Saturday, November 27, 2010

P&A #29 Solving Thread

P&A #29 is out!

And I don't know what hurts more: the fact that we couldn't get a team together for last issue, or the fact that SoSG regular ubragg has found another team (which placed first, no less, for the last issue!). I feel like Tony Romo now that Jessica Simpson is engaged (except for the fact that I am employed, unlike her current beau).

I'm getting a late start but I'll be solving in the next hour. Fire away, guys!

57 comments:

Jason said...

*moves over from email*

Still half-way through Sweeney Todd. After solving this, I may not be able to look at meat for a couple of days. That, or I might grill the biggest steak I can find. It could go either way.

Nostradamus said...

Never mind, here we are!

Nostradamus said...

I've got the bigrams for "Lion King" figured out, but can't make sense of them yet. I started 1776 just now.

Steve Sax said...

Mmmm. Steak.

Thanks for plugging away Jason...

Nostradamus said...

Epiphany. The answer to the Lion King is DJIBOUTI

Steve Sax said...

Gotta shower and get the kids dressed. Making my mom drive the sleigh over the river and through the woods to our brunch appointment, so I can puzzle then!

Kyle Baker said...

Dissed by Ubragg? Hurts!

Eric Karros said...

Nice likening of UBragg to Jessica Simpson. But wouldn't it be UBragg's new team, not you (Sax), that would be unemployed in the given scenario?

Then again, dating Jessica Simpson is a full time job.

Nostradamus said...

^doesn't want us bringing down his win-to-puzzles-played ratio.

Nostradamus said...

Not getting far on 1776. The 13 colonies obviouslyrelate to 26 letters, but I can't figure out what order to use. Switching to batboy.

Eric Karros said...

I see it more like UBragg = LeBron, SoSG Team = Cavaliers and UBragg's new team = Heat.

I guess that means the Heat will win the Championship.

Steve Sax said...

Mr C: isn't 1776 a straight cryptogram with two-letter codes?

Steve Sax said...

Batboy: Reese, Alston, lasorda. Bet they're all retired numbers.

Kyle Baker said...

I see Ubragg as more of a Cam Newton. I think he was lured to another team with payola. Heard it here first. They may have to vacate any wins they get if this proves true.

Nostradamus said...

Sax,

I think so. I but each bigram can represent one of two letters, I think.

Nostradamus said...

Almost finished with the batboy grid.

Steve Sax said...

How to succeed is bugging me...got most of the clues but can't see the key

Nostradamus said...

The answer to batboy, strangely enough, is BATGIRL

Nostradamus said...

Moving onto Little Shop...

Steve Sax said...

I get How To Succeed, the compounds read in a chain vertically. Eg, second column #2 is House Smoke, which goes right above second column #4 Call Screen (house call and smoke screen)

Steve Sax said...

I've also linked sergeant cap / slaughter gun and bed pin/ rest striped

Steve Sax said...

Shoot, I gotta run into brunch. Back in a sec.

Nostradamus said...

OK, the solution to "little shop" is CATASTROPHIC. gotta go get wasted, but I'll be back later this evening.

Kyle Baker said...

*zombie passing through*

Steve Sax said...

I'm sorry, I'm playing kinect now. I have a feeling we aren't going to place, but that's okay.

Jason said...

I almost have Sweeney Todd but I can't get the last few clues. The clues are solved using anagrams of the meat pies with an additional letter added to each (e.g. Kind of footprint = CARBON -> BACON + R)

TO_L_RANE
V_LTRANSF
ORMERTHAT
IS_CONDOR

Remaining meat pies (by row):
Sea Turtle, Zebra
Sturgeon
-
Lobster

Remaining clues:
Lasts longer than on the throne
One who's indolent (hyphenated)
Not subject to spoiling
Intestinal buildup believed to be magical

Jason said...

I'm going to work on Titanic for a bit.

Eric Karros said...

I sense UBragg spying on this thread to help his new team.

Kyle Baker said...

So does that make Ubragg = Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels?

Steve Sax said...

I've got Baby P_____, rattle club, snake foot, skin f____?

Steve Sax said...

Duh, slaughter gun links house smoke

Steve Sax said...

Sergeant cap, slaughter gun, house smoke, call screen, center test, field pattern... Help!

Nostradamus said...

@sax
Baby POWDER?
Skin FLINT?

(Strafing between drinks)

Eric Karros said...

The scary thing is, these comments have nothing to do with the puzzles.

Steve Sax said...

@Mr C: matter of fact I do have a rash...oh wait a second.

At the gym. Back in an hour.

karina said...

Just in the hood to wish you all the best of luck. You know you're the best!

(smash Ubragg's team)

p.s: Sax, I love how you let your mom to drive while you were busy with the puzzle but I do love more you were at the gym on a Saturday afternoon.

Steve Sax said...

@karina: yikes! I meant my WIFE, not my mom!

Freudian slip?!?!

(My wife did a good job driving btw)

Eric Karros said...

Truly frightening, Sax.

spank said...

Did someone write Skin Flute?

Jason said...

I've added to How to Succeed. I'm pretty sure about the first 7 pairs (though I have doubts about #4) as well as the last 6:

1: Baby Players
2: Rattle Club
3: Snake Foot
4: River Candle
5: Bed Pin
6: Rest Striped
7: Home Bass

13: Sergeant Cap
14: Slaughter Gun
15: House Smoke
16: Call Screen
17: Center Test
18: Field Pattern

I'm also pretty sure on the following groupings of 3 pairs, in order:

Pay Shoot
Dirt Up
Poor Front

That leaves two. The one about the sod, maybe C******* Land? The one about the ironic fit which Sax suggested is Skin F*****.

I haven't come up with entries for these two that would connect the groups I know about so I assume the solution will be a missing pair that links the non-contiguous words.

Jason said...

I also (mostly) finished the Spamalot grid. There were 6 clues which were not used. Each was the middle clue of the tuple:

D: Alpha Male
F: Bishop
I: United States
N: Hand

1: Emergency Room
14: Second

I have no clue what this means.

Jason said...

Continuing with the failure theme, I took a crack at Urinetown. The grid spells out:

Tea city captain mize grape game magazine award.

I moved on as soon as I saw the word mize.

Nostradamus said...

For Sweeney Todd:

"Tool, or an evil transformer that is a condor"

BUZZSAW

*child of the 80's*

Sturgeons would be "out-reigns"

Not sure about the other 3.

Nostradamus said...

On How to Succeed, I believe "Circulation Lawn" fits in the end of the disconnected 3 clues. I still don't know about the S*** F***** clue.

Nostradamus said...

Erm, ^'80s

DAMMIT

Nostradamus said...

In how to succeed:

...
HOME BASS
SICK FIDDLE
PAY STICKS
DIRT UP
POOR FRONT
CIRCULATION LAWN

The connector to SERGEANT CAP must be the missing link, as alluded to in the flavortext

Nostradamus said...

I've made some progress on "chess"

So far, I've got

A. ****C* ALMA
B. BRAVE TILTS
C. EBON TAR ELI
D. ATE UP ZOWIE
E. URIEL ASSEL
F. **** SQUIRT
G. SCIFI *****
H. BODY LINENS

the knights and rooks are giving me fits, though. I'll see if I can make any headway on urinetown, in the meantime.

Nostradamus said...

I think the words in grid for urinetown are supposed to be replaced by a synonym or related word starting with "P" like:

Grape >> Pinot
Magazine >> Periodical

But I'm not sure how it all fits together

Nostradamus said...

Ok, I think the original letters are supposed to be replaced with the synonyms beginning with P, but I can't figure out anything for Mize. Thoughts? Am I the only one still here?

Nostradamus said...

Ok, so the M in Mize should really be an S, per the official errata. I still have no clue what it is supposed to say.

Foggy Brume said...

Good luck gentlemen. We're all counting on you. (Top 10 is definitely very much open).

Foggy Brume
The guy whose torturing you

Nostradamus said...

Made some progress on "once upon a mattress"

*checks pulses*

Nostradamus said...

OK, here's the progress on "Once". I'm stuck.

THEPRINCESSANDTHEPEA
SHEPRINSESSAIDTHECIA
SWEARINSEESDIPTHERIA
SWEATINGREGRIPSHERPA
TWEETEDGREERHYSTERIA
TWINJEDIREACHESSERIF
TWINGED****CHEESEDIP
BAINGODELBACH*******
BEING******CHARBROIL
BEANONEEYEACHETOROID
BEACONLAYLASEETOROIS
BEARDCLAYLOSERTHROES

Steve Sax said...

I'm sorry; getting crushed at work, had less time this weekend than planned, and we are behind. And now Foggy is even mocking our delinquence!

I take responsibility. My fault...

ubragg said...

Doh! I'm just catching up here... Sorry guys, you caught me, I was in Hawaii with a bunch of other puzzlers that wanted to get up at 4am and work on P&A. I had no choice. They forced my hand. It was a one time thing. So ashamed... How can I make amends? :)

Kyle Baker said...

In Hawaii with a bunch of puzzlers?

*Throws Ubragg in trash can, steals his lunch money*

Steve Sax said...

eh, we really needed you this go-round, ubragg. I tried to help out from the DL but felt like Barry Zito during the Giants' playoff run (without the money, but indeed playing a guitar).

maybe we can try again for #30.