Water2Wine

Solution: The title suggests water, or H2O, and the use of 2 to represent to. Combining these gives the phrase "H to O". Each theme clue contains the letters H and O, and reading the letters from "H to O" in each one yields the meta solution: bottle flip.

This is my first crossword so I'll take any feedback you can give! I know I have too many blocks and 3-letter words but I just wanted to get something done to start with. I'm especially curious about the difficulty level, and how that would have changed if I hadn't starred the theme clues or with a less suggestive title. I wanted to put H2O as a clue for a word in the grid, but I wasn't sure if that would make it too easy, and also I couldn't fit a convenient word into the fill anyway, so thoughts on that would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I enjoyed the solve. Nothing stood out as weird or awkward. Congrats on your first meta!

Congratulations on your debut. Smooth grid. Not starring the themers would have made it a tad harder. A few puzzles have used the water and H20 trope. Experienced solvers will inevitably interpret that as H to O and look for those letters (and what is in between them) in the themers. A less suggestive title would also have obscured the metanism. A good first puzzle. I could not make one that's for sure.

Great job. Fun clues and cool meta.

Right, this mechanism has been done recently by someone, so it's hard for us to say how hard it would have been if it was unfamiliar. Probably "week 2" difficulty if you follow MGWCC. Really excellent for a first creation!

A very nice first puzzle, @zonkswonk! You are already demonstrating a constructor's mindset and skill set. Keep at it, and we'll see you on MMM very soon!

Well done, and very impressive for a debut! I actually forgot there were starred entries because I took a break between grid and meta, but even without them I'd say this is about a week 2.5.

Anyone with the mindset and talent to construct a puzzle of any kind - and certainly a meta! - gets 48D from me. As noted by others, the mechanism was a familiar one ... but that didn't detract in the slightest from the enjoyment. Congrats on a worthy debut; looking forward to many more!

An EXCELLENT first effort and well planned out. The fill was, for the most part, very nice. I had trouble with LTE because I did not realize you meant phone data. I probably would have clued it: Halfway between 3 and 4G. You probably didn’t need the asterisks, though it made it much easier. The Theme answers were perfectly spaced (1) all the longest words (2) all symmetrical so that should be enough. The H – O, and similar, is common enough and intuitive enough, that most people should get it and also very clever for a first time constructor.

The answer did not really “click”; BOTTLE FLIP is something I think of with a water bottle (i.e. tossing and getting to stand on end). Still, your first effort is far better than mine and I know you will refine it.

Thanks for the puzzle, and please do not take anything in this post as criticism. I have had to learn that people who critique my puzzles (and the list is long) are doing it to help me.

I found this puzzle REALLY late - happened upon it just now and solved. Belated kudos on a great first meta! I for one appreciated a suggestive title and the asterisks. (the latter only because there were some entries of same length that were not theme entries)