IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 2nd, MGWCC is now a subscribers-only crossword. The cost is $26 per year, and you can subscribe here:

www.mgwcc.com

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:

477 solvers found THE TAJ MAHAL as last week’s meta-answer. They’d noticed that the four theme entries each concealed the city of AGRA:

17-A [Intimidating-looking crossword variant] = DIAGRAMLESS
11-D [Very short sporting events] = DRAG RACES
57-A [Understood] = HAD A GRASP OF
32-D [“Dallas” Emmy nominee] = LINDA GRAY

There was a bonus hint in the central across as well:

38-A [Architect of the Sagrada Familia — a building which is not this meta’s answer, but which would have made a good fifth theme entry!] = GAUDI. I noticed the SAGRADA FAMILIA thing while themestorming and decided I’d better include it in the grid somehow!

George asks:

No flagrant use of anagrams?

Joe says:

Do you know that HAD A GRASP OF damn near anagrams to Hagia Sofia?? So welcome to my rabbit hole…

Golem suggests:

33D: [O. Henry’s givers] 41A: [Minimalist theme entry]

Raygirl writes:

Off to find Glamorous Life on iTunes.

Here you go:

http://youtu.be/XeJLZi0uyJw

NeilB says:

not the one in Atlantic City

Evad dubiously claims:

I was eating sea grapes while solving this one.

PhilB asks and answers:

What’s in an anagram? Agra, man!

Makfan says:

At least Viagra wasn’t a theme answer

postrander suggests:

Thanks for the puzzle. You should encourage folks to post an Instagram selfie with the completed grid.

Or we could wait for the Leaning Tower of Pisa meta.

EBud27 quips:

This is a grand start to my subscription

And finally, JanO writes:

It took a couple of minutes, but then I had an AGRA-moment!

This week’s winner, whose name was chosen randomly from the 477 correct entries received, is Rhonda Brown of Andover, Mass. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil and notepad set, Rhonda will also receive a 1-year subscription to the AVCX. Next week’s winner will receive the same.

YEARLY WINNERS:

At long last! The following 28 solvers submitted correct answers for 48 or more of the 52 metas I posted in 2014. Their solving skill has earned them the first yearly prize ever awarded here: a MGWCC flashlight pen! This honors both the “aha! moment” solvers experience, plus humanity’s general quest for enlightenment about our physical and spiritual world. Well, more the first one than the second I guess, but you get the idea.

Anyway, congratulations to:

Crossword Beast — Bob Klahn — Wilmington, Del.

JanglerNPL — Jeffrey Harris — Columbus, Ga.

Brent Holman — San Francisco, Calif.

Jeremy Conner — Los Angeles, Calif.

Jeremy Horwitz — San Francisco, Calif.

jeremiahsjohnson

Peter Gordon — Great Neck, N.Y.

smwcross — Steve Williams — Holbrook, Mass.

Veep — Eric Prestemon — Woodside, Calif.

Vraal — Paul Melamud — Milford, N.J.

Bri Nebulae — Los Gatos, Calif.

David Stein — Silver Spring, Md.

Jason Shapiro — New York City, N.Y.

Peter Washington — Chico, Calif.

Ertchin — Robert Hutchinson — Valdosta, Ga.

Julian L — Juliam Lim — Singapore, Singapore

lilroser — Brett Rose — Chicago, Ill.

Quicksilver — Mark Navarrete — Quezon City, Philippines

Tyler Hinman — San Francisco, Calif.

Tom Tabanao — San Jose, Calif.

DIS — Dan Seidman — Watertown, Mass.

Dan Bowden — Sydney, Australia

erichp — Erich Peterson — Grand Rapids, Mich.

golod — Carl Holzman — Chicago, Ill.

J Bowzer

Jason Taniguchi — Toronto, Ont.

Meta – World Peace — John L. Wilson — Shoreview, Minn.

Squonk — Scott Weiss — Walkersville, Md.

And we’re doing it again this year, as I mentioned a few weeks ago. All members of the 48+ club in 2015 will win whatever the prize is for next year (not flashlight pens, unless they go over really well; I want to make the prize unique each year). And remember that you can follow your progress on the “This Year” tab on the left sidebar.

Congrats again to all 28 of our 2014 winners!

META ROUNDUP:

I haven’t solved either of these yet, but I bet they’re fun:

Erik AGARD

Ryan FALEY

THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:

This week’s contest answer is an animal.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 2nd, MGWCC is now a subscribers-only crossword. The cost is $26 per year, and you can subscribe here:

www.mgwcc.com

Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.