CROSSHARE
moreMenu
Profile

(D)coding (Meta)

◆ · By benchen71 · Published 2021-09-28T06:00:09.006Z

Meta Prompt
The answer to the meta is an ironic adjective
It's always hard for the meta crossword constructor to anticipate how difficult a meta puzzle will be. I think this is easier? he says, with a quizzical expression. Ah well, time will tell. Note that the answer to the meta is an adjective, an ironic adjective at that. Good luck! Answer and explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1217&start=20#p69565
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here: https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about/interest4.html. US$10 gives you access to 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game. You won't quite know what to expect: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, sometimes all of those, and sometimes none! One thing is for sure, these are some of the more creative metas my brain has been able to come up with. And there's more: this time there's a mega-meta!
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • sus solved 2021-09-28T18:51:36.933Z
  • markhr solved 2021-10-02T16:02:46.671Z
  • Laura M solved 2021-10-03T02:12:45.905Z
  • LuckyGuest solved 2021-10-03T13:04:56.285Z
  • Hector solved 2021-10-03T16:11:50.756Z
  • DIS solved 2022-01-27T17:38:42.616Z

Comments

Sign in with google to leave a comment of your own:

  • Mike D 7:23 · 2021-09-30T12:40:08.049Z
    I couldn't crack the meta, any chance at an explanation?
    • benchen71 constructor · 2021-09-30T22:19:24.572Z
      The use of brackets in the puzzle title and clue for 39 across implies that you ignore the D in COVID. What does COVI suggest, especially with two significant words close by?
    • Dan D 32:30 · 2021-09-30T15:22:28.010Z
      I don’t understand. Can someone please explain?
      • benchen71 constructor · 2021-09-30T22:20:07.843Z
        The use of brackets in the puzzle title and clue for 39 across implies that you ignore the D in COVID. What does COVI suggest, especially with two significant words close by?
        • Dan D 32:30 · 2021-10-02T01:20:11.320Z
          Sorry, but I still don’t follow.
          • benchen71 constructor · 2021-10-02T07:14:24.058Z
            My intention was for solvers to notice the ZERO and the ONE in close proximity on either side of COVID. Given that the D is to be ignored, C=ZERO, V=ONE. You'll still have to work out what to do with that, if you want to push through to the solution.
      • Laura M 🤓17:59 · 2021-10-03T02:16:53.605Z
        Got it with all the nudges! I'm a computer geek but not so much a linguist, so I completely missed the C/V significance until the last hint. I really liked it but the (D) in parentheses seemed to indicate that the D was more important rather than less.
        • LuckyGuest 3s · 2021-10-03T13:05:18.312Z
          Clever mechanism. Definitely needed the nudges
          • Hector 20:31 · 2021-10-03T16:13:20.377Z
            I can stop researching Ovid now. :-)
            • benchen71 constructor · 2021-10-03T22:04:14.783Z
              Only if you want to!
            Play today's daily mini crossword
            1A
            *By way of, for short
            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
            63
            64
            65
            66
            67
            68
            69
            70
            Across
            1. 1A
              *By way of, for short
            2. 5A
              Event hosts (abbr.)
            3. 8A
              Music media that I still prefer
            4. 11A
              Renoir's "Girl With ___"
            5. 12A
              Embedded spy
            6. 13A
              Political party member responsible for discipline
            7. 14A
              *Religious (but with a hint of moral superiority)
            8. 15A
              46 down, e.g.
            9. 16A
              "___ a care!"
            10. 17A
              Reaches an agreement (with "a deal")
            11. 18A
              Drew Barrymore movie, ___ After
            12. 19A
              Like a highway
            13. 20A
              Mansplain
            14. 22A
              Bowline, e.g.
            15. 24A
              *Neutral phonetic sound
            16. 27A
              Get your own back (with "revenge")
            17. 30A
              BFFs 4 ___!
            18. 33A
              "I Say A Little Prayer" writer, Warwick
            19. 35A
              Grammatical feature of verbs that allow speakers to show some attitude
            20. 37A
              "The end is ___!"
            21. 39A
              Cause of the current pandemic, and a hint for how to (d)code the starred entries
            22. 40A
              "O Lord, ___ to you..." (Ps. 141:1)
            23. 41A
              Nothing
            24. 42A
              Emphatic confirmation
            25. 44A
              Undivided
            26. 45A
              Internet slang for pirated software
            27. 47A
              *Jumps
            28. 49A
              Requirement of the Iditarod
            29. 51A
              American lizard
            30. 55A
              Given name of the star, creator, writer, director, and executive producer of Chad
            31. 58A
              Expression of great appreciation (and, yes, physical attraction)
            32. 61A
              Nickname for a Ford Zephyr or a Ford Zodiac, perhaps?
            33. 62A
              "Understood." (response to 7 down)
            34. 63A
              Digital assistant on some phones
            35. 64A
              *List with an order
            36. 65A
              Affixes (with "to")
            37. 66A
              Bread baker
            38. 67A
              People group of the Wissel Lakes area of West Papua, Indonesia
            39. 68A
              15 across fluid
            40. 69A
              "___, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." (Ps. 23:4)
            41. 70A
              *Mon ___!
            Down
            1. 1D
              Waters down
            2. 2D
              Catchy pop songs are full of them
            3. 3D
              Awakens
            4. 4D
              Opposite of downs
            5. 5D
              What Oliver asked for
            6. 6D
              Office worker
            7. 7D
              "Understand?" (question before 62 across)
            8. 8D
              Actor who does his own amazing stunts, Jackie ___
            9. 9D
              Seedy bar
            10. 10D
              Got a ticket
            11. 11D
              Capital of Samoa
            12. 12D
              Music video populariser (abbr.)
            13. 13D
              "I know you are, but ___!"
            14. 18D
              Make something more upstanding (but in America)
            15. 19D
              Bagel topping
            16. 21D
              Trip switch (abbr.)
            17. 23D
              "This flat tire ___."
            18. 25D
              What a 15 across is made of
            19. 26D
              Common name for the incus bone
            20. 28D
              Pixar movie that deals with mortality (actually, this is true of a lot of them!)
            21. 29D
              Rip ___ ("Men In Black" actor)
            22. 30D
              Tim & Neil Finn's band, Split ___
            23. 31D
              E. M. Forster novel, "A Room with a ___"
            24. 32D
              Site of the Taj Mahal
            25. 34D
              Brood of pheasants
            26. 36D
              Colouring substance
            27. 38D
              Game played with children that is murder on parents' knees
            28. 43D
              Dental X-ray of the upper and lower jaw (abbr.)
            29. 46D
              Stately shade provider
            30. 48D
              Music teaching method
            31. 50D
              First shot off a tee
            32. 52D
              A suffix in the names of plant families
            33. 53D
              South Pacific nation
            34. 54D
              Japanese name that means "bright" and "clever" (and possibly also "sky" and "tinkling sound")
            35. 55D
              Lice eggs on scalps
            36. 56D
              Land east of the Urals
            37. 57D
              Penetrate slowly
            38. 59D
              Length squared, for a square
            39. 60D
              Come out on top
            40. 63D
              Protein derived from beans
            41. 64D
              ...And that's my mathematical proof completed successfully (abbr.)
            Loading...