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:
www.mgwcc.com
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
What was missing from this grid (or, really, from the clues)? Successful meta-solvers noticed three things: 1) There weren’t any obvious theme entries in the grid, 2) the central across was CLOCK, which probably connected with the title, “Time and Time Again,” and 3) the key to the meta: 22 clues contained a number.
And not just any number, and not just any clues: 11 pairs of clues each contained a number between one and twelve, and those clue pairs’ entries all intersected each other symmetrically in the grid.
For example, 5-A is [Fictional neighbor of Twelve Oaks] for the TARA plantation in “Gone With the Wind,” and 7-D is [Beast with quills “twelve paces long,” according to Marco Polo] for ROC. Both clues contain the number “twelve,” and they cross at the A in the 7 box.
Go around the CLOCK face with the other intersecting entries and you’ll find that these spell out meta answer ELEVENTH HOUR, which was also missing from the clues, as the intersecting U for TABU and DUNE would need “eleven” in their clues to complete the pattern.
glasser had a suggestion for the missing 11 clues:
4D should be clued “Sci-fi novel with over eleven posthumous sequels”, and 14A … I got nothing.
Maggie W. says:
Hi Matt, I decided to send in my answer now, instead of waiting until the…last minute.
Scarab liked it a lot:
Awesome! The symmetry of the crossings was really impressive, and the idea was clever.
And so did Bob J:
This is about as elegant as they come. 5+ stars for my fellow Philadelphian.
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen randomly from the 232 correct entries received, is Zach Burns of San Francisco, Calif. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil and notepad set, Zach will also receive a signed copy of my book Pocket Posh Crosswords.
Thanks for an excellent Week 3, Evan!
GUEST CONSTRUCTOR #4:
My rule is never to run the same constructor twice for Guest Constructor Month, but I liked this meta from Victor Barocas so much that that rule went out the window. Who cares that he also constructed this masterpiece?
By day Victor is a biomedical engineer, and has begun a Kickstarter project to write a series of short mysteries in which the reader solves metapuzzles along with the protagonist. It’s called Ada Cross, Crossword Detective and features illustrations by Hayley Gold. Next week’s winner will receive a copy of this mystery when it comes out! Very cool.
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is a famous sculpture.
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:
www.mgwcc.com
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.