I Can't Even! (Meta)
◆ · By benchen71 · Published 2023-03-21T05:00:53.177Z
Meta Prompt
The answer to the meta is a ten-letter word
Sometimes you just don't have the energy to finish your exclamations of dismay. If you can relate, then this puzzle is for you. The answer to the meta is a ten-letter word. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=124532#p124532
Check out the "Rejected (Non-meta) MOAT Pack" here: https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about/interest4.html. US$5 gets you 10 themed crosswords, most of which were rejected by one crossword publisher or another. Were those editors right to reject them? You be the judge!
Checking for previous play data...
Leaderboard (updated hourly)
- BarbaraK solved at 1:52 on 3/21/2023
- Hector solved at 4:27 on 3/21/2023
- SporcleMirror solved at 7:10 on 3/21/2023
- Laura M solved at 7:13 on 3/21/2023
- kieranjboyd solved at 9:26 on 3/21/2023
- Cindy Weatherman solved at 9:39 on 3/21/2023
- boharr solved at 11:43 on 3/21/2023
- Ergcat solved at 12:17 on 3/21/2023
- Alex Sisti solved at 13:19 on 3/21/2023
- DCBilly solved at 13:26 on 3/21/2023
- lbray53 solved at 13:30 on 3/21/2023
- Adam Doctoroff solved at 13:31 on 3/21/2023
- edestlin solved at 13:38 on 3/21/2023
- Meg solved at 13:40 on 3/21/2023
- rjy solved at 13:44 on 3/21/2023
- Darth solved at 13:51 on 3/21/2023
- Tyrpmom solved at 14:19 on 3/21/2023
- DIS solved at 15:10 on 3/21/2023
- JHSeeman solved at 16:12 on 3/21/2023
- woozy solved at 16:12 on 3/21/2023
- ChrisCross solved at 17:00 on 3/21/2023
- I K Snamhcok solved at 17:18 on 3/21/2023
- heidi solved at 17:39 on 3/21/2023
- Mikey G solved at 18:23 on 3/21/2023
- ajk solved at 18:24 on 3/21/2023
- Qmark solved at 18:41 on 3/21/2023
- KayW solved at 19:41 on 3/21/2023
- whimsy solved at 19:44 on 3/21/2023
- markhr solved at 19:55 on 3/21/2023
- MatthewL solved at 20:41 on 3/21/2023
- Pair O Ducks solved at 21:00 on 3/21/2023
- ReB solved at 21:28 on 3/21/2023
- Bird Lives solved at 22:12 on 3/21/2023
- Darrell solved at 23:21 on 3/21/2023
- Jaclyn solved at 23:57 on 3/21/2023
- dannyvee solved at 0:04 on 3/22/2023
- jbird solved at 0:25 on 3/22/2023
- Jeremy Smith solved at 0:27 on 3/22/2023
- Bbaack solved at 1:36 on 3/22/2023
- Charles Montpetit solved at 2:41 on 3/22/2023
- Deb W solved at 3:17 on 3/22/2023
- rvkal solved at 3:43 on 3/22/2023
- Mr Tex solved at 4:10 on 3/22/2023
- Carolyn solved at 8:16 on 3/22/2023
- Cindy Heisler solved at 14:33 on 3/22/2023
- Jeff G solved at 21:02 on 3/22/2023
- CPJohnson solved at 22:37 on 3/22/2023
- oldjudge solved at 22:43 on 3/22/2023
- dplass solved at 1:36 on 3/23/2023
- DrTom solved at 14:18 on 3/23/2023
- Abide solved at 22:13 on 3/23/2023
- PuzNewbie solved at 16:09 on 3/24/2023
- Dow Jones solved at 16:39 on 3/24/2023
- SeamusOL solved at 7:27 on 3/25/2023
- THC solved at 14:41 on 3/25/2023
- Gutman solved at 16:24 on 3/25/2023
- Sharkicicles solved at 21:00 on 3/25/2023
Comments
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- Hector 3s · 2023-03-21T05:00:53.177ZCool construction!
- Laura M 🤓6:37 · 2023-03-21T07:14:58.885ZNice little twist!
- Ergcat 14:41 · 2023-03-21T12:21:04.227ZGood one, Ben! Had me going for a while trying to get 10 letters from the 4 long answers… got the first step but then what? Aha! do “it” again!! Puzzled by last “s”, was that just the middle letter of “I’d say” ? Or first letter of “sass”? Thanks, Ben! Have fun camping!
- Ergcat 14:41 · 2023-03-21T13:36:26.155ZNever mind! Went back and I see my error… in my scribbling notes I had “helperS” instead of just “helper”! Now I see both s’s came from”SASS33ABack talk[----]”! Obviously I’m not as clever as you are!
- rjy 2s · 2023-03-21T13:52:35.093ZReally nice construction, Ben!
- Meg 3s · 2023-03-21T13:41:32.563ZVery nice. And excellent title!
- Tyrpmom 2s · 2023-03-21T14:21:38.145ZThat’s really cool!
- DIS 🤓5:00 · 2023-03-21T15:11:13.882ZThat was excellent -- thanks!
- JHSeeman 3s · 2023-03-21T16:12:58.741ZGreat construction, fun one, thanks.
- Neat. WTF to OhWait.... moment.Had to backsolve E-C- though. Got stuck on MINCE71AChop finely[-----] and thinking "Dang, that Ben. Doesn't he knew CARVE is to cut in broad strokes with an implied final shape and MINCE71AChop finely[-----] is to chop tinily with implied reduce to atoms" but I should have had more faith.
- Same, and I also had IDSAY65A"Couldn't agree more!"[-----] for retort... but I had the overall metanism from the start.
- ChrisCross 🤓9:09 · 2023-03-21T17:00:24.126ZVery well done construction
- I K Snamhcok 1s · 2023-03-21T17:18:56.761ZLoved it! Thanks, Ben!
- "I am speechless. Speechless! I have no speech." Brilliant!
- ajk 5:15 · 2023-03-21T18:26:47.101ZLOL couldn't find the match for 24A24ADangerous moment in a cat's vet visit?[----------] initially, so I spent like 5 minutes hunting for the AxCx word before I realized that A was supposed to be an E
- Qmark 3s · 2023-03-21T18:41:36.022ZLoved it...thanks Ben!
- KayW 8:01 · 2023-03-21T19:42:24.627ZAnd yes I am indeed! Wow what a construction. Fantastic meta, Ben!
- whimsy 🤓11:31 · 2023-03-21T19:47:32.139ZTo self: "Pay attention to the title!" Very, very nice, Ben!
- MatthewL 🤓6:09 · 2023-03-21T20:42:37.138ZVery clever, Ben! Needed the slightest of nudges to get started, but finally it all became clear.
- ReB 4s · 2023-03-21T21:29:45.132ZHow ODD42ASomewhat unusual[---] - nice repeat on the mechanism.
- Bird Lives 7s · 2023-03-21T22:16:45.396ZVery nice. Like others, I was stalled by the 4/10 disparity. I was pretty sure what the answer was, but it took a while to backsolve, and when I did get it, I was at a loss for words, so to speak.
- Bbaack 11:52 · 2023-03-22T01:38:23.654ZWhat the! Great construction, thanks for the fun!
- Charles Montpetit 🤓1:41 · 2023-03-22T02:51:28.832ZSame remark as Woozy. Also, if you will allow a nitpick, I thought it was a tiny bit inelegant to clue 28a28ARadian symbol[---]'s RAD28ARadian symbol[---] with the term RADian. Or was that a throwback to last week's "Unnecessarily Repetitive" puzzle?
- Carolyn 3s · 2023-03-22T08:18:20.940ZVery nice! I love it when my guess works out to be the right answer. Cool mechanism.
- Jeff G 1:12 · 2023-03-22T21:08:22.420ZClever mechanism! Lots of fun.
- oldjudge 13s · 2023-03-22T22:45:35.483ZThe puzzle could have been improved if there was only one synonym for carve. Maybe it couldn’t have been helped but I think MINCE71AChop finely[-----] should have been replaced somehow. Great idea otherwise.
- Yeah I landed on MINCE71AChop finely[-----] at first but the resulting letters said it could not be (plus it gave 11 letters) since I needed an E and C (SPEECHLESS was the only possible thing at that point). Besides mincing and carving are really not the same unless you are a REALLY bad carver (OK, OK, so you've seen me at Thanksgiving I guess)
- Well that describes my feeling about the construction! Amazing Ben. You may be up a lazy river this weekend but getting to the end of the solve was a hard row for me. I tried everything with odd except what I was supposed to. It's maddening because I saw DINNER in DJINNINFEAR18AGenie living with phobias?[-----------] a ways back but it did not click. I wanted so much to make CLAWREVIEW24ADangerous moment in a cat's vet visit?[----------] (drop the first odd letter) LAWREVIEW. Then I used all of the odd numbered entries, then all of the odd clues (i.e. every other one (1,3,5,7...) hoping to spell out an instruction. I needed a nudge to get there but I am glad I did not throw up my hands in defeat, it was a very nice puzzle.
- PuzNewbie 17:49 · 2023-03-24T16:09:46.257ZBeautiful construction! Fun puzzle!!
- Dow Jones 4s · 2023-03-24T16:46:53.957ZGreat idea for the meta and excellent execution in the construction. Thanks, Ben.
1A
That man
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Across
- 1AThat man
- 4AScratchy's nemesis in an animated show in an animated show
- 9ANocturnal newborn
- 14AGilbert & Sullivan princess
- 15A"Singin' in the Rain" composer, ___ Herb Brown
- 16ARelinquish voluntarily
- 17A___-Xers
- 18AGenie living with phobias?
- 20AVietnam's capital
- 22ABanned insecticide
- 23AAndy's nickname for Jim (with "Big")
- 24ADangerous moment in a cat's vet visit?
- 27A"Avatar" race
- 28ARadian symbol
- 30AItalian or Spanish article
- 33ABack talk
- 36AActress playing Marilyn in "Blonde"
- 38AEvening meal, for some
- 40AIntense dislike
- 42ASomewhat unusual
- 44AActress playing the evil queen in the up-coming live-action remake of "Snow White", Gal ___
- 45AOffice assistant
- 47ABeats by ___
- 49AMale heirs
- 50APlastic ___ Band
- 51ABind
- 53APub drinks
- 55ACultivate French flowers?
- 60AWile E. Coyote's supplier
- 64ACoffee dispenser
- 65A"Couldn't agree more!"
- 66ACharacter in an Agatha Christie / "Gone With the Wind" mashup?
- 70AMake public
- 71AChop finely
- 72ACheek application
- 73A"Give ___ rest!"
- 74AGerman steel
- 75AAussie barbie food
- 76AUltimate degree
Down
- 1DSoprano's pride
- 2DBest possible
- 3DFood from heaven
- 4DThird prime minister of India, ___ Gandhi
- 5D___ Mahal
- 6DThird-century starter
- 7D4 down4DThird prime minister of India, ___ Gandhi[------] spoke it
- 8D"What light through ___ window breaks?" ("Romeo and Juliet", Act 2, Scene 2)
- 9DPossess
- 10DFloat, as an aroma
- 11DIn ___ of gifts
- 12DSteve Carell movie, "___ Almighty"
- 13DTrillion, as a prefix
- 19DFirst two words of "A Tale of Two Cities"
- 21DConfesses
- 25DFormer First Lady of Argentina, ___ Peron
- 26D"In ___ veritas"
- 29DUsed a spade
- 30DFancy coif
- 31DElement #10
- 32D___ and crafts
- 33DLondon district
- 34DArabian gulf
- 35DGrain-storage building
- 37DTack on
- 39DKicked the ball to a teammate
- 41DEncountered
- 43DSketch
- 46DCobble together
- 48DTolkien creature
- 52DMistakes
- 54DPrivileged classes
- 56DBulb with layers
- 57DJamaican sprinter, ___ Bolt
- 58D"Something to Talk About" singer, Bonnie ___
- 59DWine grape, also known as shiraz
- 60DSleeve fillers
- 61DDebt reminder
- 62D"American Beauty" actress, ___ Suvari
- 63DEngrave
- 67DSmall hill, in Hebrew
- 68DStreet, in Portugal
- 69DDiscworld witch with a cookbook, Nanny ___
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