The answer to the meta is a four word phrase that means "completely"
So yes: this grid is going to be tricky. And yes: the meta might be on the difficult side, too. But persevere! I've provided a few pointers here and there, so hopefully you will find your way to the answer which is a four word phrase that means "completely". Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=134495#p134495
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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Leaderboard (updated hourly)
markhr solved 2023-06-27T07:54:36.049Z
rjy solved 2023-06-27T11:34:44.598Z
Hector solved 2023-06-27T11:59:25.191Z
hoover solved 2023-06-27T12:25:07.183Z
boharr solved 2023-06-27T12:47:37.767Z
Meg solved 2023-06-27T15:02:34.319Z
Cindy Weatherman solved 2023-06-27T15:05:18.352Z
I K Snamhcok solved 2023-06-27T15:16:06.598Z
MatthewL solved 2023-06-27T16:10:49.131Z
Ergcat solved 2023-06-27T17:01:12.911Z
heidi solved 2023-06-27T17:33:11.291Z
THC solved 2023-06-27T18:14:21.929Z
KayW solved 2023-06-27T20:12:04.867Z
Pair O Ducks solved 2023-06-27T20:44:49.008Z
CPJohnson solved 2023-06-27T22:10:37.160Z
lbray53 solved 2023-06-27T22:38:23.193Z
imontoo solved 2023-06-27T22:55:00.340Z
HeadinHome solved 2023-06-27T23:31:49.426Z
SeamusOL solved 2023-06-27T23:43:42.823Z
SirMrGuy solved 2023-06-27T23:49:15.443Z
Mr Tex solved 2023-06-28T01:31:42.230Z
ReB solved 2023-06-28T02:04:43.090Z
DrTom solved 2023-06-28T02:51:01.290Z
whimsy solved 2023-06-28T02:55:44.107Z
Darrell solved 2023-06-28T03:00:43.446Z
ajk solved 2023-06-28T03:14:00.312Z
Berto solved 2023-06-28T03:14:51.277Z
Spid4567 solved 2023-06-28T03:38:00.086Z
Carolyn solved 2023-06-28T04:09:20.943Z
Tyrpmom solved 2023-06-28T04:20:58.873Z
PuzNewbie solved 2023-06-28T04:40:39.989Z
Dow Jones solved 2023-06-28T04:54:22.780Z
BarbaraK solved 2023-06-28T11:04:40.976Z
JM solved 2023-06-28T12:25:42.021Z
Cindy Heisler solved 2023-06-28T14:11:22.635Z
florawynn solved 2023-06-28T15:00:16.832Z
DebbieC solved 2023-06-28T15:51:23.539Z
JHSeeman solved 2023-06-28T15:59:11.846Z
alex solved 2023-06-28T17:17:37.938Z
Alex Sisti solved 2023-06-28T19:04:03.533Z
kurtalert solved 2023-06-28T19:40:09.156Z
jbird solved 2023-06-29T01:18:35.430Z
frostyjhammer solved 2023-06-29T03:51:32.129Z
woozy solved 2023-06-29T04:06:25.204Z
rayyandroid solved 2023-06-29T18:21:00.958Z
Capn Rick solved 2023-06-29T19:16:33.579Z
Coruscare solved 2023-06-30T15:16:23.393Z
Jaclyn solved 2023-06-30T22:13:17.258Z
sledge solved 2023-07-02T00:34:24.407Z
DIS solved 2023-07-06T18:40:28.599Z
ChrisCross solved 2023-07-20T01:59:11.918Z
Darth solved 2023-08-07T20:30:53.301Z
Comments
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rjy 2s · 2023-06-27T11:53:25.283Z
Enjoyed it, Ben, and wow, that’s quite the amount of theme material (plus hints) to constrain your construction. It ‘Twas Nicely Done!
hoover 4s · 2023-06-27T12:28:07.238Z
Nicely done! I thought you might be going for FROM A TO ZED or FROM SOUP TO NUTS, and I started looking at the tops and bottoms and lefts and rights, and was a little disappointed when the NW-SE diagonal didn't yield anything of interest. You sly dog, you! Story of my life: I correctly filled GRACIOSO but not ESME. I kinda thought ESHE looked weird, but ...
markhr 🤓24:18 · 2023-06-27T14:19:31.440Z
That was quite a bit of thematic stuff to work in. I guess we can overlook the occasional 58D. Well done.
Hmm, I just use the Windows and . keys to bring up the emoji screen which will let me type or anything else.
I K Snamhcok 2s · 2023-06-27T15:16:55.853Z
Neat-o! Thanks, Ben!
MatthewL 🤓10:18 · 2023-06-27T16:13:22.693Z
Nice one, Ben! Tough grid. Clever meta, with lots of clues to get you there, one way or the other. Thanks!
Ergcat 17:32 · 2023-06-27T17:06:17.585Z
After checking “top to bottom” and “left to right “ saw the clue at 51a “High F” and decided to check the diagonals starting with that “F” in upper right ( High F?). And there it was…. Very clever construction!
I don't think I intended 51A as a hint. But I'm glad it helped!
THC 🤓2:59 · 2023-06-27T18:15:17.392Z
Thanks, Ben!
KayW 🤓10:56 · 2023-06-27T20:12:55.633Z
Very clever!! No wonder you had issues completing this grid. Thanks, Ben!
imontoo 2s · 2023-06-27T22:56:59.615Z
Good times, Ben. Thanks.
I get a chuckle from fills like 58D.
HeadinHome 🤓6:18 · 2023-06-27T23:37:13.763Z
The grid was, as you said, quite bumpy and googly, but the meta seemed perfectly logical and solvable, with some thought! I like that kind of challenge. The diagonal hiccup at “M” is understandable, given the geometry (diagonal based on # of letters across and down needed one extra square). Thanks for the fun!
ReB 3s · 2023-06-28T02:30:33.510Z
Actually there were two "hiccups" that Ben placed symmetrically: one at the first "M" and the other at the last "N". Quite remarkable that he could do that symmetrically. And after reading the nudges, I discovered that I had also missed the significance of 8A and 72A, as my intuition from seeing the two long answers crossing in the middle along with 76A had already directed me as to both the probable mechanism (diagonals) and the most likely answer. Very tight internal construction there.
HeadinHome 🤓6:18 · 2023-06-27T23:38:41.585Z
Also - just read the comment about the high F…. cute!
ReB 3s · 2023-06-28T02:18:32.819Z
With HeadingHome's encouragement in the forum, I gave the puzzle one more shot before checking the nudges, and in checking the diagonals once again, I finally spotted the correct one, which contained the answer that I was expecting. The hints were very pertinent and effective in revving my meta intuition (though I missed that "High F" was a hint). Nicely played there.
Needed the nudges I am afraid. Its funny because I thought about a word search and looked diagonally but looked the wrong way LL to UR and UL to LR but was looking in straight lines. But of COURSE you have to go from top to bottom and left to right (I don't know if RIGHT TO LEFT would have helped me anymore than what was there did). Nice mechanism that I was completely blind to. Thanks Ben
Actually, you do have to go from right to left, unlike the long down entry which said FROMLEFTTORIGHT.
whimsy 17:04 · 2023-06-28T03:21:57.176Z
Fun following the trail --
Thank you, Ben!
Berto 5:46 · 2023-06-28T03:25:50.042Z
The little kinks in the diagonal threw me. I’ve got into bad habits of solving on my phone - pencil and paper helps me “see” things more clearly, but lame excuse for being completely stumped (as I hope Smith, Khawaja, and Labuschagne will be at Lord’s this week lol)
Jacob's first wife who, according to Gen. 29:17, had "weak eyes"
22A
Avicii's genre, for short
23A
Sound that implies I will shortly have to patch my bike's tire
24A
Talk to the divine
26A
Greeting in Rio
28A
"Thor: Love and Thunder" actress, ___ Thompson
32A
"The Matrix" protagonist
34A
Uniform adornments
36A
Beneath
38A
Abbr. for a building safety measure that involves three numbers: structural adequacy, integrity, and insulation
39A
Hawaiian dish
40A
Completely, as in a search
44A
Granola grain
45A
Japanese telecommunications company (abbr.)
46A
No later than
47A
Clown or jester in Spanish comedy of the 16th century
50A
Fortnite, for example (abbr.)
51A
Apparently, Paul McCartney hit the ___ in "Hey Jude" without using falsetto
52A
Dr. of hip-hop
54A
Cast-of-thousands film
57A
Three, on a sundial
59A
Annoy
61A
Nose-in-the-air type
63A
Central thoroughfare in most towns
66A
Determination
68A
When repeated, an English post-punk band led by Matt Johnson
69A
"___ on TV"
70A
"___ it going?"
71A
When repeated three times, a Scottish rock band best known for their cover of "Love Is All Around" which was used in the film "Four Weddings and a Funeral"
72A
Brought things to a close
73A
Journey
74A
Answer to the question posed by the puzzle's title
Down
1D
Robert Crawley, ___ of Grantham ("Downton Abbey" character)
2D
"To ___ - perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub!"
3D
"Monsters Inc." studio
4D
Disco ___ (Simpsons character)
5D
Count Olaf's girlfriend, ___ Squalor
6D
Person in the background of a holiday snap, slangily
7D
Completely, as in reading
8D
Some HDTV screens
9D
Mocedades hit that came second in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest
10D
Someone in distress, perhaps
11D
SMS expression of disbelief (you don't believe me? oh, come on!)
12D
Language over the Channel from Eng.
13D
Fleeting fashion
21D
Gap competitor with a red logo
25D
Throw, in Gen Z speak
27D
Take it like ___
29D
Latin prefix that means seven
30D
Bar seat
31D
Actor who plays Abel in Netflix's "The Sandman", ___ Chaudhry
33D
University of Maine town
35D
Book of photos
36D
Arrow poison (var.)
37D
Reason why you can't identify someone in a Facebook photo, perhaps
40D
Person of lower intelligence who despite former advice repeats their mistakes (according to Urban Dictionary, so it's definitely slang)
41D
Returning GI's diagnosis
42D
Treater's words
43D
Sporty car roofs
48D
Big name in disposable tableware
49D
"___ one more [insert over-used meme title here]..."
53D
Faux pas
55D
Bisected
56D
Songwriter, Leonard ___
58D
Acronym for Information Technology Not Detected, that I just this moment coined because the grid was becoming impossible to fill