The path from meta idea to the grid you see before you was not exactly an easy one. Let's just say that it really helps if you spell things correctly in your rough notes! Suffice to say the end result should be a good "week 3" meta. There might be some tricky entries in the grid, but I've endeavoured to provide you with assistance in the other direction. The answer to the meta is a musical genre. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=118391#p118391
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here: https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about/interest4.html. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
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Comments
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Laura M 🤓11:24 · over 2 years ago
Good one! Also love the books referenced in 60A and 44D.
Reminds me of when my little sister was about 10 years old and somehow we trying to discuss what the word "Sappy" meant and she finally said "Oh, I know. It's a mixture of SAD and HAPPY". And dang if she wasn't right.
Tough grid - I think the DOS or Homeland Security issues visas in the US and I never would (never did) get FSA (assuming Full Speed Ahead) for that clue. I kept putting in ASA and with the DOS I kept wondering why ALLAORST was enthusiasm, I gave up an figured it was an Aussie thing since I had the puzzle solved by then. Fun idea for the meta though, as per usual, and not to overly taxing (though I am lucky I decided to write down the REAL words of the PORTMANTEAUS. Now the real interesting part is the word itself which means "stiff leather trunk or valise". Given that "coat" in French is a manteau and a Porte-manteau is a coat rack, one wonders if portmanteau came about to name somehting one carries one's coats in when travelling? Gotta love language.
Qmark 4s · over 2 years ago
Thanks Ben! Let it "simmer" for a few days...when I came back to it, the mechanism appeared. :)