Justice League of America
◆ · By DrTom · Published 2023-01-30T14:58:24.968Z
Meta Prompt
The meta answer is what those with supreme powers hopefully possess.
Nudges (in what I think is increasing order of helpfulness)
Nudge 1 I put the picture of the comic Justice League up because it was convenient, but that is not the ONLY Justice League of America!
Nudge 2 Note how some clues are even odder and more forced than normal. For instance, did I really have to qualify Otello to clue that famed crossword opera
Nudge 3 The two center clues are a hint toward the group and what you are looking for. It might take some Googling but see what that brings (oh, and it is an example but NOT part of the solve)
Nudge 4 Just like the picture of the JLOA, to which I added one superhero (you will find no superhero like the one on the far right) you are looking for 8 "things" and when you realize what they are the mechanism of the solve should reveal itself in short order.
OK, time for the reveal. If you want to see how to solve the puzzle click below:
The theme clues (1 Down and 5, 9, 25, 31, 35, 44, and 63 Across) all were worded such that they hinted towards judging or decisions, or in the case of 1D the inner conference room of the SCOTUS. Each answer was the name of a Supreme Court Justice with one letter missing:
OUTER = SOUTER minus the S
ALIT = ALITO minus the O
URGER = BURGER minus the B
LAMA = LAMAR minus the R
SCALA = SCALIA minus the I
WHIT = WHITE minus the E
AFT = TAFT minus the T
MOOD = MOODY minus the Y
The missing letters spell out the meta answer SOBRIETY
Clue 46 Across was the nudge hint towards the mechanism
Checking for previous play data...
1A
A real gem from Australia
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Across
- 1AA real gem from Australia
- 5ACame down from on high
- 9AOne who argues for you to do the right thing
- 14A"Major" animal
- 15AWhat the 10th little piggie had
- 16ASomething we all hope to find on the planet earth
- 17AVaudeville headliner
- 19ARequest from the church
- 20ADecember 24th or 31st
- 21AMoving vehicles
- 22A"Exodus" star Sal and family
- 23AAvis availabilities
- 25AVenerated figure from a lofty place
- 26A"___ alive!"
- 27AStar of "American Gigolo"
- 28ANo longer is
- 31AWhere "Otello", a story of injustice, premiered, La ___
- 34ADiva's delivery
- 35ASmallest amount, as in "I don't care a ___ about what is fair, just what is right"
- 36AAntithetically, like arguing one side of a conflict in direct opposition to the other
- 39AAir force heroes
- 40A1973 World Series stadium
- 41ALike Eric the Red
- 42AFiddle stick
- 43AMarc Antony's love
- 44AWhere you head if you reverse a stern decision
- 45ABric-a-___ (tchotchkes)
- 46AMeta solver who is missing one little thing that would make the mechanism clear
- 50AFamous wreck ___ Fitzgerald
- 53AMatch up
- 54AVictorian, for one
- 55APackers great Brett
- 56ALong running Agatha Christie play, with "The"
- 58AWhat you can get if you break an egg in two
- 59AExude, like charm
- 60ABubbly from Piedmont
- 61APique performances?
- 62ACheers from the estadio
- 63AFrame of mind induced by circumstances, like medical or legal problems
Down
- 1DAntithesis to the Inner Sanctum; the ___ reaches
- 2DPut to the test
- 3DColorado ski resort for the chic
- 4DFamily pet, for short
- 5DChronicles
- 6DAmounts borrowed
- 7DCozy stops for the night
- 8DOolong, for one
- 9DCPU hours of operation
- 10DThe current Queen of Spain
- 11DProceeds
- 12DResponse from a voiceless entity
- 13DRoger from "Cheers"
- 18DOnline representative
- 22DFrench revolutionary leader Jean-Paul
- 24DPinball machine mistakes
- 25DExpensive camera
- 27D"Foxy Brown" or "Jackie Brown" star Pam
- 28DBlender sound
- 29DAfflicts
- 30DEye affliction
- 31DNatural Band-Aid
- 32DChanel of fashion
- 33DAgain
- 34DSingle-purposed
- 35DComposed
- 37D___ as a hatter
- 38DIn the midst of a winning streak
- 43DJames from Gunsmoke
- 44DEnsues
- 45DThe stage past charred
- 46DBandage fabric
- 47DThe page that's left
- 48DPoetic muse
- 49DFleet
- 50DEarly newts
- 51DTime before which everything is at its darkest, we are told
- 52D1007 in 1007
- 53DGame where you'll need a cue when its your turn
- 56DJersey word
- 57DCap on something full of Scotch