And Finally... (Meta)

Excellent!

Lot going on there. But it hits you like a brick truck.

How do these constructors do it, time and time again? Thank you, Ben, for yet another brilliant challenge. (And thank you, Cap'n Rick ... and Dr. Tom ... and Abide ... and Al Sisti ... and Josh ... and all of rest of the far-too-clever folks who prompt a whole lotta head-scratchin'.

A handsome and grand puzzle -- thanks!

Nice one! I had to backtrack my fill because the AmE term is SANDBOX, but I'm learning some Strine as I go. :) I think of a sandpit as something involved in construction or mining, like a quarry.

Embarrassed how long it took me to notice. It was a nice aha moment when I did.

Good puzzle, Ben! Nice symmetry too!

Was so tempted to post "Landed across the moat!"

I have to hand it to you, Ben. Another great meta. Thanks!

OK -- I'll join the crowd -- Just a dandy puzzle!

Wow! Enjoyed it, tho it was a challenge. Took awhile to gain a toehold, and then to figure out what to do with it. Clever construction, Ben!

Very nice! Thanks

Such an enjoyable fill...learned a new word (Strine). And then the meta topped it all. Another great one, Ben...thanks!

Well believe me when I say I tried EVERYTHING before I got to the right thing. I looked at: Final E in grid in clues, Final Y in grid and clues, Final ly in clues, Things that went on or lasted forever (like Pi, the Messiah, Dvorak symphonies, characters voiced by Mel Blanc), PI and PIE RA and SRA (since you seldom do two letter answers I was suspect), Words with "ON" in them to see if there was ON and ON. FINALLY (yes, reference intended) I went back to my forever idea and while looking up the half life for scandium (and finding it to be hours instead of eons...stupid non-radioactive isotopes) I went back to SCANDIUM again and instead landed at SANDPIT. "Idiot" I proclaimed, but I saw how I could do that since it had an AND in it....WAIT A MINUTE NOW! So there were a preponderance of ANDS, plus they were symmetrical; clever boy Ben. Of course my first answer AEPOIMIL (which Webster's defines as "Inability to solve a meta crossword despite having the right idea") was wrong but "ultimately" I saw my way home. Now here I was going to say, and finally - and then go on for another paragraph or two, but instead I'll just say "Thanks for a puzzle with long lasting enjoyment"

Ben, you’re the living end! (Have you ever heard someone say that? I’m sure I’m showing my age. As I recall, it was a Sixties thing.)

Needed the nudges to focus on meta although I was looking at most of these words anyway! I was trying to change the endings and find another word. Duh! Always trying to make it harder than it is! Good one, Ben!

Just had to go to the third nudge to find the correct commonality. (I was getting stuck on looking for commonality at the end of the words, and got distracted by all the words ending in xA.) Then the solution was a cakewalk - and appropriate that it was the last letters to form an apropos answer. Nice tight construction.

I suppose the four 2-letter words were just a necessity? I spend some time trying to relate them to word endings.