Numerical Pursuit (Meta)

Whole lotta fun!

I got distracted looking for Roman numerals but finally gave that up. I also thought it was going to end with AREA (51) leading to END. Lots of fun -- this was really clever.

Whew -- that was a path. Got it with a hint from the Discord. Thanks for the puzzle, Ben!

This was a perfect storm of wheelhouses coming together for me. Very satisfying to get this one without any nudges.

Fun game, Ben! I was misdirected by FEB... I thought it would be 14 for Valentine's Day (hinted by 2D)... ALOE?... Aloe 22? ... but I knew I needed to get over to Cloud 9! Anyway, I knew the answer from the first four letters and the 5th would confirm it for me. ;)

Yes. Yes! YES!! Been staring at this all day and then the path to pursue started to appear. That was a 26.2!

Crikey! That was tough. I saw the words suggesting numbers pretty early (40 days/nights, Area 51 — except that was NOT one!, Cloud 9). Needed a nudge to suggest doing it roadmap style, not grid order or just randomly find them all (which would be hard!). For Feb. I guessed 2 (no) then 14 (no) then 29 (since leap year was mentioned; no) THEN finally saw that 28 would lead me to Cloud 9! Okay… PTCTFCBH… what the…?? (Looking at the clue first letters always occurs to me way later than it should.) Oof! This was a pursuit, all right.. but a fun one, and grateful that NO math was involved. ( :

Also, I spent way too long thinking about PINS as Personal Identification Numbers, and trying to make that work somehow.

WOW, once I realized what I needed to do after looking at 1a and 71a forever, I was able to get down to work both ways on the chain to meet in the middle. Such a great AHA! moment from this one!

I love the mechanism, but I fail the Rorschach test.

PINS 9. (Nine-pines). FEB 14 (reference to Valentines day). And the number I associate with Chess is 2000 (as in Chess master 2000). Area 51 was inavoidible and Dead End doesn't yield anything.

With that start, this was I can figure out the mechanism but I'll not be able to execute it. Oh, well.

Well THAT was convoluted and also the epitome of a meta because the self -referentials were self-referential! I struggled to find the 8th "number" and had already gotten a Ben nudge that I probably should look at clues AND ignore the massive scarlet Clupeiforme, AREA 51. I tried every combination of what (for example) PINS "mapped" to (10 of course) and then what clue went with 10 (N IGHTS) and of course kept coming up with nonsense words.

It was only (after the LONGEST time) when I started looking at the answers that I saw each one mapped to another of the "theme" words, which is usually not done. But it wasn't complete because 64 CHESS (40A) mapped to TIN (64D) but then the map stopped...or did it! OK, so how do they relate?

DUH Tom remember chemistry and the periodic table? So 50 TIN will map to 50A (FEB) and the circle is complete. BUT still gibberish? HOW, WHY!!! Oh, OK, put them in order and use the referent clue. Well I got PINT (I was using the Square 1 as I was told, not the referent START or S, besides at that point I needed a pint) saw what other letters were on the horizon and thought, why would this end up being PINTEREST, how does that relate (yes I know PINTEREST is 9 letters but at that point I was delighted to have anything that was not in Sanskrit). When I got to PINTEGER I realized I had to use the S as before.

This was at LEAST a level 4 and without help I doubt I would have brought it home. That said, what a MASTERFUL construction, making all those relate, making sure that the letters came out where they should. I am in awe and quite jealous.

SUPER job, and to steal a Crocodile Dundee line, "That's not a meta, THIS is a meta!!!'

Incredible construction!

The first bunch of nudges did nothing for me, and even the next set, with things like 40 days, and atomic number, Oy! (Cloud 9 and benchen71 were fine.) what a TOUGH puzzle.

10 pins, cloud 9, Feb. 28/29? -- had those from the start but needed nudge #6 to get me started along the correct path. Super construction, Ben! Thanks!

You may have told us before, but I forget the significance of the "71" in your handle! Excellent puzzle!

Finally got it! I felt like 1A was meta but couldn't get it until 56D made me buckle down. Finally thought of bowling but I've heard of both 9 and 10 pin varieties. But when I finally connected 10D with 40A it all clicked.