LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
Title: MGWCC #877 — “What a Nightmare!” by Jeff Chen
Prompt: Someone is hiding in this grid! This week’s contest answer is the two-word, 11-letter phrase that describes their hiding place.
Answer: TROJAN HORSE, found by 184 solvers, of which 45 were solo solves
Tough one from Jeff last week, with one certain aspect that was subtle and clever but that some solvers found a bit too misleading. It’s a meta — you’re supposed to be misled! True, but there’s a fine line there that will hit different solvers differently. Let’s take a look at Jeff’s trapeze act:
First thing to notice is that we have a two-part grid, with the two parts completely cut off from each other. Putting some dimensions to it, we have a 15×15 grid, with a 15-letter row of black squares dividing it into an 8×15 and a 6×15 section.
One of my favorite types of mystery are those in which a criminal goes to great, practically absurd lengths to achieve a simple end. It’s also one of my favorite types of meta. In this case, Jeff has divided the grid in two, which would normally signal something hugely odd is going on in the grid…but no. Its simple goal was to draw the eye downward to see the main idea…
…which is that the four 8-letter downs in the top of the grid share a connection with the 5- and 6-letter entries below them. They are:
DOODLING/METING
PAYS RENT/RAISE
CAR SEATS/UNITS
THE MUSES/MOTIFS
How do these pairs speak to each other? So simple, once you see it! Remove two letters from the top entry to leave a descriptor for the bottom entry:
DOODLING/METING
PAYS RENT/RAISE
CAR SEATS/UNITS
THE MUSES/MOTIFS
So that’s DOLING/METING, PARENT/RAISE (that’s “parent” as a verb there), CARATS/UNITS, and THEMES/MOTIFS. We’ve gotta be on the right track, but what next? Answer: noticing that the eliminated letters in those four removals are, in order: OD/YS/SE/US. Odysseus! And what hiding place (with enumeration 6,5) was he known for? Among other things, he was one of the Greeks who hid in our contest answer TROJAN HORSE to sneakily invade Troy. Also a similarly-acting piece of computer code.
Solvers were divided on the meta. Hector (!!!) said:
SAD!
(Simple and Difficult)
Dawg8866 writes:
OMG, great meta/puzzle. was staring at Odysseus and trying to tie it in with the title and it hit me Nightmare…Night Mare. Awesome
Get it? Night mare, Trojan Horse getting taken into the city overnight? Subtle!
And finally, Raygirl writes:
I’ve warmed a bit to this over the last few hours but still have some issues with it. But kept my brain off everything else for hours so yay and thank you!
Thanks to Jeff from me too! An oddball meta, but good oddball? I vote yes, but we’ll have to wait for crossword historians to render their judgment over the coming decades and centuries. In the year 2154 one of these cruci-scholars will write a pamphlet entitled “Jeff Chen’s ‘What a Nightmare!’; a Reassessment” in which they will declare this the subtlest contest crossword of the 21st century. You heard it here first!
And now it’s time for Week 5…
GUEST CONSTRUCTORS: LYDIA ROTH & CHRISTINA BODENSIEK
In the Week 5 anchor spot this month we have Lydia Roth (r) and Christina Bodensiek (l).Lydia and Christina are a married constructing duo from Columbus, Ohio. When not working as a flutist and a lighting director (respectively), they can be found cuddled up with their two cats, Winston and Huxley, climbing some bouldering walls, or expanding their ever-growing book collection. You can find them at their brand new puzzle blog, pair-o-ducks.blogspot.com.
Now, let’s see what this cruciverbal duo has in store for Week 5…
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
Today’s puzzle is Week 5 of 5 in March. Instructions:
This puzzle’s contest answer consists of four grid entries.
Note that the contest deadline this week is noon ET on Wednesday, April 2nd.
Good luck!
–Matt, on behalf of Lydia & Christina