The puzzle report for Friday's BuzzFeed puzzle is now available.
It contains a new feature: clues with M&A immunity.
Scanning the M&A clues I have chosen the following as an example of the superiority of runt clues. M&A: {End of cash and a cigarette??} _ _ _ BZF: {Weed, once, maybe} (although this has runt vagueness)
The following clue would feel right at home in a runt puzzle: 51A {Beginning (and mouth) of the depiction at this puzzle's center completed at the eyes}
Michael Sharp over https://ngotblog.wordpress.com had this to say about 51A "... It’s not a word, so the gimmick seems awfully forced. And yet … the craziness is oddly admirable. Dunno."
@BobK: I am hopeful that 1-A will slowly build into something U can more readily recognize, if U give it some thought, try to mark my word, & maybe sleep on it overnight. See? Gee! It's the start of this runt's big claim to fame!
@BobK: day-um, dude. Your city allows tricker treatin all day long?!? Pretty good time on that Stumpy Stumper, what with constant interruptions from sugar-crazed rugrats.
If U have to sit around all day answerin the door, U may need another runtpuz to help keep U from suckin yer thumb. Will see what I can make up …
M&A "Boiling Cauldron of Oil on Roof Can Help Slow Down the Doorbell Traffic"
@BobK: Here yah go. Now, M&A whopped this puppy up in a hurry, so it might conceivably have a misspell, typo, or something that might be a bit hard to figure out. But, hey -- that last peccadillo is hardly ever an issue for U. And besides, U need somethin with serious stayin power to do, until no longer surrounded by Almond Joy raiding parties.
"Halloween IV" -- 8:41, but no help. (Note in passing that using one's name in the grid has P. Berry immunity, at least as of recent NYT puzzle.)
After years of trying, offering options, etc, I now distribute only 1.55 oz plain Hershey bars. (Sounds small, but looks big compared to the bite-size.)
@BobK: Congrats on yer clean Halloween IV solve. The runtz will take all the Patrick Berry Immunity they can get.
We give out a variety of mini-candy bars. I always try to save the best kinds for last. Unless there's a ton of em left, toward the end; then I start giving away bonus bars. Have to maintain my svelte cinnamon-roll-molded figure …
Same Old Grid http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MzkzNjAzNjMxMTgzNzUyNQ.json
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTcxMjg2MzQyNjU5ODA2 Halloween IV
@M&A Awesome stumper solve. To bad about losing 25 points because you didn't finish at 12:59. BTW the FCPT is the Fairfield Crossword Puzzle Tournament where any stall over a minute is reduced to 10 seconds. This lets you leave the puzzle to go meditate without extreme penalty.
I'm not as computer literate as all y'all and I'm not seeing where to click the Go to Puzzles in order to solve the Buzz Feed as quoted in @R.alph's comment "Go to puzzles and enter stumper in the text box and click Fetch puzzle".
Help?
Sames for "That's the Spirit". Cheated after 75% through and still don't see the theme. Maybe I'll look at it again tomorrow morning after getting that extra hour of sleep.
Har, just read M&A's comment on the Rex blog re:holding breath until seeing @LMS comment again. It so happens that after reading @John Child's comment today on the Rex blog that we might not see @LMS again on the blog, I emailed her and pretty much said I would be holding my breath and turning blue in hopes that the @Rex blog would return to the old days and lure La Muse back.
She kindly replied to me and she can be found commenting on Wordplay these days. Plus, I mentioned that I was doing the Runtz these days and she said she used to indulge thusly herself and wished she could email the Masked one . FYI.
@teedmn: Don't feel bad. This one was a biter runt. Don't see many spirits in mid-materializion, in crossword puzzles. Sounds like @muse got fed up with something about the RexWorld blog, maybe? Hope it wasn't one of my (facetious) "bill collector" comments about her.
@BobK: 72 tricker treaters, here. Late in the proclaimed period, was giving away lots of extra candy "Best Costume without a Mask" awards.
@r.alph: Yer "Same Old Grind" solution wasn't a solution file.
"Ye Olde Tight Jeans" -- And I thought a Hershey bar this morning would clear my mind! Didn't work. Despite the helpful (in retrospect) hint, I was Naticked at 1A/1D. Don't dance; don't climb mountains!
M&A, nah, she misses the back and forth of the old Rex blog, and was finding it stultifying (I paraphrase here). So the world becomes less sparkly for the rest of us.
Same Old Grind: http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzUwMTM2Mzk3NTIzMTI0
@R.alph, tried the side by side with the Stumper but it wouldn't run. I was able to check out your Get Solution of the Stumper but not the double analysis. I checked for spaces and such, no go.
M&A, I bow to your Stumper solve. 12 minutes compared to 60 for me plus cheating.
Got a big trip coming up in about a week. So, there will be a suitable runtpuz ceasefire. During which @muse darlin ought maybe write some new runtz, to fill the void.
@r.alph: Primo solve time, on the latest Stumpy Stumper. Can't help but worry, tho, that U skipped over the previous "Crazy Crossing" runtpuz. Helminthophobia?
It is sheer hell to come up with a drop-dead-better-than-average runtpuz, and not be able to post it immediately. Such is the case, twice, for M&A, today. The first one ("Skunk Patch"), he just could not resist. The second one ("Typical!") will just have to wait until tonight …
@M&A I must have forgotten to post it. Crazy Crossword http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Njc1NzY5NjQ2NzE5Nzg0OA Loved the grid art
Do the Math http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjA1MzM3NjY0MzExMDc2NQ Nice!
Best M&A variation on a clue in today's Wednesday NYT _ _ _ _ M&A: Farting when one draws a royal flush, e.g. NYT: Partner of show or kiss
Yesterday was my 69th birthday and I decided it was time to attempt to solve the NYT puzzle published on the day I was born, Nov 3, 1946. The results are here: http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjkxNzMxNjYwNTc0MjI5NA
If anybody else would like to try this let me know your birthday and I will set up runtpuz.org to deliver your birth day puzzle to you.
While solving my birth day puzzle I was struck by how similar it was to solving a BuzzFeed puzzle. Both had clues that were outside my cultural wheelhouse.
For example I never knew that The Green Hat (1925), was a play in four acts by Michael Arlen Staged by Guthrie McClintic; and the character Iris March was played by Katharine Cornell. Similarly in today's BuzzFeed puzzle I had no idea whose Helga's kind of rhyming older sister on "Hey Arnold" is.
However, I think the chances of finishing a BuzzFeed puzzle without errors is slightly higher.
@Teedmn Nice solve! I noticed a clue error 33D {Unclose: Poet OPE} Should be Unclosed This was either in the original puzzle or introduced when the puzzle was typed in. (See http://www.preshortzianpuzzleproject.com/)
There was also an error in my puzzle. 20D {A Lion in the ___} STREETS (Should be a Lion is in the ___?) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Lion_Is_in_the_Streets
I have emailed David Steinberg about this. If everybody would take responsibility for the puzzle published on their birthday, it would be a nice way to proofread the puzzle database.
I am going to do my wife's birth day puzzle. Perhaps you could do your husband's.
Lately I haven't been able to do any runts, but, OK, I'll play your silly game: My date of birth is Feb. 20, 1946. I'll try that day's puzzle, but doubt I'll get very far with it.
Feb 24, 1946 (Feb 20 was a Wednesday) http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=19460224.json&hidden=
June 9, 1946 (June 8 was a Saturday) http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=19460609.json&hidden=
Oct 12, 1961 http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=19611012.json&hidden=
Note: In 1946 only Sunday puzzles were published. So think of it as the first NYT puzzle you could have done.
@Teedmn I wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with OPE, I was questioning cluing it as {Unclose: Poet}. "The door was unclosed" sounds okay but "Make sure you unclose the door before school starts" sounds like something that shows up in a runt puzzle every now and then.
Good point, @R.alph. Perhaps my exposure to Runtz has inured me to such subtleties!
Of course there's also my mother-in-law who says "Shut on the lights." (German-speaking community that she grew up in is probably to blame for weird syntax and usage).
@r.alph, et al.: Have changed the 18-Across clue in "Double Down" to cross-ref 6-Across, instead of the close-but-not-quite-correct 1-Across. For archival purposes, etc.
p.s. @r.alph: U failed to note the inaugural (I think?) use of the triple-??? clue in a runtpuz, in yer "Stumpy Stumper: ???" remarks. Overcome by nausea, no doubt.
Just to keep all the runtpuz terminology straight:
* Single-? clue: Some minor wordplay afoot. * Double-?? clue: Trouble brewing. * Triple-??? clue: Borderline unfair, prompted by severe desperation.
Ouch! I "did" my birthday puzzle, the one for 2/24/46. High point: My real last name is in it! Low point: Pretty much everything else. "Finished" in about 82 minutes, but really gave up after about an hour, then started with revealing wrong letter, which helped a bit, but finally a slew of reveal letters, only way to get through all the proper names and out-dated expressions for which I had no chance.
Thank you, @r.alph for digging it up. I have learned my lesson.
Tried the 6/9/46 puzzle, gave up before spending too much time on it. "Did" the 10/12/61 puzzle in 18:30, with some cheats. Hard to imagine how people did these puzzles, except that their "crosswordese" had to include a lot more obscure knowledge than we have today.
Rainy old boring day, here in MandALand. Neither Trump nor Carsen has said anything yet today that the news channels can really sink their teeth into. So, I allowed an extra runt to escape from the pen …
"Nooodles" -- 5:26; would have been quicker if I hadn't confused my equinoces with my solstices. But I am just so dazzled by the creativity that goes into runts like this!
In today's NYT Saturday Barry Silk had this very runtlike clue _ _ _ _ {Word that may precede itself} If you check the runt corpus you will see that M&A played it safe on this one.
Patrick Berry Immunity Checks http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzA0Mzc1NjkxMTU1Mjg1MQ
The following puzzle report shows that M&A counted the number of words with PBI correctly http://puzzlecrowd.com/puzzlereportRunt.html?v=397 However, it reveals a typo in 7A {Fender of Fender Guitars [yes!!!!]}
The question on everybody's mind now is whether M&A will reach 400 puzzles before he takes some time off. He is currently at 398.
@r.alph: Was amazed, how much the "PB1 Immunity Checks" runt gave U fits. Funny how that all works, sometimes. Kinda like M&A and today's Saturday Stumper, where he could only ever find two entries to rub together, so far. And after breezin thru last week's offering.
4-0-0 shouldn't be a prob. At last report we have to get the road rocket fixed Monday, before we hit the bricks. Just feel bad for Patrick Berry, who has only managed to reach 203…
As part of my continued effort not to be baffled by Stanley Newman clues I have analyzed my reaction to each clue in the puzzle. http://puzzlecrowd.com/puzzlereportStumper.html
@M&A I am sure that I am speaking for @Teedmn also when I say that we feel your pain.
@R.alph, the ACPT score fails to take into account my innumerable uses of the "Mark incorrect letters" tool and my one reveal. I'm thinking I probably earned a negative score on that puppy!
@BobK. & r.alph: Probably the most fun part of whatever this is, for me, is when y'all tell me how brilliant I am, for dreamin up some stuff that I hadn't ever imagined, until U guys call it to my attention. This time it was yer ideas about 5-A and 16-D. Primo.
Y'all are just plain great. They ain't paying U enough.
In the Department of "But that was once upon a time, long ago and far away . . . ": A while back (has it been years?), Will Shortz had a weekly challenge on NPR, asking for the name of a famous director whose name was a combination of opposites, or some such idea more smoothly phrased. I posted on Blaine's Puzzle Blog my marker, showing that I knew the answer without giving it away, a comment to the effect that I probably had the soundtrack to one of his most famous films in my CD collection. Of course, the director was Francois Truffaut [true-faux], and my reference was to The 400 Blows, encoded by the "CD" of my (actually non-existent) CD collection. But today I totally missed your use of CD to celebrate the 400th runt! So sorry!
Brilliant theme! I have made a suggestion for a modification of the puzzle to give the solvers a fighting chance to figure it out for themselves. I have added to my overall comment. See http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTM3MzA1NzAxNDYwNzA1Ng
@r.alph: I liked your idea a lot. Decided to not circle the hidden items, but did reference them, in this alternate version. But what do you think of this compromise? …
@r.alph, I might have grokked (hi @Bob) the overall theme beyond the obvious clue/answer pair if your suggestion had been in place. On the other hand, meta themes and I rarely are in synch...
@BobK: Very nice solve time, that U brought in on the "Cheese Snickers" runtpuz. M&A was not pulling many punches, on its clues, either.
Travel news: Looks like the road rocket has been cleared for takeoff soon. Lovely spouse is waiting on some prescription eye specs, which should arrive at the store "any day now". So, I will keep lettin runtz out to prowl for a couple more nights, until then. Best estimate M&A can conjure up, so far. @teedmn has a great idea, for @r.alph to post "best of" re-runs, while M&A is incommunicado.
Since there was some light speculation about some of its clues/answers …
@Ralph, HOP, right. I'm sure I'll need to remember that.
I don't think M&A needs suggestions from me, but did you see the Mini in the NYTimes on Monday? Someone on the Rex blog mentioned it so I did it and it was a cool trick. My fastest Mini so far, though.
@Teedmn: Just worked that mini. har. yep. Good stuff. The runtz have explored this trick quite often, mostly via the coveted double-??-clued answers. I think there was also once a runt theme that sorta explored this idea … [rummaging sounds, looking through pile of paper on desk] …
yep. Here yah go. M&A's take on that kind of trick …
p.s. (Should definitely point out to old runt veterans, that M&A's take, above, on the Monday mini's trick was an old, long-in-the-tooth re-runt.) M&A Help Desk.
@r.alph: Your wish for an extra facet to the clues was shared by M&A. Couldn't get it goin here, tho. Will have to give it another attempt -- probably with more real short "intent"-like clues, next time.
While I'm here: Lovely spouse has her new glasses and they have a thUmbsUp. May leave real soon. Let's celebrate with a penultimate runt ...
This runtpuz will probably be the last new one from out of M&A for 1-2 weeks or so. Time to hit the road. So, enjoy and have a real good ceasefire period. Thanx.
Analogy fest http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTAwODU3MjQ2MTMyNDg2 @BobK Awesome solve. It was definitely not in my palanquin. Anybody understand the 2D analogy?
@Teedmn I would say that we are evenly matched on the Stumper. We both had only one reveal. http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/CompareSolutions?p1=OTI3NzEwNzUxNDgwMDEyOA:teedmn&p2=MTM3NTgwNzUwOTEyNDExNw:r.alph
I don't know about that, @r.alph: my ACPT was 40 to your 260 and my reveals were 29 to your 21. So unless you Googled a lot more than my two, you've got me beat.
It's nice to see some movement here - I didn't realize how often I was coming to this site until M&A went on vacation and I was seeing the visual equivalent of crickets. :-).
M&A: If you didn't provide a title, it would be harder to suss out. I was misled by thinking the title referred to M&A being on a trip so I didn't relate it to the theme answers until I was well into the solve, though I've played plenty of poker in my day. I think this puzzle was really nice, NYTimes material in my opinion.
Re: runt-zilla "Trips" puz … Figured there was no chance that its theme hadn't been done before. I mean, talk about obvious ideas. So, anyhow, M&A chickened out on submittin it to the Big Shows. M&A did try extra, extra hard, to make decent fill, in case he decided not to chicken out. Added the coveted double-?? clue later, after I decided it would be a runt-zilla puz. Plumb amazin, how many different themers woulda worked with this runt-zilla … DEADDEADDEAD. MINDMINDMIND. GETGETGET. TVTVTV. Last one is one of the few that would fit in yer standard runtpuz, however.
We now return U to yer standard runtpuz grid size and screwiness …
@Teedmn: Ahar! So maybe that was the first instance of a triple-?? clue in a runtpuz! Maybe that is why @r.alph picked it. He's pretty sneaky smart.
Tried re-workin that ZZZounds runt. Crashed and burned! Holy crap is my memory bad … (I had, over time, convinced myself that I hadn't a cruel bone in my constructioneer body.)
I wrote a program that found all crosswords puzzles in my database that had three answers of length greater than or equal to 9 which could be divided into equal triplets. It found the 9 puzzles listed here:
http://puzzlecrowd.com/setThemes.html
None even remotely do what your Trips puzzle did.
BTW, the database I searched has all the NYT puzzles back to 1942, all BEQs and all New York Sun puzzles edited by Peter Gordon.
I strongly recommend that you send Trips to Will. Of course, if it gets published and you use your real name we will know who you are so you will have to use an alias.
@r.alph: I thrashed around a bit more, and found a "somewhat on the same path" NYTPuz, from 9 Dec 1998. Alan Arbesfeld. (Which is not M&A's alias.) His is cleverer.
@M&A Arbesfeld puzzle is different IMO. Trips repeats words and its clues do not mention "set" (his mention "series"). Also from a mathematical point of view, a series has an order, and a set is unordered.
How did you find that Arbesfeld puzzle? I tried querying clues for "series" in xwordinfo and there were too many results.
What A difference http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzYzNjg4Nzg4MTMyNzYxNQ
I'm the outlier here. @BobK and @teedmn had little trouble with this one. I had been working on Panini's Sanskrit grammar prior to attempting the puzzle. I now know that doing that is not good preparation for doing a runt.
It would appear that I am in the embarrassing position of being the only one who understood a slightly vulgar clue: It is said that one does not buy a beer, one only rents it. And if that is not clear, you must not be a member of the Pistol Club, whose motto is, "Drink 'til midnight; pistol dawn."
Despicable Bowl - when you really hate the breakfast cereal but it's all that's left in the cupboard. This is not a good showing but much of that stare time was off screen - I toggled back and forth on it. Excuses, excuses.
@r.alph -- To try to answer yer recent question about how I ever turned up that old Arbesfeld crossword:
After finishing with building the "Trips" runtzilla puz, I had this vague feeling that I'd seen the theme somewhere before. But like U, I couldn't find any evidence of such. Shortly after publishing "Trips", it occurred to me to maybe look for "series" stuff, instead of "set" stuff. I vaguely thought that "world series" might have been the clue I had seen before. Since xwordinfo Finder will search on clues, I searched on that one, sorted thru the long list it produced, and found what I was after -- probably a puzzle I worked in a NYTPuz compilation book, long ago.
I agree it's a somewhat different theme, but one that still reminds me of my "Trips" one. The Arbesfeld puz had the advantage of being more repetitious in the cluing, but less repetitious in the answers, which I think is a slightly smoother way to go.
My solution to the Saturday Stumper. Googled and asked for wrong letters to be highlighted but no letters revealed - a minor victory. http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Nzc3MDc5ODExMjk4MDczMw
I see not knowing 8A made a big difference. Nice comment there, @r.alph. And thanks for the theme explanation in French, it makes sense now. At least no Googles or reveals, but at least three (triple) Checks.
Also, when one looks at the completed grid, the circles have disappeared, so it's hard to refer back unless you were aware of their significance originally.
Finally, 200 Comment Alert! Time to start a new thread!
The puzzle report for Friday's BuzzFeed puzzle is now available.
ReplyDeleteIt contains a new feature: clues with M&A immunity.
Scanning the M&A clues I have chosen the following as an example of the superiority of runt clues.
M&A: {End of cash and a cigarette??} _ _ _ BZF: {Weed, once, maybe} (although this has runt vagueness)
The following clue would feel right at home in a runt puzzle:
51A {Beginning (and mouth) of the depiction at this puzzle's center completed at the eyes}
Michael Sharp over https://ngotblog.wordpress.com had this to say about 51A
"... It’s not a word, so the gimmick seems awfully forced. And yet … the craziness is oddly admirable. Dunno."
"That's the Spirit!" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NDYzNjc3NjI1Njc2MjcxMw.json
M&A
"That's the Spirit!" -- This is becoming a tiresome admission, but, "I just don't understand 1 A."
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjkyNTIyNjI1OTM5NDI0OQ
Thanks.
@BobK: I am hopeful that 1-A will slowly build into something U can more readily recognize, if U give it some thought, try to mark my word, & maybe sleep on it overnight. See? Gee! It's the start of this runt's big claim to fame!
ReplyDeleteM&A
"Hint or Treat"
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzIxMDA0NjI5NDM1NTkyOA
ReplyDeleteAnd since I think that runts have a spiritual binding to the Saturday Stumper, here is the id of my solution of today's Stumper
Nzk5MzI2MjkzNjExOTE1
If you try solving the stumper using runtpuz.org and upload your solution, your id will be what follows ?id= in the URL that is displayed.
You then enter your ID and mine (or anybody else's who posts it here) in the following app to compare our solutions:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/CompareSolutions
The URL
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzIxMDA0NjI5NDM1NTkyOA
in the previous post is my solution to "That's the Spirit"
One more thing. To use runtpuz.org to solve the stumper, click Go to puzzles and enter stumper in the text box and click Fetch puzzle
ReplyDelete@r.alph: Stumper solve came out insanely good, so am willing to share:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTk4MjE1NjMwOTUzMzMyMA
Now, off to compare my solve with yers …
M&A
p.s. Is "Lester Ruff" an alias for Stanley Newman?
Good Stumper puz, but -- pound for pound, this lil biter has more stump to it …
ReplyDeleteStumpy Stumper: "Same Old Grind" - 7x7 themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MzkzNjAzNjMxMTgzNzUyNQ.json
M&A
"Happy Halloween!"
"Same Old Grind" -- 9:33 (But time includes getting up to answer door for Trick-or-Treaters) Got it, but don't really get all of it!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTU3MzU2MzEzNTUxOTY3
Thanks.
@BobK: day-um, dude. Your city allows tricker treatin all day long?!? Pretty good time on that Stumpy Stumper, what with constant interruptions from sugar-crazed rugrats.
ReplyDeleteIf U have to sit around all day answerin the door, U may need another runtpuz to help keep U from suckin yer thumb. Will see what I can make up …
M&A
"Boiling Cauldron of Oil on Roof Can Help Slow Down the Doorbell Traffic"
@BobK: Here yah go. Now, M&A whopped this puppy up in a hurry, so it might conceivably have a misspell, typo, or something that might be a bit hard to figure out. But, hey -- that last peccadillo is hardly ever an issue for U. And besides, U need somethin with serious stayin power to do, until no longer surrounded by Almond Joy raiding parties.
ReplyDelete"Halloween IV" - 7x7 themed [ding dong]:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=OTcwNDgwNjMyMzg0NTA3Ng.json
M&A
"Halloween IV" -- 8:41, but no help. (Note in passing that using one's name in the grid has P. Berry immunity, at least as of recent NYT puzzle.)
DeleteAfter years of trying, offering options, etc, I now distribute only 1.55 oz plain Hershey bars. (Sounds small, but looks big compared to the bite-size.)
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTMzMTY1NjMyNzkyNjQwOA
Thanks.
@BobK: Congrats on yer clean Halloween IV solve. The runtz will take all the Patrick Berry Immunity they can get.
DeleteWe give out a variety of mini-candy bars. I always try to save the best kinds for last. Unless there's a ton of em left, toward the end; then I start giving away bonus bars. Have to maintain my svelte cinnamon-roll-molded figure …
M&A
Same Old Grid
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MzkzNjAzNjMxMTgzNzUyNQ.json
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTcxMjg2MzQyNjU5ODA2
Halloween IV
@M&A
Awesome stumper solve. To bad about losing 25 points because you didn't finish at 12:59. BTW the FCPT is the Fairfield Crossword Puzzle Tournament where any stall over a minute is reduced to 10 seconds. This lets you leave the puzzle to go meditate without extreme penalty.
I'm not as computer literate as all y'all and I'm not seeing where to click the Go to Puzzles in order to solve the Buzz Feed as quoted in @R.alph's comment "Go to puzzles and enter stumper in the text box and click Fetch puzzle".
ReplyDeleteHelp?
Sames for "That's the Spirit". Cheated after 75% through and still don't see the theme. Maybe I'll look at it again tomorrow morning after getting that extra hour of sleep.
Har, just read M&A's comment on the Rex blog re:holding breath until seeing @LMS comment again. It so happens that after reading @John Child's comment today on the Rex blog that we might not see @LMS again on the blog, I emailed her and pretty much said I would be holding my breath and turning blue in hopes that the @Rex blog would return to the old days and lure La Muse back.
ReplyDeleteShe kindly replied to me and she can be found commenting on Wordplay these days. Plus, I mentioned that I was doing the Runtz these days and she said she used to indulge thusly herself and wished she could email the Masked one . FYI.
@Teedmn
ReplyDeleteI think you were looking for the Go to puzzles link on this blog. It is at runtpuz.org.
Runtpuz Recap Roundup for: "That's the Spirit!":
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTY0MzgxNjM5MDk1MjA3MA
@teedmn: Don't feel bad. This one was a biter runt. Don't see many spirits in mid-materializion, in crossword puzzles. Sounds like @muse got fed up with something about the RexWorld blog, maybe? Hope it wasn't one of my (facetious) "bill collector" comments about her.
@BobK: 72 tricker treaters, here. Late in the proclaimed period, was giving away lots of extra candy "Best Costume without a Mask" awards.
@r.alph: Yer "Same Old Grind" solution wasn't a solution file.
M&A
Stumper stumped as advertised.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDQ2ODE2Mzk1MjA4MTU2
To celebrate a Hershey bar hangover …
ReplyDeleteStumpy Stumper: "Ye Olde Tight Jeans" - 7x7 themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MjI4MTYyNjM5NjE2NzAwNg.json
M&A
"Ye Olde Tight Jeans" -- And I thought a Hershey bar this morning would clear my mind! Didn't work. Despite the helpful (in retrospect) hint, I was Naticked at 1A/1D. Don't dance; don't climb mountains!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjM5MTg2Mzk3MzM0NTYy
Thanks.
M&A, nah, she misses the back and forth of the old Rex blog, and was finding it stultifying (I paraphrase here). So the world becomes less sparkly for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteSame Old Grind:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzUwMTM2Mzk3NTIzMTI0
@R.alph, tried the side by side with the Stumper but it wouldn't run. I was able to check out your Get Solution of the Stumper but not the double analysis. I checked for spaces and such, no go.
M&A, I bow to your Stumper solve. 12 minutes compared to 60 for me plus cheating.
Ye Olde Tight Jeans:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTg5MDAxNjM5ODI1MDMwNQ
Thanks for the workout today!!
Runtpuz Recap Roundup: "Halloween IV"
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODE0MDQ3NjM5OTg0NTc4MA
M&A
Ye Olde Tight Jeans
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTEyMjQ2NDE1NTQ4OTQx
@Teedmn
ReplyDeleteGreat tight jeans sound affect
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRuntpuz Recap Roundup for "Ye Olde Tight Jeans":
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDE3NDY0NjQxODkzMzQzOQ
M&A
Got a big trip coming up in about a week. So, there will be a suitable runtpuz ceasefire. During which @muse darlin ought maybe write some new runtz, to fill the void.
I have relayed the message (the original one, actually, I must have had interesting timing.) No reply as of yet.
DeleteI somehow missed Halloween IV. Luckily I just got Bob's reference so no spoilers here.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjEwMzY1NjQyMjQ3ODUxMQ
"Crazy Crossing" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MTU2NjY1NjQ0MDA2NDA2OA.json
M&A
"Crazy Crossing" -- Now there's a Halloween runt! Too tough for me!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjM1ODgyNjQ2NTYzNjY2OQ
Thanks, I think.
Congrats to @muse (and @acme) for scoring today's NYTPuz.
ReplyDelete"Skunk Patch" - 7x7 themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=ODQwNjk2NDg1ODQxODMx.json
M&A
"Skunk Patch" -- 5:36, no cheats. Very topical puzzle!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzA1MTQ4NjQ4NzExNTA0Ng
Thanks.
I'm with Bob, got beat up by the Crazy Crossing runt:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTE2MjYxNjQ5MTIyMTQyNA
Skunk Patch
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjAwOTE3NjQ5Mjc3MDkyOA
@r.alph: Primo solve time, on the latest Stumpy Stumper. Can't help but worry, tho, that U skipped over the previous "Crazy Crossing" runtpuz. Helminthophobia?
ReplyDeleteIt is sheer hell to come up with a drop-dead-better-than-average runtpuz, and not be able to post it immediately. Such is the case, twice, for M&A, today. The first one ("Skunk Patch"), he just could not resist. The second one ("Typical!") will just have to wait until tonight …
M&A
@M&A
ReplyDeleteI must have forgotten to post it.
Crazy Crossword
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Njc1NzY5NjQ2NzE5Nzg0OA
Loved the grid art
Tricked myself on the Skunk Patch
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzUyMDQxNjUwMDIwNTAzNw
"Typical!" - 7x7 themed self-bashing runtpuz:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=OTk1NDc2NjUyMDY5Mjk0Ng.json
M&A
"Typical!" -- 5:18, no cheats. Another brilliant puzzle.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjY2NDgyNjU3NjYzNzIxOQ
Thanks
Typical!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjcyNjM0NjU1NTIwNzczMQ
Indeed!
Not my "Typical" Runt solve - no cheats!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjM1MDc3NjU2MDk4MjM5Mw
Runtpuz Recap Roundup for: "Crazy Crossing"
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzMwOTYwNjU3NTM0MTI5Nw
M&A
Runtpuz Recap Solution Roundup for: "Typical!"
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTA2MDA3NjU4NTEzNjg0Ng
M&A
"Do the Math" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NDYzOTE1NjYwNjYxMDcyOQ.json
M&A
"Do the Math" -- Sorry, no time today!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTU0MDk4NjY2NTIxNzU4MQ
Thanks.
@BobK; Cool! An unlisted number!
DeleteM&A
Do the Math
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjA1MzM3NjY0MzExMDc2NQ
Nice!
Best M&A variation on a clue in today's Wednesday NYT
_ _ _ _
M&A: Farting when one draws a royal flush, e.g.
NYT: Partner of show or kiss
Yesterday was my 69th birthday and I decided it was time to attempt to solve the NYT puzzle published on the day I was born, Nov 3, 1946. The results are here:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjkxNzMxNjYwNTc0MjI5NA
If anybody else would like to try this let me know your birthday and I will set up runtpuz.org to deliver your birth day puzzle to you.
Happy Birthday, fellow old-fart!
DeleteM&A
It didn't always add up until the end. Good one.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzEyMTIzNjY0NjM1MjE4OQ
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@R.alph,
ReplyDeleteGood job on the birthday puzzle. Some of those (TINAMOU, ESSEDES, VANGEES), never in a million (or 69) years would I get.
Sure, I'd try my birthday puzzle. August 6, 1960. Thanks.
@Teedmn
ReplyDeleteHere it is
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=19600806.json&hidden=
While solving my birth day puzzle I was struck by how similar it was to solving a BuzzFeed puzzle. Both had clues that were outside my cultural wheelhouse.
For example I never knew that The Green Hat (1925), was a play in four acts by Michael Arlen Staged by Guthrie McClintic; and the character Iris March was played by Katharine Cornell. Similarly in today's BuzzFeed puzzle I had no idea whose Helga's kind of rhyming older sister on "Hey Arnold" is.
However, I think the chances of finishing a BuzzFeed puzzle without errors is slightly higher.
Good luck.
Birthday puzzle - had to Google escamillo but otherwise it was pretty easy.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the puzzle, thanks @R.alph. If anyone's interested:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTE4Mzg3NjY4MjUzMzgxOQ
@Teedmn
ReplyDeleteNice solve! I noticed a clue error
33D {Unclose: Poet OPE} Should be Unclosed
This was either in the original puzzle or introduced when the puzzle was typed in. (See http://www.preshortzianpuzzleproject.com/)
There was also an error in my puzzle.
20D {A Lion in the ___} STREETS (Should be a Lion is in the ___?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Lion_Is_in_the_Streets
I have emailed David Steinberg about this. If everybody would take responsibility for the puzzle published on their birthday, it would be a nice way to proofread the puzzle database.
I am going to do my wife's birth day puzzle. Perhaps you could do your husband's.
This here runtpuz is a reminder to xwordinfo.com that they might wanta consider expandin their sphere of qualification for their weekly puz award …
ReplyDelete"Double Down" - 7x7 themed:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=ODQwNTQ2NjkxNDAyMjA2.json
M&A
"Double Down" -- LOL!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Nzc3MzMwNjY5MzE3NjU3Mw
Lately I haven't been able to do any runts, but, OK, I'll play your silly game: My date of birth is Feb. 20, 1946. I'll try that day's puzzle, but doubt I'll get very far with it.
Thanks.
Hi @R.alph,
ReplyDeleteI never noticed any problem with OPE but I trust your knowledge. So how's about the puzzle for Oct 12, 1961?
@r.alph: I pick 08 June, 1946.
ReplyDeleteWill even kick in an extra runtpuz, for yer trouble. (Bob K. needs an easy one, anyway.)
Stumpy Stumper: "???" - 7x7 themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=Njk3MzcyNjY5NzI3Nzg3NQ.json
M&A
Stumpy Stumper: "???" -- 5:34, no cheats. But then, it was designed to be easy. Nice mainstream puzzle.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Njk4OTU2NzU0NDk0OTA5
Thanks.
Feb 24, 1946 (Feb 20 was a Wednesday)
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=19460224.json&hidden=
June 9, 1946 (June 8 was a Saturday)
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=19460609.json&hidden=
Oct 12, 1961
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=19611012.json&hidden=
Note: In 1946 only Sunday puzzles were published. So think of it as the first NYT puzzle you could have done.
@Teedmn
I wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with OPE, I was questioning cluing it as {Unclose: Poet}. "The door was unclosed" sounds okay but "Make sure you unclose the door before school starts" sounds like something that shows up in a runt puzzle every now and then.
Good point, @R.alph. Perhaps my exposure to Runtz has inured me to such subtleties!
DeleteOf course there's also my mother-in-law who says "Shut on the lights." (German-speaking community that she grew up in is probably to blame for weird syntax and usage).
Stumpy Stumper didn't stump me (for once).
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzUwODg3NjczNzYzODE4Mg
Double Down
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTg1NjI2NjczOTg5MTA3OQ
Stumpy Stumper
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODY3NTA4Njc0MDU4MTQxNg
Behold, the carnage of M&A trying to do the 9 June 1946 puz…
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjY3ODgxNjc0NDA0MDcyNQ
har. When the 1-Across clue asks for a variant place name, U know U are in deep doodoo.
M&A
p.s. LASSA?!? [snort.]
I gave it 9 June 1946 a shot and got shot down, cheating early and often.
DeleteM&A should be ENLAURELED.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDY1MzQ2Njc3Njg3MzU4MQ
@r.alph, et al.:
ReplyDeleteHave changed the 18-Across clue in "Double Down" to cross-ref 6-Across, instead of the close-but-not-quite-correct 1-Across. For archival purposes, etc.
Updated version of the runtpuz:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MTc5NzUyNjc0NDY2NDc0MQ.json
M&A
"Wrong Again, Cross-Ref Breath"
p.s.
ReplyDelete@r.alph: U failed to note the inaugural (I think?) use of the triple-??? clue in a runtpuz, in yer "Stumpy Stumper: ???" remarks. Overcome by nausea, no doubt.
Just to keep all the runtpuz terminology straight:
* Single-? clue: Some minor wordplay afoot.
* Double-?? clue: Trouble brewing.
* Triple-??? clue: Borderline unfair, prompted by severe desperation.
M&A
Double Down: @M&A, thanks again. I'm going to go through withdrawal when you go on vacation.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODk2ODYyNjc1OTY3MTE0NA
Ouch! I "did" my birthday puzzle, the one for 2/24/46. High point: My real last name is in it! Low point: Pretty much everything else. "Finished" in about 82 minutes, but really gave up after about an hour, then started with revealing wrong letter, which helped a bit, but finally a slew of reveal letters, only way to get through all the proper names and out-dated expressions for which I had no chance.
ReplyDeleteThank you, @r.alph for digging it up. I have learned my lesson.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzI3NzkyNjc2MDE3NDAxNw
Tried the 6/9/46 puzzle, gave up before spending too much time on it. "Did" the 10/12/61 puzzle in 18:30, with some cheats. Hard to imagine how people did these puzzles, except that their "crosswordese" had to include a lot more obscure knowledge than we have today.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjAyNTcyNjc2MjgyNzM4MA
@Bob, you did a lot better than I did. Fewer cheats and faster. My new old word from Kipling spelled differently describes how I feel about it.
DeleteI'm glad I wasn't born in Oct 1961. Thanks, @R.alph.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjM0NDAzNjc3MjM0NzY3OQ
"We Need Another Hero" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MTE2ODQzNjc3OTgyODIxNw.json
M&A
We need another hero
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTg0MjM1Njc4MzA5NjUyMw
And I need another brain! --
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzkyNjk0Njc4MzM4MjQwNA
Thanks.
We need another hero:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDM0MDA1NjgxODA0MzcyOA
Runtpuz Recap Solution for the corrected version of: "Double Down".
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODI2NTg4NjgyMzcwNTIyNQ
M&A
Rainy old boring day, here in MandALand. Neither Trump nor Carsen has said anything yet today that the news channels can really sink their teeth into. So, I allowed an extra runt to escape from the pen …
ReplyDelete"Nooodles" - 7x7 themed:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MTE0NDY0NjgzNDkzODIzNg.json
M&A
"Nooodles" -- 5:26; would have been quicker if I hadn't confused my equinoces with my solstices. But I am just so dazzled by the creativity that goes into runts like this!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDcyODE5NjgzNTcwMTk0Ng
Thanks.
The following runt is offered as a public service to PB1 fans …
ReplyDeleteStumpy Stumper: "With Patrick Berry Immunity Checks" - 7x7 themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MTI0MDk4NjgzODQyMTY4OA.json
M&A
"With Patrick Berry Immunity Checks" == Sorta 7:45, but had to ask where my wrong letters were.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjIyOTUzNjgzOTc2MDc2OA
Thanks.
"No Longer Being Held" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MTQzNTQ1Njg2NTA0MjEzNw.json
M&A
"No Longer Being Held" -- Well, at least you got some U's in there.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODcyNjI4Njg2NzA5MTY1Ng
Thanks.
@BobK.: har. Well, hey -- glad U enjoyed the U's!
DeleteM&A
In today's NYT Saturday Barry Silk had this very runtlike clue
ReplyDelete_ _ _ _ {Word that may precede itself}
If you check the runt corpus you will see that M&A played it safe on this one.
Nooodles
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDU2MzkyNjkwMDIyMjAwNQ
"No Longer Being Held"
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTU1NjExNjkwMTU3OTk0OA
Today's stumper. A Frank Longo so I am not getting my hopes up.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=stumper&hidden=
Great comment on Nooodles 16D.
DeleteStumpy Stumper PB1:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzIyMzI2NjkwNzA3MDM2NA
Nooodles
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzU3NTQ3NjkwNzg4MjI3Mw
No longer being held
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjU1MzQ1NjkwODc4MTU2OQ
Sat Stumper is going to have to wait. Gotta get the oil changed in the Prius.
Patrick Berry Immunity Checks
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzA0Mzc1NjkxMTU1Mjg1MQ
The following puzzle report shows that M&A counted the number of words with PBI correctly
http://puzzlecrowd.com/puzzlereportRunt.html?v=397
However, it reveals a typo in 7A {Fender of Fender Guitars [yes!!!!]}
The question on everybody's mind now is whether M&A will reach 400 puzzles before he takes some time off. He is currently at 398.
@r.alph: Was amazed, how much the "PB1 Immunity Checks" runt gave U fits. Funny how that all works, sometimes. Kinda like M&A and today's Saturday Stumper, where he could only ever find two entries to rub together, so far. And after breezin thru last week's offering.
Delete4-0-0 shouldn't be a prob. At last report we have to get the road rocket fixed Monday, before we hit the bricks. Just feel bad for Patrick Berry, who has only managed to reach 203…
M&A
"Quantity Over Size"
Saturday Stumper - now that's what I call tough!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODU2NTU1NjkxNDMzNTI5OA
@Teedmn
ReplyDeleteWe had similar solves. Isn't it amazing that the longest nerve in the human body was the first correct answer for both of us?
Here is the blow by blow. You beat me 70 to 50 (bear in mind that ACPT scores are usually over 1000!
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/CompareSolutions?p1=ODU2NTU1NjkxNDMzNTI5OA:teedmn&p2=NjY5NjI2OTE4MTM5ODM0:r.alph
As part of my continued effort not to be baffled by Stanley Newman clues I have analyzed my reaction to each clue in the puzzle.
http://puzzlecrowd.com/puzzlereportStumper.html
@M&A I am sure that I am speaking for @Teedmn also when I say that we feel your pain.
@R.alph, the ACPT score fails to take into account my innumerable uses of the "Mark incorrect letters" tool and my one reveal. I'm thinking I probably earned a negative score on that puppy!
DeleteM&A solution for Saturday Stumper.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjE3NDAzNjkzMjk4NzA1Mg
M&A
"It Ain't Pretty But It's Outta My Hair Now"
"Nordic Fly Bowl" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=ODU0NzEzNjkzODM5MjU1OA.json
M&A
"Nordic Fly Bowl" -- 3:40, no cheats. Interesting grid design; could be taken as a hint to 16D.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODc2MTU4Njk0MTQwNDE2MA
Thanks.
Nordic Fly Bowl
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Njg1ODE3Njk1MDk4MDA2Mw
@BobK I thought the same thing.
@BobK. & r.alph:
ReplyDeleteProbably the most fun part of whatever this is, for me, is when y'all tell me how brilliant I am, for dreamin up some stuff that I hadn't ever imagined, until U guys call it to my attention. This time it was yer ideas about 5-A and 16-D. Primo.
Y'all are just plain great. They ain't paying U enough.
M&A
Nordic Fly Bowl - not my best showing.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mjc4Mzk5Njk5Nzc0ODA2OA
400 runtz? Sounds like a dog show gone very wrong …
ReplyDelete"4-0-0" - 7x7 themed:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NjY4MzE4NzAwNTIwMDM0NQ.json
M&A
Thanks M&A, your productivity is awe-inducing.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzMzNTA1NzAwODkxMzU2Ng
Runtpuz Recap Solution for: "No oodles".
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTczMDU2NzAxNDU5NDY4Ng
M&A
"4-0-0"
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTM3MzA1NzAxNDYwNzA1Ng
@Teedmn
Or {Small chuckle} Minnehaha
Runt reruns. Good idea. I'm sure that I can find some of my favorites.
"4-0-0" -- 6:17, no cheats, but, sorry, didn't grok the theme.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODM0NzI1NzAxNjk3NDQwM
Thanks.
Appears that M&A snuck part of the theme plumb past a passel of smart solvers, with today's "Ruby Anniversary" runt. What fun.
ReplyDeleteRuntpuz Roundup Solution Inside Story for: "4-0-0".
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mzk0ODkzNzAyMDQ3NDIxMA
M&A
"Thanx for 400 Fun Sets of Solving Comments"
And thank you so much for 400 runts!
DeleteIn the Department of "But that was once upon a time, long ago and far away . . . ": A while back (has it been years?), Will Shortz had a weekly challenge on NPR, asking for the name of a famous director whose name was a combination of opposites, or some such idea more smoothly phrased. I posted on Blaine's Puzzle Blog my marker, showing that I knew the answer without giving it away, a comment to the effect that I probably had the soundtrack to one of his most famous films in my CD collection. Of course, the director was Francois Truffaut [true-faux], and my reference was to The 400 Blows, encoded by the "CD" of my (actually non-existent) CD collection. But today I totally missed your use of CD to celebrate the 400th runt! So sorry!
Brilliant theme! I have made a suggestion for a modification of the puzzle to give the solvers a fighting chance to figure it out for themselves. I have added to my overall comment. See
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTM3MzA1NzAxNDYwNzA1Ng
@r.alph: I liked your idea a lot. Decided to not circle the hidden items, but did reference them, in this alternate version. But what do you think of this compromise? …
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NTY3Mjk3NzA0MDk4NjM0NA.json
M&A
@r.alph, I might have grokked (hi @Bob) the overall theme beyond the obvious clue/answer pair if your suggestion had been in place. On the other hand, meta themes and I rarely are in synch...
ReplyDelete"Cheese Snickers" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=OTAzODcwNDExNTg4NzM.json
M&A
"Cheese Snickers" -- 2:24, no cheats.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjMzOTYxNzA2OTc3NzU2OA
Thanks.
Cheese Snickers: Fave clues 15 and 17 A.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTY4MzQwNzA4MDAwMDcwMw
Cheese Snickers
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTcxMTI0NzA4NDcwMjg0NQ
@Teedmn
I liked 17 A also. I must have read your mind.
@BobK: Very nice solve time, that U brought in on the "Cheese Snickers" runtpuz. M&A was not pulling many punches, on its clues, either.
ReplyDeleteTravel news: Looks like the road rocket has been cleared for takeoff soon. Lovely spouse is waiting on some prescription eye specs, which should arrive at the store "any day now". So, I will keep lettin runtz out to prowl for a couple more nights, until then. Best estimate M&A can conjure up, so far. @teedmn has a great idea, for @r.alph to post "best of" re-runs, while M&A is incommunicado.
Since there was some light speculation about some of its clues/answers …
Runtpuz Solution Roundup Rehash for: "Cheese Snickers":
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTY3ODk3MDk2MDgwMzY1
M&A
Hopefully no one has misgivings about M&A going on a long vacation. Just in case someone does, the following puppy oughta allay yer fears completely …
ReplyDeleteStumpy Stumper: "Space Saver Clues" - 7x7 mostly themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NzQ0MDMzNzEyMjI4OTIwMQ.json
M&A
Stumpy Stumper: "Space Saver Clues" -- 8:32, no cheats. When I finally get to your house for dinner, I am going to ask for the vegetarian meal!
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzQ1NjczNzEyNjYxMjE3Mw
Thanks, and have a great vacation.
Space Saver Clues - representing the empty space between my ears, apparently.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjExOTAwNzE2NDE1MTUxMg
And @Bob, you're right. I'm glad I'm a pescatarian. Though then I run the risk of being served carp in red sauce! Thanks, M&A.
Space Saver Clues
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODE1ODI0NzE2MTU2MjU4NQ
@Teedmn
Also HOP
@Ralph, HOP, right. I'm sure I'll need to remember that.
DeleteI don't think M&A needs suggestions from me, but did you see the Mini in the NYTimes on Monday? Someone on the Rex blog mentioned it so I did it and it was a cool trick. My fastest Mini so far, though.
@Teedmn: Just worked that mini. har. yep. Good stuff.
DeleteThe runtz have explored this trick quite often, mostly via the coveted double-??-clued answers.
I think there was also once a runt theme that sorta explored this idea … [rummaging sounds, looking through pile of paper on desk] …
yep. Here yah go. M&A's take on that kind of trick …
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NTM2MzY4NzE3NzAzNDk3Mg.json
M&A
p.s.
Delete(Should definitely point out to old runt veterans, that M&A's take, above, on the Monday mini's trick was an old, long-in-the-tooth re-runt.)
M&A Help Desk.
Long in the tooth, perhaps, but still a tricky puppy, good old Bouncer.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDc2NTk5NzIwMTA3MDYzOA
@r.alph: Your wish for an extra facet to the clues was shared by M&A. Couldn't get it goin here, tho. Will have to give it another attempt -- probably with more real short "intent"-like clues, next time.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm here: Lovely spouse has her new glasses and they have a thUmbsUp. May leave real soon. Let's celebrate with a penultimate runt ...
"Dim Sum" - 7x7 themed:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=ODc4MTQ2NzE3NjAzMzUwNA.json
M&A
Dim Sum
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTgzOTgwNzE3NzkwNTM3Ng
Have a good trip. The usual offer applies. If you get to within 100 miles of Fairfield IA I will drive to see you and buy you and your wife lunch.
Dim Sum -- 9:29, but no cheats.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODEyOTIyNzE3ODkwODg0NA
Thanks.
(Thought I put this up already - must have forgotten to hit Publish.)
That was puzzle 155. Nice one.
ReplyDeleteHow do you get old mini puzzles on the app? I can get old puzzles but not the minis?
@r.alph: Not sure this will help … M&A's old mini method was:
DeleteGo to: www.nytimes.com
Click on "Archive"
Click on "Mini"
M&A Help Desk
Dim Sum - The title along with 1A started me down the wrong path but I clawed my way back.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDg2MTk5NzIwMjM1Mjg1Ng
This runtpuz will probably be the last new one from out of M&A for 1-2 weeks or so. Time to hit the road. So, enjoy and have a real good ceasefire period. Thanx.
ReplyDeleteStumpy Stumper: "Analogyfest" - 7x7 mostly themeless:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=ODkwODI3NzIxNTIxODcxMw.json
M&A
Stumpy Stumper: "Analogyfest" -- 2:51, no cheats. Definitely my kind of puzzle.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzcwNTc3MjQyMDMyMTMx
Thanks, and Bon Voyage.
Analogy fest
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NTAwODU3MjQ2MTMyNDg2
@BobK Awesome solve. It was definitely not in my palanquin. Anybody understand the 2D analogy?
Have a great trip M&A. Thanks for the Analogy fest:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzQ5NjE1NzI2NjQzNDI4OQ
@R.alph, can't suss it sideways or backwards.
Today's Saturday Stumper
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=stumper&hidden=
My solution
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTM3NTgwNzUwOTEyNDExNw
Here is the first runt puzzle for you to try
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetPuzzle?url=Zounds.json
Loved the clue for 11A
Stumper lived up to its name again.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTI3NzEwNzUxNDgwMDEyOA
ZZZzounds. Not my day today. Thanks, r.alph, for the stumper and runt.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzMzNTMyNzUxNzE1OTYwNA
@Teedmn
ReplyDeleteI would say that we are evenly matched on the Stumper. We both had only one reveal.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/CompareSolutions?p1=OTI3NzEwNzUxNDgwMDEyOA:teedmn&p2=MTM3NTgwNzUwOTEyNDExNw:r.alph
I don't know about that, @r.alph: my ACPT was 40 to your 260 and my reveals were 29 to your 21. So unless you Googled a lot more than my two, you've got me beat.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see some movement here - I didn't realize how often I was coming to this site until M&A went on vacation and I was seeing the visual equivalent of crickets. :-).
"Trips" - 15x15 runt-zilla:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=Mzk1NDc2NzgwMDc4ODg1NA.json
M&A
Trips - Runt on Steroids. 4.59 times the fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks, M&A.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzI3OTYwNzgwNTc1OTEzOQ
Trips
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mzk1ODY0NzgxMTM1OTYzOA
Didn't this tickle Will? It tickled me!
@Teedmn
Nice comments
@r.alph: Will never saw it (unless he saw it here). U nice folks got first dibs.
DeleteSo, U didn't think the theme was too much of a gimme?
M&A
Trips -- Almost got it. Welcome back!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTc5NTc0NzgxNTk1MjYyNA
Thanks.
M&A
ReplyDeleteI really like the theme. It took a while for me to see it because I didn't know the poker terminology.
I wonder what a stink bug with do with a runt puzzle?
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/samplings/202856/matching-colors
@r.alph: A stink bug runt theme … hmmmm …
DeleteM&A
M&A: If you didn't provide a title, it would be harder to suss out. I was misled by thinking the title referred to M&A being on a trip so I didn't relate it to the theme answers until I was well into the solve, though I've played plenty of poker in my day. I think this puzzle was really nice, NYTimes material in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteRe: runt-zilla "Trips" puz … Figured there was no chance that its theme hadn't been done before. I mean, talk about obvious ideas. So, anyhow, M&A chickened out on submittin it to the Big Shows. M&A did try extra, extra hard, to make decent fill, in case he decided not to chicken out. Added the coveted double-?? clue later, after I decided it would be a runt-zilla puz. Plumb amazin, how many different themers woulda worked with this runt-zilla … DEADDEADDEAD. MINDMINDMIND. GETGETGET. TVTVTV. Last one is one of the few that would fit in yer standard runtpuz, however.
ReplyDeleteWe now return U to yer standard runtpuz grid size and screwiness …
"What A-Difference!" - 7x7 themed:
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=ODUxNjg4Nzg3NDI3NDA4NA.json
M&A
Speaking of ??, the ZZZounds puz that r.alph presented during your absence had a ??? clue at 11A.
Delete"What A Difference" -- 7:26, no cheats.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mzc5MzU2Nzg3ODQzNDE4NA
Thanks.
@BobK: Wow! M&A never saw that coming … U used 8-Across, a grid-spanner, as your entry into "What A-Difference"?! Well done!!
Delete(Had figured on 15-A being the "easy entrance" answer.)
M&A
@Teedmn: Ahar! So maybe that was the first instance of a triple-?? clue in a runtpuz! Maybe that is why @r.alph picked it. He's pretty sneaky smart.
DeleteTried re-workin that ZZZounds runt. Crashed and burned! Holy crap is my memory bad … (I had, over time, convinced myself that I hadn't a cruel bone in my constructioneer body.)
M&A
What A-Difference (from my ZZZounds solution). But no record.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NjE3MjE2Nzg4NzU5MTU0OA
M&A
ReplyDeleteI wrote a program that found all crosswords puzzles in my database that had three answers of length greater than or equal to 9 which could be divided into equal triplets. It found the 9 puzzles listed here:
http://puzzlecrowd.com/setThemes.html
None even remotely do what your Trips puzzle did.
BTW, the database I searched has all the NYT puzzles back to 1942, all BEQs and all New York Sun puzzles edited by Peter Gordon.
I strongly recommend that you send Trips to Will. Of course, if it gets published and you use your real name we will know who you are so you will have to use an alias.
@r.alph: I thrashed around a bit more, and found a "somewhat on the same path" NYTPuz, from 9 Dec 1998. Alan Arbesfeld. (Which is not M&A's alias.) His is cleverer.
DeleteM&A
@M&A
ReplyDeleteArbesfeld puzzle is different IMO. Trips repeats words and its clues do not mention "set" (his mention "series"). Also from a mathematical point of view, a series has an order, and a set is unordered.
How did you find that Arbesfeld puzzle? I tried querying clues for "series" in xwordinfo and there were too many results.
What A difference
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzYzNjg4Nzg4MTMyNzYxNQ
I'm the outlier here. @BobK and @teedmn had little trouble with this one. I had been working on Panini's Sanskrit grammar prior to attempting the puzzle. I now know that doing that is not good preparation for doing a runt.
It would appear that I am in the embarrassing position of being the only one who understood a slightly vulgar clue: It is said that one does not buy a beer, one only rents it. And if that is not clear, you must not be a member of the Pistol Club, whose motto is, "Drink 'til midnight; pistol dawn."
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks, @Bob, for the explanation!
DeleteStumpy Stumper: "Despicable Bowl" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NTg5MTI5NzkwOTI1MjQ1Mg.json
M&A
"Despicable Bowl" -- 5:43, but one letter shy of "no cheats."
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODM3ODcyNzkzMzY2ODg4Nw
Thanks.
Despicable Bowl - when you really hate the breakfast cereal but it's all that's left in the cupboard. This is not a good showing but much of that stare time was off screen - I toggled back and forth on it. Excuses, excuses.
ReplyDeleteThanks, M&A
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDYxODA3OTQwMDMzOTM3
Despicable Bowl
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MjUyNjUzNzk0MDA5MDkyNg
@BobK
And then there is turning wine into water.
Runtpuz Reliable Recap solution for: "What A-Difference!"
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODM4ODYzNzk0NzE5NDEyMg
M&A
@r.alph -- To try to answer yer recent question about how I ever turned up that old Arbesfeld crossword:
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing with building the "Trips" runtzilla puz, I had this vague feeling that I'd seen the theme somewhere before. But like U, I couldn't find any evidence of such. Shortly after publishing "Trips", it occurred to me to maybe look for "series" stuff, instead of "set" stuff. I vaguely thought that "world series" might have been the clue I had seen before. Since xwordinfo Finder will search on clues, I searched on that one, sorted thru the long list it produced, and found what I was after -- probably a puzzle I worked in a NYTPuz compilation book, long ago.
I agree it's a somewhat different theme, but one that still reminds me of my "Trips" one. The Arbesfeld puz had the advantage of being more repetitious in the cluing, but less repetitious in the answers, which I think is a slightly smoother way to go.
M&A
"U and Us" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MTc1NDg2Nzk4ODE4ODQwOA.json
M&A
U and Us - fun!
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDI0MDQ5ODAyNTYxNTkxMA
U and Us - 4:01, no cheats. Fun, indeed! Good one.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzI0NTU4ODAzNTE4ODk0Mg
Thanks.
U and Us
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTQ4NDUyODAzNzYzMTg1OQ
Runtpuz Solution Recap and Remnants Sale for: "Despicable Bowl" themeless:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTc2MjIzODA0MDQ1MzQwNQ
M&A
Stumpy Stumper: "Posse's Librarian" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=ODI0ODgwODA4MTMyNDgyNw.json
M&A
"Posse's Librarian" -- Good one, but shot me down.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDQ1NDg3ODEwNTM3MzUxOA
Thanks.
Posse's Librarian - Thanks, M&A.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzE3NTY3ODExNzE2MjMyOQ
Posse's Librarian
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mjc0NTA1ODEyMjk0MzQzMw
My solution to the Saturday Stumper. Googled and asked for wrong letters to be highlighted but no letters revealed - a minor victory.
http://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Nzc3MDc5ODExMjk4MDczMw
Link to latest Stumper is on blog main page.
Thanks again, @r.alph, for the Stumper. I see we started at the same place and our second half of the solve was on a similar track. Brutal.
DeleteStumper, ice cream headache inducer, wow.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=ODQwMjAyODEyNzU5Njc2OA
Runty Recapsizing of solution for "U and Us".
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=Mjc4ODIxODEzMDQ1MzE2MA
M&A
"A True Crossword Egg Layer" - 7x7 themed:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=MjQ5OTY1ODE1NjY5MDc3Mw.json
M&A
"A True Crossword Egg Layer" -- Huh???
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDM4ODE4MTU5NTMxODM1
Thanks.
OK, now I get it.
DeleteWorst runt performance yet. I laid an egg here.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzQ2Nzk4ODIwODM2MDc2OQ
True crossword egg layer
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzAzMDkwODIxNDU2MDYwOQ
@r.alph, you weren't careful enough with what you asked, per your Nov. 18 5:25 comment :-).
DeleteM&A, brilliant grid, and @r.alph, nice analysis.
Runty Eggsact Recap Solution for "A True Egg Laying Crossword".
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDg4MTU2ODIzOTg3NTg3OA
M&A
Stumpy Stumper: "Chip and Dale Attack" - 7x7 themeless:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NTU1ODU0ODI0MDk2NjUzMQ.json
M&A
"Chip and Dale Attack" -- 2:44, no cheats.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MzIxMDMwODI0MzMzNTkwMg
Thanks.
Chip and Dale Attack
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTMzNzQ4ODI4NDE3ODcyNA
@BobK: Feisty fast solve time!
Delete@r.alph: "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu", dude.
@Teedmn: yep. I kinda actually like HO for that double-?? clue answer; has layers to it.
M&A
Chip and Dale Atttack - 4:23, one Check for errors.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTYxNDY0ODI4NjUwNTgxNg
@r.alph: Just curious. Do U still ever get people tryin to enter yer old crossword contest, over at runtpuz.org?
ReplyDelete@everybody: tonite's (themed) puz might be kinda tough. On a brighter note, happy turkey week!
M&A
"Solvers' Triple-Cross" - 7x7 theme:
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetRunt?url=NTY3MTA4MzM2Mjk4MDEx.json
M&A
"Solvers' Triple-Cross" -- 5:05, but, alas, had to ask where that one wrong letter lay.
Deletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=MTA2MzA0ODM2NDkwMDQxMQ
Thanks.
Solver's triple cross
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NzI5NzcyODM3MDAyMDA1MQ
I see not knowing 8A made a big difference. Nice comment there, @r.alph. And thanks for the theme explanation in French, it makes sense now. At least no Googles or reveals, but at least three (triple) Checks.
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=OTUyNjQ2ODM3MjkzNTU3Mg
"Solvers' Triple-Cross", Part 2 - Meta Puz.
ReplyDeleteWhat appropriate 6-letter answer is hidden twice, within this runtpuz?
M&A
Runtpuz Recap de Rigueur for solution to: "Solvers' Triple-Cross".
ReplyDeletehttp://puzzlecrowd.com:8080/CrowdSource/GetSolution?id=NDczNjM4ODM4NDk3MzQxMQ
M&A
Sorry, didn't notice. Very clever, though.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when one looks at the completed grid, the circles have disappeared, so it's hard to refer back unless you were aware of their significance originally.
Finally, 200 Comment Alert! Time to start a new thread!
@BobK
ReplyDeleteI have started a new posting
@M&A, sorry I missed the meta on Triple Cross, very nice. And I certainly spent enough time staring at the grid - should have caught it.
ReplyDelete