LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
Title: “Take a Little Off Around the Edges”
Prompt: Read the instructions herein to solve this puzzle’s meta.
Answer: CALAMARI, found by 407 solvers, 426 of which were solo solves; also accepted was MAHI-MAHI, submitted by 28 solvers
Good thing there was no extra theme pressure on the grid besides those five grid-spanners! That’s a lot, and they spelled out the following meta-instructions for solvers:
WHAT EIGHT-LETTER / SEAFOOD IS FORMED / BY USING FOUR USPS / ABBREVIATIONS OF / COASTAL US STATES
There are 21 U.S. states on oceans/seas, and if you play around with their letters for a bit you will eventually see some CALAMARI jumping out of the ocean at you via CA / LA / MA / RI.
That squiddy answer was found by 426 solvers; I also accepted the amusing/amazing MAHI-MAHI, which is formed by using Massachusetts’s and Hawaii’s state abbreviations twice apiece.
Is that legit? The grid instructions asked for “FOUR USPS POSTAL ABBREVIATIONS,” which could be construed as permitting multiple usages of one (or more, as here) state abbrevs. So solvers submitting MAHI-MAHI got full credit as well.
jjl writes:
Very interesting meta! Love these little word-play finds.
Me too — they mix things up nicely on occasion, especially in early-month weeks.
Jeff G. says:
Hey Matt, Great meta! We were at the World Cup game in Boston this weekend, so had to do the puzzle on the plane.
Remember: you can’t spell CROSSWORDER without “Soccer” (plus one extra C but we won’t mention that)
slubduck is back!
Happy to be doing Gaffney puzzles again after some time away ….. thanks for keeping them going!
58 more, and then we have a decision to make! But that’s not for a while yet…
TimF says:
Woo hoo I got a week 2
And finally, TMart says:
I also see Mahi Mahi, but that’s not quite as elegant. This was more like a trivia question than a meta. Week 2 never disappoints!
Thanks, I think?! I can’t tell if this is fan mail or a thumbs-down…on to Week 3!
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
Today’s puzzle is Week 3 of 4 in June. Instructions:
This puzzle’s contest answer is a small U.S. city.
Good luck!
–Matt