WSJ (Contest) Grid: 15 minutes; Meta: 3 more 
[4.41 avg; 11 ratings] rate it
Matt Gaffney’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “Keep Current” — Conrad’s writeup
This week we’re looking for a 12-letter place name. There were seven rivers missing their final letter:
WSJ Contest – 05.02.2025
- YUKO(N): 1,980-mile river of Alaska and Canada
- MIAM(I): 6-mile river of South Florida
- SUSQUEHANN(A): 444-mile river of the Mid-Atlantic
- MEKON(G): 2,700-mile river of Southeast Asia
- BRAHMAPUTRA(A): 1,800-mile river of South Asia
- TIBE(R): 252-mile river of Italy
- VOLG(A): 2,193-mile river of Russia
The letters below the phantom missing letters spell NIAGARA and that leads to our 12-letter contest solution NIAGARA FALLS. That is a beautiful meta. Solvers: please share your thoughts.
The final letters aren’t actually missing. They’ve each fallen to the row below–hence NIAGARA FALLS.
(This comment referred to an earlier version of the review.)
Yup, I spotted that just after posting. Makes the meta even better. Thanks for letting me know.
Loved this contest puzzle. Sweet that the last letters fall below the rivers.
+1
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
This is one of those ideas that could be played straight in a normal crossword. But hey, who doesn’t love an obvious meta once in a while?
I didn’t realize that the last letter of the themers “falls” from the “rivers” until this explanation! I arrived at the answer without recognizing this. The added flourish makes this a great Meta.
Yes! I loved that touch. Great meta!!!
This was a fun one!! Great job Matt!!
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 4 stars
Really enjoyed this one!
Hello Conrad: Typo in river name. Should be BRAHMAPUTRA.
Fixed, thanks!
Before noticing the obvious answer, I almost submitted “THE RIVER BEND”
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 4 stars
I saw the meta mechanism before finishing the puzzle. I missed that the missing letters dropped down.
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
Is this a unique mechanism? One of the meta words is a verb that is not in the grid or clues or spelled out or pointed to by any of the usual gimmicks. The is a brilliant but easy five-star puzzle. What fun!
The prompt was for a 12-letter place name. Tacking the very obvious FALLS onto NIAGARA got me there in spite of missing the “fallen” letters.
Five stars from me, as well.
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 4.5 stars
This puzzle is classic example of how to create a grid with a meta answer that all solvers should be able to figure out.
And I truly appreciate Matt Gaffney for tossing us an easy lob every now and then, because I don’t even try to tackle Mike Shenk’s metas.
As I am from Western Pennsylvania, my guess would have been Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright house.