All Things Being Equal
■ · By Mwoychick · Published 2023-06-25T04:37:17.377Z
Meta Prompt
The meta answer is a phrase
As with many of my puzzle ideas, I'll hear something - a word, a phrase - and think, "I wonder if that could be a meta?" That's exactly what happened in this case, and then I had to figure out how to do it. Did it work? You're about to find out.
Here are some nudges in case you need them:
There are two mechanisms in play here, and you likely need to find only one of them to solve
For one of the mechanisms, look in the two longest answers
For the other mechanism, look for six symmetrically placed grid answers that have something in common
You'll find the results of the two mechanisms to be without a difference...or, put another way, equal.
The answer is NOT eight letters long; instead, the meta phrase is nine words long
The internet tells me this phrase is an idiom that means that two alternatives will render the same outcome; two options are virtually the same; there is no difference between two possibilities. It does not matter which alternative you choose–the outcome will be the same.
I won't impose the E word on your puzzle-solving experience, so let's just say it'll be....like Sunday morning (hat tip to the Commodores).
Checking for previous play data...
1A
Beautiful, in Bologna
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
Across
- 1ABeautiful, in Bologna
- 6APampering place
- 9ASomething you might be advised to cut (with "the")
- 13AHoopster Shaq
- 14ASigma follower
- 15ASolo
- 16AGarlicky sauce
- 17AHill dweller
- 18ADud
- 19ANFL scores
- 20ASupporters of Gunsmoke's Dillon?
- 23AMisplace
- 24A"Step ___!"
- 25ADeck treatments
- 28AType of well touted by Olympia beer
- 32ABread or dough
- 33AGreat joy
- 34AAFL partner
- 35AGreek god of war
- 36AGrant's bill, (and when repeated, a hint to the two halves of the meta answer)
- 37AMay honorees
- 38ABoise-to-Salt Lake City dir.
- 39ATowel fabric
- 40AEndowment recipient
- 41AFrench president between Sarkozy and Macron
- 43ASong segments
- 44ATolkien beasts
- 45AViral sensation
- 46AMakeover Euphoria's lead actress?
- 50ATexting format, for short
- 53ATurner autobiography
- 54AEvian water
- 55AKatmandu's country
- 57A___ a million
- 58ANBC weekend revue
- 59APilotless plane
- 60A"The Sweetest Taboo" singer
- 61AProfs' helpers
- 62AFull
Down
- 1DCanoe or kayak
- 2DCity west of Tulsa
- 3DMany August babies
- 4DLeBron's team, on scoreboards
- 5DEx claim?
- 6DRubberneck
- 7DBad reviews
- 8DJurisdiction
- 9DChin indentations
- 10DTomato type
- 11DAt an unknown future time (but nobody knows who said it)
- 12DAuthors
- 15DAxis foes
- 21DDonkey
- 22DRestless
- 23DPrevaricates
- 25DHuge success
- 26DSculptor's subject
- 27DSlippery as ___
- 28DActress Woodard
- 29DDesktop symbols
- 30DSinger Mann
- 31DThey smell
- 33DBeijing Olympic stadium (with "the")
- 36DCross swords
- 37DOliver Twist's request
- 39DVine-swinging ape-man
- 40DCalls for
- 42DCanadian $1 coin
- 43D"Oy ___!"
- 45DRoughs up
- 46DBravo and Grande
- 47DSicilian smoker
- 48DFizzled out
- 49DComic Carvey of 58A
- 50DDick and Jane's playmate
- 51DLion's pride
- 52DRosebud, for example
- 56DHistorical period