IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 2015 MGWCC is a subscribers-only crossword. The cost is $26 per year, and you can subscribe (or get a free trial month first) here:
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
What’s a word often spoken loudly? Let’s find out — we had four theme entries whose commonality was that their clues contained long initialisms:
17-A [MSNBC show since 2007] = MORNING JOE
66-A [Comedian whose 1970s catchphrase inspired the computer acronym WYSIWYG] = FLIP WILSON
11-D [MMORPG since 2001] = RUNESCAPE
36-A [They’re often QWERTY] = KEYBOARDS
And then there’s the central across, ALL CAPS, clued as [Annoying usage of some people in online communications — stop them! They make me want to shout “NOOOOOOOOO!”].
How do you “stop them”? Like so: In the grid, cross out each capitalized letter from the clues. Strike through MSNBC, WYSIWYG, MMORPG, QWERTY, the A in “Annoying” and the T in “They” and all of NOOOOOOOOO!. Spend a few (sloggy, I know) minutes doing that carefully for all the clues and your grid will look like the above left, with contest answer SHUSH emerging on the bottom row.
JanglerNPL writes:
Counted by hand, then wrote a computer program to double check. Can’t be too careful! (I wonder if you’ll get any HUSH answers)
Yes, seven solvers submitted HUSH and I couldn’t bring myself to mark them wrong. This meta marks the upper bound of slogginess I’m willing to put solvers through to get a meta, and getting the idea but missing an S en route seemed like a cruel way to break a streak. So they got partial credit (streak not broken, but not eligible to win weekly or monthly prizes).
Jimmie y Carmie write:
if we accidentally missed an S and the answer is really HUSH, please let it slide. we had to do this using photoshop it took forever 😀
Brian Cross says:
I had SUSHI for a while before I rechecked letters, but couldn’t think of a legit reason why people would say that loudly. But why not? SUSHI!!!
Similarly, mpsprs:
Missed an I the first time, and had to go recheck the letters, just in case you like to yell “SUSHI”
I don’t, but maybe I’ll start. SUSHI!!!!
AKO says:
THANKS! I’M ASSUMING I’M THE ONLY ONE TO WRITE A COMMENT FORMATTED THUSLY
Not even close, OF COURSE!
And now, taking my medicine for the slogginess:
Kettlebadger says:
This one…was tedious.
Kranke got legit cranky:
I’m not crossing off all those letters again, so this better be right!
PuzzleCraig says:
Having to count and recount the leftover letters to ensure that the answer wasn’t HUSH was particularly painful.
And finally, Patanga writes:
Sweet Charlotte, that was a SOB.
Heard loud and clear…I’ll keep MGWCC a slog-free zone for a while.
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen at random from among the 150 correct entries received, is Summer Herrick of Seattle, Wash. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set, Summer will also receive a one-year subscription to Matt Gaffney’s Daily Crossword.
AUGUST WINNERS:
Congratulations to the following August MGWCC winners, whose names were chosen at random from among the 150 people who sent in the correct contest answer to each of last month’s four challenges (NUTMEG, PHOENIX, HAPPY FEET, SHUSH). Each will also receive a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set:
Steve Gadd — Falls Church, Va.
Craig Harman — Silver Spring, Md.
Ben Jones — Yorktown, N.Y.
Barbara Koehler — Warrenton, Va.
Adam Levine — Durham, N.C.
Katie Miller — Houston, Tex.
Jill Palmer — Leverett, Mass.
Ned Robert — Los Gatos, Calif.
Mike Wilhelm — Clarksburg, W. Va.
James Williams — Elgin, Ill.
Congratulations to our ten winners, and to everyone who went 4-for-4 in August.
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is a noted TV producer.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.