ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ PREVIOUSLY ON BEQ.COM]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ PREVIOUSLY ON BEQ.COM]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
The idea for this one came while watching “Lost.” Shocking, I know, but true: Liz and I are hopelessly late for that party (we’re midway through Season 2 now). We’re hopelessly late for a lot of TV parties. “The Wire?” Didn’t start watching that until it was just about wrapped up. Okay, we did start and are up to date with “Mad Men,” but the jury’s split (Liz: yeah, BEQ: meh). “Treme” should be good seeing who’s involved, but really, we just want Seasons 6 through infinity of “The Wire.”
But please, don’t talk about anything else involving “Lost;” we don’t wanna know it. We’re dedicated it our new favorite show.
Note to DVD manufacturers of serialized TV shows: There’s no point in the “Previously on …” bit at the beginning of each episode. We’ve been paying attention, thank you. Also, feel free to edit out the cliffhangers designed for commercial breaks. It feels bumpy. Nothing worse than having a dramatic build up, then an awkward cut to 5 seconds before the dramatic build up occurred and then continuing on like the hiccup never happened. </rant>
Meanwhile, share the puzzle. New one on Friday.
This is pretty bad. Self-indulgent. And I don’t get the cross-references? Were they to the earlier puzzles? Please don’t do this again.
I think 39A should read [See 10-Across], no?
Loved this concept … please keep us thinking a few steps out of the box!
“self-indulgent”? yes… obviously. “please don’t do this again”? also yes, obviously. but i liked it well enough.
i think you didn’t get the theme if you don’t understand the cross-references. they were all to clue numbers in monday’s puzzle.
Really great theme aha! Kind of a slog scrolling down, but a small price to pay. Regarding Rex’s cross reference to the cross-references – you had to get it, guy, or how could you critique?
I must be firing on all cylinders brain-wise today, I picked up quickly on what was going on. Plus, anytime there is a Pavement reference I am happy.
Off to watch Washington, Cornell, WV and Kentucky practice up for tomorrow’s big games at the Carrier Dome. Good old random Wednesday slacking off.
I loved this puzzle!
I got 2D mainly from the crosses and it looked familiar. Then the J….J… looked like it could be jihadjane. Then it clicked, flashbacks on lost. I admit I was lost until I had the aha. In retrospect, I should have paid more attention to the title of the puzzle.
BEQ is one of a kind, is he not? I don’t know whether to give this six stars or minus 1.
This is like a gag gift — it gets a laugh when you first open it, but it ain’t a keeper.
Woe is he or she who stumbled upon this site for the first time today. It was a fun aha moment (also Jihad Jane for me). If you thought this was hard, just wait for the “NEXT TIME ON BEQ.COM” puzzle!
I thought this one might be tough for me since I don’t watch Lost. Turns out, it’s impossible since I didn’t do Monday’s puzzle. (And frankly, looking up the answers from that one is just as pointless as looking up the current answers.) When I skip doing a BEQ puzzle I usually read about it in the comments or Crossword Fiend, so when I got Jihad Jane I was really confused (is he reusing that already?) and when I got Zoolander I felt like I was in a time warp (how did I read Monday about today’s puzzle?) Then it dawned on me what was up with this one. I agree it’s like a gag gift, clever but annoying.
Total head-scratcher made this one — off and on while at work — about an hour (+) long slog. ORIFLAMME, ENFAMILLE, ASHCAKE (and I’m from the Louisiana) were unknown to me before today — as were the proper names: NAURU, EMANUELAX, HARTLEY, MCARDLE, ELENI. Tough, but not a real joy. Sorry.
Oh, wait a minute . . . that was my response to Monday’s puzzle. Figured I’d recycle that, too.
Who the fuck is “guy?”
canoe:oar::kayak:paddle
Thought that might light you up…
I was confused as hell at first, mainly because the first clue I hit was IMEMINE, and I figured “Oh, it’s some kind of clever self-referential clue.” And then I figured it out on JIHADJANE.
I nominate this for the most aptly themed puzzle I’ve ever encountered (by reference to BEQ’s write-up): “Lost”. Because I was. Totally. I’ve been struggling through BEQ’s puzzles irreligiously for months now, and the one day I can’t—Monday (busy with mom’s funeral)—this happens. Just effing figures. And no damned Simpsons clues.
I will now go watch Monday’s episode to see if today’s puzzle warrants using BEQ’s new html tag.
Right you are. That one was like salt in the gaping wound of my solving experience.
Thank you for the theme reveal. Missed Monday, so was lost in the wilds of WTFistan today.
I am sorry about your mother.
But the rest of your post was hilarious. Especially the “irreligious”. If BEQ doesn’t put the obscenities in the puzzle, the solvers will provide them. The Simpsons reference was also great. I have seen only one episode of the Simpson’s – on Thanksgiving Day 1989 – but know a lot of the characters because of crossword puzzles.
Actually, I think you will find that today’s puzzle will help you with Monday’s. The cluing today is easier and you may be able to fill in Monday’s answers just from the across or down clues today.
Agreed. I was torn between 4 and 2 stars and went for 3.
My first hunch was that “See #-Across” meant that the answer to that clue was the clue to the next answer. Only when ZOOLANDER started to take shape did I remember the title of the puzzle and I got it.
But, I made the mistake of revealing the puzzle (to make sure that ZOOLANDER was where it was supposed to be) and then left the grid filled in and copyied the answers (2 stars, boo!) before realizing that I was supposed read the appropriate clues again (4 stars, yay!).
Pretty much hit the mark here. Much appreciate the severe mind f–kness of the theme.
I’m also biased by the fact that I did solve the previous puzzle, so the ‘moment of truth’ upon the theme reveal remained intact.
On the flip side, damn, this had to be brutal otherwise. Part of me wants to tack that minus in front of the rating and experience – but I know there’s usually a price to be paid for edginess, so my rating is for the attempt more than the execution. Better to be original and daring than banal and forgettable :).
A very clever push of the envelope. Once I caught on I was debating whether it would be cheating to look back at the Mon. puzzle. So, I used the crosses to get the answers from my fading memory of Mon. and only had to revisit one clue. I suspect people who do a lot of puzzles every day would have some trouble with trying to do this from memory (interference). I only do three or four a day so Mon. was still pretty fresh. I do agree that this probably should be a one time thing.
I was torn between being pissed off at the embarrassment of having to revisit Monday and the pride in remebering most of the answers. I caught on, at HEY JEALOUSY which was my first long answer from Monday. A mind fuck if there ever was one, kind of like Lost dontcha think?
@BEQ, just in case you read the late posts. Ya gotta be doing something right with this one. Most traffic I’ve ever seen on your blog. Rock on.
Now we can all see the problem with shows like “Lost”. Unless we’ve watched the previous episode(s), we have only a partial idea of what in the devil’s (the Man in Black’s? Jacob’s?) name is going on.
Traffic’s been consistently going up since the site launched, thanks for asking.
Actually, my head was partially elsewhere and so my analogy was equally afield. Paddles are associated with canoes and kayaks whereas oars go with rowboats and sculls. They like to be near their oarlocks.
Given the puzzle was based on Lost, I might have expected a retcon themed puzzle.
Then again, maybe this is the retcon puzzle…and the original impenetrable puzzle has been replaced in our time line.
I was that lucky person! First visit to this site. I solved today’s (3/29) puzzle at a snail’s pace, then paged down to try this one. Not a chance!!! I was mystified, even when I revealed the solution.
Thank goodness for the explanation in the comments here, or I’d never have returned. Look forward to more puzzles from the apparently slightly-twisted mind of BEQ.