ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword 8: 3 on a Match

It's been almost two weeks since my latest meta-crossword, "3 on a Match", was posted on this blog, and a truly immense thirty-two people successfully figured it out since then, setting a new record for this year! Thank you all so much for solving! I truly appreciate it!

• Cindy Heisler
• Grant Fikes
• Giovanni Pagano
• Dave C
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Tyler Hinman
• Karen Spencer
• Stephen Potter
• Kitchendiva
• Marich
• Wendy Walker
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• Dannyvee
• Hector Pefo
• Sam Levitin
• Tamara Brenner
• Yossi Fendel
• Chris Kochmanski
• Mama Ellen
• Morgan Chase
• Peter Abide
• Al Sisti
• Bob Harris
• Lynn Sweeney
• Oldjudge
• Dudeski
• Pavel Curtis
• Lbray53
• Richard Allen
• Chris Hendricks

By the way, one of my solvers, Richard Allen, does a monthly meta-crossword at www.lexicondevil.live, so if you like metas, be sure to give that site a visit! Anyway, if you want to know the answer to this puzzle (as well as read several solvers' comments), go ahead and click on "Read more" below!

PUZZLE #333: Meta-Crossword 8: 3 on a Match

PUZZLE #333

META-CROSSWORD 8: "3 ON A MATCH"

Wow, look at all those 3s! And I know just the thing to celebrate that milestone: another meta-crossword! As a reminder, meta-crosswords are like normal crosswords, except they have a Bonus Puzzle for you to solve once you fill out the grid. I won't tell you how to get the Bonus Puzzle's FINAL ANSWER, as the techniques in getting them vary wildly, so you pretty much have to figure it out yourself (though the title of each meta-crossword also doubles as a small hint that might help you).

The FINAL ANSWER to the Bonus Puzzle is the name of a sporting event.

Just in case the embedded interactive crossword doesn't show up above for whatever reason, you can go to the link at http://crossword.info/Redhead64/3_On_A_Match and solve it there. Anyway, once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword 7: He Wears Many Hats

Well, it looks like turning my 300th puzzle into a meta-crossword certainly paid off, as a whopping sixteen people successfully figured it out since it was posted here two weeks ago! There's a bunch of them new to this blog, too, and they all came here because one of the users at the Xword Muggles forums stumbled onto this puzzle and linked to it over there, so a big thanks to all the solvers who found it via that forum! Now then, let's look at that large list of solvers!

• Grant Fikes ****
• Cindy Heisler ****
• Giovanni Pagano ****
• Kevin Orfield ****
• Stephen Potter ****
• Yossi Fendel ****
• Lynn Sweeney *
• Chris Kochmanski ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Richard Basuk ****
• David Plass ****
• David Cole ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Alex Sisti ****
• Morgan Chase ****
• Laura-Leigh Mohr ****

Now if you just happen to still be stumped on this meta-crossword, head below the break for the answers, as well as a few solvers' comments!

PUZZLE #300: Meta-Crossword 7: "He Wears Many Hats"

PUZZLE #300

META-CROSSWORD 7: "HE WEARS MANY HATS"

It's my 300th puzzle!! And to celebrate, I decided to create a meta-crossword, which I haven't done since..... well, my last milestone puzzle! As you may already know, meta-crosswords are like normal crosswords, except they have a Bonus Puzzle for you to solve once you fill out the grid. I won't tell you how to get the Bonus Puzzle's FINAL ANSWER, as the techniques in getting them vary with each meta-crossword, so you pretty much have to figure it out yourself.

The FINAL ANSWER to the Bonus Puzzle is someone with a well-known piece of headwear.

If, for whatever reason, the embedded interactive crossword isn't showing up above, you can go to the link at http://crossword.info/Redhead64/He_Wears_Many_Hats and solve it there. Anyway, once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star"; more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can download and print out!

ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword 6: Hidden Figures

WOW! My milestone 250th puzzle (which was both a meta-crossword AND a contest puzzle) proved to be a huge hit, as a truly whopping seventeen people have solved it since it was posted two weeks ago! I don't even remember the last time I've gotten a solver count that high! Take a look for yourself:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Keith Jackson ****
• Joe Bernard ****
• Lawrence Denes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Alan Arbizu ****
• Jeremy Horwitz ****
• Patrick Jordan ****
• Mom * (opted out of the contest)
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Debbie Benford ***
• Kevin Orfield ****
• Stephen Potter ****
• Stephen Staver *
• Lynn Sweeney *
• Yossi Fendel ****

Now, since well over ten people have solved this puzzle, there will be TWO winners to this contest! As a reminder, both winners will each receive a crossword book of their choosing (provided it's not too expensive, of course). The randomly-chosen winners are: Kevin Orfield and Sam Levitin! Congratulations, you two!

Now just go below the break for the answers, along with several solver comments!

PUZZLE #250: Meta-Crossword 6: Hidden Figures (CONTEST PUZZLE!)

CONTEST!

PUZZLE #250

META CROSSWORD 6: HIDDEN FIGURES

It's my 250th puzzle! And to celebrate, I'm going to do something that I haven't in a very long time: I'm gonna make this a Contest Puzzle! This time, the prize for winning this contest is any crossword book of the solver's choosing! (If you can't decide on one, I personally suggest one of Matt Gaffney's three books of meta-crosswords published by Mental Floss) There will only be one winner for this contest, though if at least ten people solve this puzzle, I'll give out a second prize to another winner! If you don't want to enter this contest, you can still solve this puzzle and opt out of the contest.

And not only that, the puzzle that you'll solve is also something I haven't done in a long while: a Meta-Crossword! In case you forgot, Meta-Crosswords are like normal crosswords, except they have a Bonus Puzzle for you to solve once you fill out the grid. I won't tell you how to get the Bonus Puzzle's FINAL ANSWER, as the techniques in getting them vary with each meta-crossword, so you pretty much have to figure it out yourself.

The FINAL ANSWER to the Bonus Puzzle is a unit of measurement.

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for two versions you can print out: a .PNG and a link to a .PDF!

ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword 5: Animal Collective

It's been almost two weeks since I've posted my fifth meta-crossword, and since then, eleven of you (well, twelve if you count Joseph DeVincentis, who test-solved this puzzle for me) have managed to successfully figure out the BONUS PUZZLE. That number's a little lower than my previous metas, but what can you do? Anyway, here's the complete list of solvers:

• Adam Weaver ****
• Mom ***
• Grant Fikes ****
• Yossi Fendel ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Dan Simonds ***
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Lynn Sweeney *
• Paolo Pasco ****

Now just head below the break for the answers, along with some solver comments and some pictures of a few of the answers!

GREATEST HITS MONTH: PUZZLE #80: Meta-Crossword 5: Animal Collective

GREATEST HITS MONTH

PUZZLE #80

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

My second installment for Greatest Hits Month is a type of puzzle that I didn't create, but has proven quite popular for this blog, with the number of solvers for these puzzle ranging from thirteen to over twenty: a Meta-Crossword! As a reminder, Meta-Crosswords are like normal crosswords, except they have a BONUS PUZZLE for you to solve once you fill out the grid.

The answer to this week's BONUS PUZZLE is a four-letter animal that's missing from the grid and would complete this puzzle's theme.



Once you believe you've figured out the answer to the BONUS PUZZLE, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle before next Sunday.  If you don't have Java (which is pretty likely) and want a version of this puzzle you can print out, click on "read more" for just that!

ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword #4 - Fruit Picking

It's been thirteen days since I've posted my fourth meta-crossword, and as usual with these types of puzzles, I've had more than a few people solve it. Take a look at this list of solvers:

• Paolo Pasco ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Adam Weaver ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Grant Fikes **.71828 (Well, he wanted e number of stars, so...)
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Dan Simonds (he solved the crossword, but not the meta)
• Mom (ditto)
• Debbie Underwood ****
• Janis Ferry ****
• Lynn Sweeney & Cayden Curtis ***
• Yossi Fendel ****
• Bryce Herdt ****

Now if you want to know the answers to this puzzle, or are just curious as to what some solvers said about it, just go below the break!

PUZZLE #53: Meta-Crossword #4 - Fruit Picking (Happy 1st Anniversary!)

PUZZLE #53

FRUIT PICKING

Happy 1st Anniversary!

Yes, one year ago this week, I created this blog and posted my very first puzzle! To celebrate my first anniversary, I've decided to make a puzzle type that I haven't done in a while: a Meta-Crossword! To recap, Meta-Crosswords are like regular crosswords, except they have a BONUS PUZZLE for you to solve once you fill out the grid. I've had a lot of people solve my previous Metas, so hopefully this trend will continue!

The answer to this week's BONUS PUZZLE is the name of a type of fruit.


Once you've figured out the answer to the BONUS PUZZLE, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle here before next Sunday. If you don't have Java (which is pretty likely) and want a version of this puzzle you can print out, click on "read more" for just that!

ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword #3 (Block Letters)

It's been about two weeks since I've posted my third meta-crossword (which you can still solve here, with a hint located here), so it's time for me to reveal the answers! But first, a list of people who have solved it:

• Eric Maddy **
• Paolo Pasco **
• Grant Fikes **
• Adam Weaver **
• Sam Levitin **
• Christian H.P. **
• Walker Anderson **
• Tyler Hinman **
• Dan Bowden **
• Mom **
• Yossi Fendel **
• Lynn Sweeney ½ a star (She needed a lot of help figuring out the meta and FINAL ANSWER. Not helping matters was the fact that she, surprisingly, had never even played the FINAL ANSWER!)
• M. Sean Molley *

Now just click on "Read more" for the answers, along with some solver comments and an anecdote on how scared I was regarding what I perceived to be a very hard puzzle!

HINT: Meta-Crossword #3 (Block Letters)

It's been almost a week since I've published my third meta-crossword, and so far, 11 people have managed to solve it. Not a bad total, especially since Matt Gaffney didn't link to my site this time! (for comparison's sake, my first meta had 13 people solve it in the first week, and that was WITH Matt promoting it!) Anyways, if you want a hint for this latest meta, just click on "Read more" for just that!

PUZZLE #16: Meta-Crossword #3 (Block Letters)

PUZZLE #16

BLOCK LETTERS 

Considering that my last meta-crossword was such a big hit (over 20 people managed to solve it thanks to Matt Gaffney linking to it on his site), I've decided to make another one! What's more, this puzzle, once solved, will provide a hint to next month's "Theme Month", the first time I've done something like it! However, beware that this is my hardest meta-crossword yet, both in the clues and in the actual meta-puzzle. In other words, if you don't know your video games, music and other random, arcane trivia, remember that Google, Yahoo, and Bing are your friends! If this is your first time solving a meta-crossword... you're better off solving an easier one like this! Oh, and that it's a crossword with a BONUS PUZZLE waiting for you once you fill in the grid.

The answer to this week's BONUS PUZZLE is the name of a puzzle video game... which just so happens to be the theme for next month's worth of puzzles!

Oh, and speaking of next month, the first week of that month will have a contest puzzle, so make sure you come back here for that!


Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com before April 5th and I'll put your name on a list of solvers once the answers are posted. You can also use those e-mail addresses to give me feedback and comments on my puzzle or send me the FINAL ANSWER to last week's "Charadagrams" puzzle (which you can solve here, with an easier version here). If you don't have Java and want a version of this puzzle you can print out, head below the break for just that!

ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword #2 (Guys Like You)

WOW. That's pretty much all I can say regarding the amount of people who've solved my second meta-crossword (a hint for that one is here). Just take a look at this list!

• Mom **
• Grant Fikes **
• Adam Weaver **
• Tyler Hinman **
• Paolo Pasco **
• Sam Levitin **
• Eric Maddy **
• Yossi Fendel **
• Bennett Engel **
• Matthew Breen **
• Rachel Parsons **
• Phoebe McBee **
• Craig Harman **
• Mike Wilhelm **
• David Stein **
• Justin Weinbaum **
• The Cassidy Family (Tom, Regina, Mike, John, Jim & Gladys) [They all sent me separate e-mails with the correct answer, but I decided to lump them in a single group for convenience and the fact that they all sent their e-mails shortly after each other] *
• Peter Abide *
• Andy Keller *
• Kathleen Miller *
• Ronald Roberts *
• Amy Paepke ** [she said she "solved [it] without the clue", so that's why I'm giving her two stars instead of one]

Now for the hard part: getting them to stay! That might be a challenge, since unlike other puzzle blogs, I don't do crosswords exclusively and prefer to do variety puzzles. That, and my clues tend to be pretty challenging. Until I figure out how to get more people to solve my non-meta-crossword puzzles, however, you can check the answers for this meta-crossword below the break!

HINT: Meta-Crossword #2 (Guys Like You)

Matt Gaffney strikes again! His latest post on his website featured my second meta-crossword, and that certainly boosted the number of people who solved it, as 16 people so far have correctly identified the answer to my meta's BONUS PUZZLE. In case you're still stuck on it, below the break is a hint that should hopefully help you out.

PUZZLE #10: Meta-Crossword #2 (Guys Like You)

PUZZLE #10
GUYS LIKE YOU

I'll admit that my first attempt at a meta-crossword's metapuzzle was less of a "puzzle" and more of a "list of episodes". However, for my milestone tenth puzzle, I've made another one of these puzzles that has by far gotten me the most hits (Matt Gaffney linking to my blog certainly helped with that), and while it's smaller than the standard 15x15, I think the metapuzzle for this one is much better than the last one. In case you've never solved one of these, it's like a regular crossword, except that there's a BONUS PUZZLE for you to solve once you fill it out.

The answer to this week's BONUS PUZZLE is a song from a one-hit wonder.



Once you've figured out the answer to the BONUS PUZZLE, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com and I'll give you credit for solving it about two weeks from now. You can also use those email addresses to give me feedback on my puzzle or send me the FINAL ANSWER to last week's puzzle (which you can solve either here or here). If you don't have Java and want a version of this puzzle you can print out, click on "read more" for just that!

ANSWERS: Meta-Crossword #1 ("Episodic Game")

Well, it's been two weeks since I've published my first meta-crossword, so it's time to post the answers! If you haven't solved it yet, you can print it out here, or play it online here. Before I reveal the answers, however, here's a list of people who have successfully completed one or both BONUS PUZZLES (People who solved both get plusses instead of asterisks, and people who solved it before I revealed the hint get two of them while those afterwards just get one):

• Grant Fikes **
• Adam Weaver ++
• Pao Pasco **
• Andy Keller ++
• Evan Birnholz ++
• Tim Harrod ++
• Justin Weinbaum ++
• Andrew Foerster ++
• Christopher Krosche **
• Charles Montpetit ++
• Steve Moran ++
• Alex Jeffrey ++
• Peter Abide ++
• Matthew Breen +
• M. Sean Molley +
• Joe Fendel ++ (he had lost his copy of the puzzle in his pocket for a week and that's why I'm giving him two plusses instead of one)
• Tyler Fultz +

Now just go below the break for the answers!

HINT: Meta-Crossword #1 ("Episodic Game")

It's been almost a week, and so far, a whopping 13 people have solved my second puzzle (Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest providing a link here in his lastest post certainly helped). Normally, this post is where an easier version of the puzzle goes, but for meta-crosswords, I'll instead provide a hint as how to solve the meta. Read on below the break for a clue on how to solve the two Bonus Puzzles.

INTERACTIVE Version of My First Meta-Crossword!

I know it's not Sunday or Monday, when I normally post on this blog, but you know how in my last post that I didn't provide any "Across Lite" applications? Well, I downloaded Across Lite a couple days ago, and now I'm going to correct that! Below is an interactive version of Puzzle #2: "Episodic Game"! (make sure you have Java running or it won't work)



And just like before, send the FINAL ANSWER TO THE BONUS PUZZLE to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (In case you forgot, the BONUS PUZZLE is a long running TV show, and the BONUS BONUS PUZZLE is one of the five theme entries that acts as the odd one out in regards to the first BONUS PUZZLE)

Puzzle #2: Meta-Crossword #1 ("Episodic Game")

PUZZLE #2
EPISODIC GAME

Sorry, no .PUZ files or Across Lite apps or anything like that; you'll just have to make do with this picture and print it out/copy-and-paste it to a graphics editor 

This week's puzzle is something that's called a "meta-crossword", which is like a regular crossword, except that one you finish it, you use the completed grid to solve a bonus puzzle (More examples can be found at Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest, but I should warn you that it'll convert to a paid service starting next month). Since this is my first proper meta-crossword, I've kept the meta relatively simple (though I can't say the same for the rest of the crossword): The BONUS PUZZLE is a long-running TV show. If you want a harder challenge, there's also a BONUS BONUS PUZZLE: Pick one of the five theme entries that acts as the odd one out in regards to the first BONUS PUZZLE. Once you've figured out one or both of the Bonus Puzzles, send them to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com so you can get credit for successfully solving them. You can also email me if you're stuck and need help and refuse to look up any of the answers.

Also, don't forget to donate money to me using the Paypal button on the side; if you do, I might use some of it to pay for some crossword-construction software like Crossword Compiler or Crossfire so I can make even more crosswords! (I made this one mostly using MS Paint, and MAN did it take forever!, Hopefully, whichever software I use will cut down time significantly)