleteBut, I ask U -- where else do U get primo titles like "Grasshoppers in Re:verse" or "Senseless Poop" or "Kung Silver's Burial Mound"? They just draw people in off the streets to work that runtpuz, right?
Cramming all the elements into the runtz may prove difficult, because of the one-letter ones. Unless M&A adopts (and perverts) the NYTPuz's recent COMA clue strategy…
"In re:verse" means "With respect to stuff in poetry", to the runts.
M&A
p.s.
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to suspect that @muse recently leaving that cool runtpuz theme idea at our doorstep was more a kind of "drop and run" dealie, rather than a "potential collab" dealie. But hope springs eternal, in the M&A mindpit.
So, maybe I should just go ahead and crank out a "first blood" runtpuz, based on her brilliant suggestion? If that's ok? I know @muse is pretty busy.
M&A
Hey, Old Buddy! I am so blown away with teaching that I can barely get the NYT done and post a comment. These runts will have to go on hold. So, yes, that revealer idea is my gift to you. I tried to think of a 15x with it but got nowhere. The key noun phrases are 11 and 12. The reveal is 9... See what you can do with it. I tell ya, though, I think the reveal is so great that if you can think of some way to do a 15x, I'd love to try.
ReplyDeleteThere is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between question and answer, and it lies between the pit of solver's fears and the summit of their knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twi-Runt Zone.
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15631&id2=644
M&A
Huh???
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mzc2ODY1MzQ3MzIwOTQyNQ
@BobK: Well, I gotta admit, I was pretty concerned about this puppy. It may have been a couple dumps short of house trained. Sorry, if it was a bit too out there.
DeleteLet me be the first to assure U, this was *not* the runtpuz idea proposed by the mighty @muse.
More on the Twi-Runt Zone tomorrow, after @r.alph gets to take a shot at it.
'Night, and sweet dreams
M&A
Twi-Runt Zone
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjIxMDQ4MzUxOTE3NzE2NA
"Twi-Runt": Thanks for the explanation, r/alph. Perfectly logical on its own terms, as always.
ReplyDeleteBut 3 D is still to me an "If I hadn't found it online I would never believe it."
We now return control of your computer screen to you...
ReplyDeleteRod Serling's commentary on "Twi-Runt Zone", here (expletives redacted):
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzczNDg4MzUyNDgzNzU0MA
M&Araming SalaM&At
(which is far superior to M&A ramming salad M&At in TAGALOG, btw)
@muse: I did come up with a nice runtpuz that used your theme idea. Also thought of a spinoff runtpuz, from that first one. No luck yet, on adapting the whole schmear to the wide screen (15x).
ReplyDeleteDo y'all get summer vacations, at that school? Hopefully U can at least drop by here, to give some runt a belly rub, now and then.
Anyhoo, mucho thanx for the shout-out.
M&A
p.s.
ReplyDelete@muse: Here is the spinoff runtpuz, in case that gives U any extra ideas, for the main event one…
"Goosed Mother Rhymes" - 7x7 themed:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15654&id2=2
M&A
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzQ2MjU2MzUzODExMDQzOA
ReplyDelete"Goosed Mother Rhymes:" Thinking outside the box is not something I do well, if at all.
ReplyDeleteUnderstood one while solving; finally parsed second from completed grid; had to see r.alph's explanation to open my eyes to third.
Used too many cheats to claim to have solved.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzkwMjU2MzU0OTI4NTE3Ng
"Stumpy Stumper: With More Worms" - 7x7 themeless. Does have an Easter Egg in it, tho:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15660&id2=993
M&A
"More Worms": 5:12, but someone will have to point out the Easter Egg to me.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzU5Njc0MzU4NjQyMjAyNw
Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjkzNzg0MzYwNjY3NjE1Mg
ReplyDelete@M&A thanks for the oblique reference.
Congratulations on your EE degree, r.alph!
DeleteY'all are nutz.
ReplyDeleteAt least that runt's diagonal was more neighborly, than the one in today's NYTPuz…
M&A
Commentary, "With More Worms", here:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTE1ODQzMzYxNTE3MjQxMQ
M&A
Trouble with making a new (fabulous) runtpuz, is then M&A wants to put it out there right away. So, let's call this the Sunday morning puz, but coming out a bit early, sorta like the NYT does it.
ReplyDeletep.s. M&A has **not** published the runtpuz that was based on @muse's fabulous themer idea, yet. Kinda hate to pull the trigger on that puppy, as it has such potential as a widescreen puz theme revealer. So at least M&A has some willpower.
"Stumpy Stumper: With Warm Afterglow" - 7x7 themeless. Does have hanky panky, tho:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15688&id2=735
M&A
"Warm Afterglow": Not a chance!
ReplyDelete(Actually, I got the top half or more, died after that.)
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODcxODA0MzYyNjUwNzczMQ
Thanks.
@BobK: One might observe that U do not seem to have that warm afterglow, following your solve of this runtpuz.
DeleteM&A
Afterglow
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODY5MjMzMzY3OTIxMDYxOQ
Congratulations! I bet it will run on Thursday.
@BobK
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you had [GALA]HAD and CHIANTI also
"I Am Become Debt" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15709&id2=762
M&A
p.s. Runtpuz title could be an apt quote, coming from its 15-Down offering.
"I Am Become Debt," destroyer of worlds, not quite, but not so good for my solving record, either.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTQ3MTcxMzczMDg4MDM0MQ
Thanks.
@BobK: glad U were not destroyed, dude. Next one will be easier. Almost promise.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while I'm here -- "Afterglow" refections…
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTAxMjQ5MzczMTQ4NjcxNA
M&A
Just doodling here, but shouldn't a trilogy have a fourth memeber, whose left-most column would start with words like
ReplyDelete(K)NIGHT
(N)ESTER
(O)SCAR
(T)RITE
(T)HEN
(Y)ELL
That would be quite a knotty problem. I don't know how you would pull it off, but then I don't know how you do what you do so well.
I am become debt
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTIyMzY2MzcyNzY5MjkwNw
Not sure that I understand the theme of this one.
BobK
Trilogy?
@BobK: trilogy?
ReplyDelete@r.alph: re: I Am Become Debt theme: Look for other repeating patterns.
Hey -- Need to take a day off, today; PuzEatinSpouse's b-day. See y'all soon.
M&A
@M&A - Please convey Birthday greetings to Mrs. M&A!
ReplyDelete@Ted Cruz - Congrats on the Tom Swiftie!
@r.alph - Perhaps eye owe ewe an explanation: In some genres, say science fiction, it is not uncommon for an author to come out with a trilogy, i/e., three books in a series, and if it does well, put out yet another book, often jocularly referred to as "the fourth in the trilogy." My specific reference was to M&A's noting that he had done a trilogy of runts where extra, ungridded letters were found above, below, and to the right of the grid.
Your obsequIOUs follower,
Bob K.
@BobK: I was mistaken. It is the runtpuz **after** the one below that will be much easier. Hang in there.
ReplyDelete"Guardian of the Galaxy II" - 7x7 mystery runtpuz:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15736&id2=781
M&A
I am Groot.
ReplyDeleteHad to be shown which two letters I had wrong (but not what the correct letters were) in order to finish.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzI2ODc4MzgxOTU3MTkwMQ
Thanks.
"I Am Become Groot" … er … "I Am Become Debt" author's desperate comments:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTM2MTc3MzgyMDc3NzMyMw
M&A
Guardians of the Galaxy II
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzkzMzM3Mzg1MDk4NDA5MA
So "I am become debt" is a pun on Oppenheimer's "I am become death" This link explains the seeming bad grammar: http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-significance-of-the-grammatical-error-in-now-I-am-become-Death-the-destroyer-of-worlds
Factazoid: "I Owes You" was written in the same ancient dialect as "I Am Become Death".
ReplyDelete@BobK: OK. Batter up. This next runt is well-trained, gentle, house-broken, noble, and all them other Lassie-like attributes. I am become puttin this puppy out a bit early in the day, as we are continuin to celebrate spouse's b-week…
"Stumpy Speedfest: Beach Bunny's Bowl Score" - 7x7 E-Z themeless:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15750&id2=93
M&A
"Beach Bunny:" 3:41, no cheats.
DeleteSorry, I'm just not cut out to be a speed solver.
Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTYyOTExMzg3NzczODU1Ng
@BobK: Decent solve time, tho, really. U may have been slowed down just a dash, because there were no double-?? gimme clues.
ReplyDeleteM&A
@r.alph: In last two clues in "Galaxy of the Guardian II", M&A decided to go a bit rogue. Just to keep things sparkly. These Mystery Runtpuzs may be in the same galaxy with the Guardian's Cryptic Crosswords, but they ain't from the same planet.
ReplyDeleteM&A
"Galaxy of the Guardian II" color commentary:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzU0NDUxMzkwNTIzOTg1NQ
M&A
Beach Bunny
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzA5NTU5MzkzODEyMzM5OQ
This bunny got beached on the greek letter.
By the way you left out URP. USURP is the United States Union of Runt Puzzlers.
Did you know that a group of runt puzzlers is called a ululation probably because of the howling sounds and wordless lamentation often heard in the vicinity of a runt puzzle. This is the reason why there have been no runt puzzles tournaments; the neighbors call the police.
Tribute to Guardian setter Araucaria who died in 2013 at age 89
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theguardian.com/news/video/2015/jun/08/dear-araucaria-guardian-cryptic-crossword-video
Cool video.
ReplyDeleteWill have to try solving one of his puzs.
At a far more obscure level, M&A reminisces here, on the "Stumpy Speedfest Beach Bunny Bowl Score" runtpuz:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTY1NjkyMzk2MjA3ODg5Mw
M&A
Research turned these little jewels up. Hey!-- Answer word lengths!
ReplyDeleteAraucaria's best clues
1 Cox at me (6,3,6)
2 Of of of of of of of of of of (10)
3 Oppo, perhaps, of Caesar, J? (7)
4 Poetical scene with surprisingly chaste Lord Archer vegetating (3,3,8,12)
5 A forbidding place (7,4)
6 Semi-automated nun? (8,2,5)
7 Astany Portorm? (3,4,2,1,5)
8 Warning not to outstay welcome I encountered in African country (4,2,2)
9 Proverbial aphrodisiac bees can produce (7)
10 Refuse to go here with Spooner's broken racket (7)
11 Take another setter also to your heart? (4,2,4,2,3)
Answers are here:
http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/2013/nov/26/araucaria-puzzle-crossword-master-dies
M&A
"Stumpy Snoozefest" - 7x7 themed that surely just can't be all that hard:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15774&id2=175
M&A
"Snoozefest:" 7:39, but, hey, no cheats!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjUyMDg4Mzk3MzgwMTU4MQ
(Was at the doctor today for "annual Medicare checkup." I think I flunked the beginner's Alzheimer's test.)
Thanks.
Stumpy Snoozefest
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzIzNDkyNDA0MjMwMTYyMg
@r.alph: "They can [DO, ACT] as they please". [Pick one]
ReplyDeleteM&A
"Stumpy Stumper: Jaguar Prom Dress" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15788&id2=487
M&A
Jaguar Prom Dress
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjIyNDY4NDEwODY2OTU4Mg
Prom Dress: 3:27.
ReplyDeleteWoo-hoo! Great time, for me, and no cheats.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjY2OTMzNDE1ODA4Mzk5OQ
Thanks.
M&A is getting real behind on his runtpuz roundup file dealies. And lots of other stuff. Heck, just finished fillin and cluin up this puppy, five minutes ago. Hope it's okay…
ReplyDelete"Just Like Reusable Undies" - 7x7 themed:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15819&id2=166
M&A
p.s.
1. Nice solve time, @BobK.
2. I'll try to catch up, tomorrow. Today was anniversary -- four friggin days after spouse's b-day!
"Undies": 7:36, no cheats, and LOL! (I keep looking for a time of day when my head is clear, but I haven't found it. And then another runt messes with said head.)
DeleteBest wishes to undoubtedly long-suffering wife on anniversary! ;>)
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjA5OTQ2NDE5MTUyMjk1Mg
Thanks.
Reusable Undies
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDc2MDY2NDIwOTIyMTkwMA
@r.alph - The Big Mo - momentum.
Delete"Stumpy Snoozefest" commentary. Please try not to snore, while reading:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDY5MDg2NDIxMTYxNTM3OQ
M&A
"St St Jaguar Prom Dress" reflections and regrets:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzgwNTc4NDIyMjcyOTQ0Ng
M&A
"Reusable Undies" re-hash by the runt owner and trainer:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTQ2ODA5NDIyNTAzMTc2Ng
M&A
"Stumpy Stumper: Star Trek Barn Cat" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15834&id2=202
M&A
Star Trek! Barn Cat! What could be more up my alley?
DeleteAnd yet, 7:17. But no cheats. Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTMwMDk0NDI3ODE2ODA3NQ
Star Trek Barn Cat
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzcyNDQxNDI5NTQwMTAyMg
The skinny on "St St S.T. Barn Cat", here:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDY1MTE5NDMwOTk0MDU5NA
M&A
Yes, I knew what 4D stood for.
Delete"Round Tripper" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15852&id2=293
Might be harder than average; Has six themers, stuffed into a pretty small box.
M&A
"Round Tripper": 9:59, but no cheats!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDkyODk2NDMzMjM5MjQxOA
Thanks.
I'd consider a clean 9:59 to be a moral victory, on this puppy.
DeleteNice job.
U are welcome.
@BobK: Lookin for ideas. What should the title of the next themed runtpuz be? Thanx.
M&A
Round Tripper
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjM5NTAwNDM3MDgzNzk5OQ
@M&A -
ReplyDeleteYou ask, "What should the title of the next themed runtpuz be?"
Is there an "F" in Creativity? Yes, on my report card! There is a reason that you are the one who turns out these cruciverbal gems, and I am the one who struggles to solve them. But I have given the matter a bit of thought.
Of course, to suggest a title for a themed puzzle means to suggest a theme, an added burden.
But how about:
Bran Burner, the breakfast cereal puzzle.
Summer Paws, all about that vacation with your pets.
Jurassic Weird (um, something about dinosaurs?)
Basta! (with a "B", Italian for "enough!") -- Here are more than 50 shapes of Pasta: http://pastafits.org/pasta-dictionary/
Your Plaice or Mine? All those fish names, and so many are also common nouns and verbs. (Yeah, probably has been done before.)
What's the Snooze? Utilizing the names of the hundred or so people hoping to win the Republican nomination for President. And hey, JEB BUSH and TED CRUZ are each 7 letters, and each has a "U"!
Minority Retort (Sez U!)
A Trip to the Moon - How many names are there for the human posterior?
Sorry I couldn't be much help.
Bob K.
@BobK: day-um, dude. What a primo list! Thanx!
DeleteM&A
"Bran Burner" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15880&id2=918
M&A
(A) Man, you are quick! Nice theme! ;>)
DeleteI am not: 8:02, no cheats.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzkzNzAzNDQ1MTczNDIxMA
(B) How about -
Ender's Game -- All those beautiful suffixes (and don't forget our friend, the CypriOTE.)
Stranger in a Stumpy Land - ?
(C) Starting a week from today I will be on a small island in the middle of a large sea (OK, Mallorca), and away from my computer for two weeks, so I will not be doing any runts, or anything else online.
@BobK:
DeleteA) Pretty good solve time, on yer own puz theme.
B) har. U animal! U are a runtpuz theme machine!
C) Mall Orca! Ensaimades! Yum. day-um… when U and r.alph take road trips, U folks really get outta town.
M&A
Bran Burner (Is this a pun?)
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjE0MzE1NDQyMjk4OTY0OA
@BobK Great wrong entry: Opera SERIA (plural: opere serie; usually called dramma per musica or melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770.
@r.alph: yep. pun.
DeleteAin't BobK good at coming up with runtpuz themes?! Like U said in yer writeup, this Bran Burner theme could keep spittin out themer entries til the cows come home. Could only fit 5 themers comfortably in the 7x7 confines, however. Liked how almost all of the black squares ended up bein cheater squares, for some reason.
@BobK: Two weeks or more without the runtz? I know you'll be fine, but the runtz will sure be kinda lonesome. Afraid they will start to howl, during the evenings.
M&A
Author stuff about "Round Tripper":
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjMxMzUyNDQ2MDc2NDMwOQ
M&A
Co-author stuff about "Bran Burner":
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDM2MDYxNDQ2MTgwODQ0NA
M&A
"Thanx again, Mall Orca Bob!"
So many Kerfuffle Krossword ideas. So little time…
ReplyDelete"Jurassic Whirled" - 7x7 themed:
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15891&id2=293
M&A
"Jurassic Whirled" -- 6:08, no cheats.
DeleteGot it, don't understand every entry, but got it. That's why every letter is crossed, right? But, no, not necessarily in a runt puzz!
Thanks.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODE0ODQ2NDQ4MTA2NzgyMg
Sorry, forgot to add: This grid is a thing of real beauty!
DeleteThanx for jarring the idea out of me.
DeleteI'll try to explain all the entries, after @r.alph has a shot at it.
He's always pointing out neat stuff that M&A has so brilliantly done;
M&A needs to learn about these previously unsuspected things,
so he can be sure to take credit for them.
M&A
Jurassic Whirled
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mjg3Nzc1NDQ4NDUwMzQ3MQ
Okay, Jurassic Whirled with brilliant accidents highlighted:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODMyMDU1NDQ4OTQxNTkzNg
M&A
"Stumpy Stumper: Goat Buster" -- 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletewww.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=15896&id2=678
M&A
"Goat Buster" -- 5:42, no cheats.
DeleteBut your secretary made a mistake, posted as a themeless, but in fact this has a magnificent theme! (Or wasn't I supposed to mention that?)
Department of Getting Desperate:
"The Interminable-Ator" -- runtpuz with answers of more than seven letters, continued in the next row/column. (Not exactly an original idea.)
Thanks
Oops! Forgot again:
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTk0MzEwNDUzNzc2NjQ1Mg
Sound made by little feet?
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjgyOTg2NDU0MzAwOTM1NA
One of the best runts ever!
Since we are approaching 200 comment I will start a new blog entry.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. Hope we can keep up with mobile webstes!Visit My site: online kitchen game
ReplyDelete