LIFELINE
■ · By DrTom · Published 2023-08-23T04:10:37.686Z
Meta Prompt
The meta answer is a pet
Dr. Tom and Wendy teamed up on this week's puzzle. At the reveal next week, Dr. Tom will share with you its unusual origin story. It should not be difficult for solvers to determine which constructor crafted which clues.
Thank you to Al Sisti, our test solver, for his always-helpful advice, and to Joe Ross for his technical assistance.
Given that handicapping difficulty in metas seems to escape us both (and Dr. Tom in particular), we are just going to assign a broad range and be safe. So let's just say this is between a Calico and a Puma and be covered.
A lifeline is defined as a thing on which someone depends or which provides a means of escape from difficult situations. Any of us with animals know that this is almost a perfect definition of our furry friends. Therefore, the answer to this week’s meta is a pet.
Nudges!
Nudge 1] LIFELINE was originally Wendy's title and it is what made me go - "Hey there is another meta here!" Considering the forum, can you see why?
Nudge 2] 32A is, as it says, a hint, but how?
Nudge 3] Would it have helped if 32A had been "An element found 7 places after Lithium (LI)..."
Nudge 4] Would it have also helped if you did not think of the "element" above as another in the periodic table, but rather an "element" of the solve?
Nudge/Shove 5] My original rabbit hole with this title was seeing it could be parsed into, essentially, and ion and a cat (and since Lithium carries a positive charge it is a cation 
) so I just looked for things that came after the ion.
) so I just looked for things that came after the ion. The REVEAL:
Seven entries with LI followed by a letter:
CLIPS = P
PLIES = E
FLIRT = R
ELISE = S
DLIII = I
ILIAC = A
ALINE = N
PERSIAN the answer to the meta
Incidentally, the intro sneakily gave you the answer when we said it was betweeen a Calico and a Puma, which of course is where the Persian difficulty resides.
If you want the full backstory and a graphic of the reveal. please go to the Xword-Muggles site.
Checking for previous play data...
1A
Comfy boots from Down Under
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Across
- 1AComfy boots from Down Under
- 5APlanes on a screen
- 10AMinor complaint
- 13ARude kid with a bad attitude
- 14ARaucous blares from your TV or cellphone
- 15AArticle in "Le Monde"
- 16AFill up
- 17ALoathsome
- 19AA very bad (Buckner) or good (Brady) label for an athlete
- 21AWhat one does vis-à-vis a trade
- 22AMiddle Earth vols.
- 23AFiscally stable, for now
- 25AMake eyes at
- 28ABerate
- 30A"I know! I know! Call on me!"
- 32AElement found 7 places after Lithium (and a hint to this puzzle)
- 33AThis org. named Miranda Lambert "Female Artist of the Year" for 2023
- 36AShocking thing to do to cattle
- 37AThe girl who the song is "Für"
- 39ABy comparison, it can follow greater or lesser
- 40ASmall swallow
- 41AShe played Chris's ill-fated girlfriend on "The Sopranos"
- 42AShow to the door
- 44AAss-backwards
- 46A553, to Cicero
- 47AOn-line learning session
- 49ACarrier grounded on the Sabbath
- 51APertaining to the hipbone
- 52AGoes silent
- 55AWhat gives champagne its fizz
- 58ANot ashore
- 60ANon-Rx
- 61AGrand Prix site
- 62A"Bad" cholesterols
- 63A___ Speedwagon
- 64AFlattering style for a dress or skirt
- 65AWhen it finds itself against a wall it gets plastered
Down
- 1DInitials for a destroyer, cruiser or battleship
- 2DTiny but annoying problem (that is not 13A)
- 3DGloomy youth sporting black clothes and eyeliner
- 4DRebar, for example
- 5DVision for a drunkard
- 6DPermissive Latvian?
- 7DFury
- 8DBoats made famous by J.F.K.
- 9DConcorde blueprint
- 10DAncient Egyptian kingdom once known as Kush
- 11DCoastal feature
- 12DProps for drivers
- 14DWhat you make when you don't make a dash
- 18DTons
- 20DAttend
- 23DAvailable as pales, browns, goldens and gingers
- 24DIce packs
- 25DDandies
- 26DLoughlin of "Full House" who tried to stack the deck
- 27DFlapjack heaven
- 29D"Great Brain" of the 40s
- 31D"___ Johnny!"
- 33DGolfer K.J.
- 34DHawaiian island
- 35DAgainst
- 38DMarvin and Majors
- 39DDishes, as a celeb allegedly does in an autobiography
- 41DStoker's sucker
- 43DCheese in a scarlet coat
- 44DLet the cat out of the bag
- 45D___ Curtis, hair care
- 47DFill with joy
- 48DKid's name (especially if he has his Poncho with him)
- 50DGlasgow girl
- 51DDr. Frankenstein's helper
- 52DWhat 50D might belong to
- 53DFed. agency of "choice"
- 54DHide in the forest?
- 56DAir head?
- 57DInternational health benchmark that's optimally under 25
- 59DPompeian blanket