Explanation: Eight symmetrical down entries form a new word/phrase when doubled, going up. (For instance, HAR at 4-D would become RAH-RAH, NOB at 10-D becomes BONBON, and so forth. Play "alternates" with these in the grid and, in standard top-down order, the alternates will spell EXPONENT, the answer to the meta.
For completion: HAR (RAHRAH) = EAGER; NOB (BONBON) = OREO; NAC (CANCAN) = POLKA; ENO (ONE-ONE) = TIE; RAT (TARTAR) = XRAY; MOT (TOMTOM) = EAR; KID (DIKDIK) = NYALA; RUM (MURMUR) = NAG
Few notes: I was originally going to asterisk the eight downs, but that would make it too much like Level 2.5/3, but that's where the early nudges will take you. However, there's another indicator! These are the only eight entries whose clues have either a) two words or b) any double letters. In fact, both of the two words in each of these 8 down entries have double letters. There are no other 2-word clues or any words with double letters in any other clues!
And, per the answer, an EXPONENT (specifically, 2) is a great way to get numbers to double in math! This ties in with the puzzle number of 128, which is the seventh power of 2. Maybe the answer to puzzle #256 will also be EXPONENT - you'll have to stay tuned!
DJB 9s · about 1 month ago
Loved it - great construction!
rvkal 🤓7:54 · about 1 month ago
Very ingenious theme and mechanism! I started out looking for double letters in vertical entries. Great fun moment when I finally caught on to the trick!
Very clever, with rewarding click after "hmmm... what if...?"
KayW 🤓3:25 · about 1 month ago
Brilliant puzzle!
And of course, quite appropriate since 128 = 2 ^ 7.
But sorry to see Winter Solvestice come to an end. Thanks for all the puns and fun!
HeadinHome 🤓1:40 · about 1 month ago
Autocorrect turned my submission into exponential… c’mon! This was fun to figure out and then to search the matches.. love these kinds!
Berto 1s · about 1 month ago
Cancan was my way in.
I did for a moment think I was on to something when I saw that you could “double up” the G in EAGER to get REGGAE and the B in ELBOW to get WOBBLE… but died shortly after…
Well, because of the title I know I had to read entries backwords and going through them all CAN I realized could be can-can the lively dance. That could have been a coincident but TOM made it certain. I made nearly to the end of the grid when I thought maybe there'd be only four such doubles and 8 would be near impossible when I figure a few more could be and then, yes, eight could be done (and they were symmetric).
Couldn't find the alternates for MURMUR and TARTAR and my letters EPOENT didn't look good (COPY CAT?). Went through grid three time. Reread the clue to 40A word by word and decided that could work. ANd that made my letters look better (OPPONENT?). TARTAR still eluded me ("He can't possibly be mistakenly assuming Steak Tartar is creamy, can he. Or that putting tartar sauce on a cracker [yuck] is common?") On more time through the grid and this time finally the dentist clue (Ha-Ha!) jumped out.
Got it without nudges but not without rabbit holes. My first impulse, which was working in a way, was that a clue led to another which led to the theme entry and solution so:
1A - Computer works, for short (?) -> 27AGATEWAY (Entrance - but several of my early computers were GATEWAYS with the cow packaging) -> 9DOPENTO
25A - Do a laundry chore -> 58ADYE (Color) -> 51ALEBLANC (the white)
22D - Delicious chocolate... -> 41ACACAO (Bean) -> 59ABLOKE (the British love chocolate and Mr. Bean)
41D Creamy concoctions... -> 69ASMEAR (Besmirch) -> 47DCLEAVE (Not liking the gem was a besmirching)
But I saw how convoluted that was and said, "no way"
Then I decided it was double letters going up but there are only 5, they spell nothing and that is hardly a "possible level 4"
Finally I started to analyze the grid. The Pharmacist in me was aghast at the cavalier way NAC was listed (if anything, it is an anti-oxidant) and surprised it was used anyway since it probably is not generally known so I figured it was a necessity. I was amazed that the common ENO was William and not Brian, but of course Brian ENO is often paired in a cryptic to ONE, and when I saw the World cup thing I immediately thought ONE-ONE. Finally the dentist clue/answer kind of bugged me; yes it was true but seemed forced.
It was my "name" that opened my eyes because I saw NOB and MOT and thought "that could be BON MOT" Or hey MOT turned upside down and done twice is TOM TOM...hold on a minute wasn't there a drum? Then the BON became BON BON, and that was a treat. The third (I base almost all my solves on a series of three things that work WAY too well not possible being a coincidence) was CAN CAN, particularly with the POLKA. Although I speak some French my background is Eastern European and I can Polka even if I cannot poke at a CAN CAN.
Lovely sayonara, or actually au revoir, puzzle (since one means "forever" and the other "until the next time") and I am delighted I was able to be doubly up to the task.
Came back to this b/c Gaffney delayed today (I always forget Saturday puzzles). Very glad I did, though I needed the nudges to nudge me out of my I-know-it's-not-this-but-can't-see-past-it fixation on double letters Very fun once I got on track, thanks. :)