A Practical Joke
◆ · By Devoid · Published about 1 year ago
Meta Prompt
Four thematic across entries have one letter omitted in the grid. Two down entries have the same four-letter word omitted in the grid. Once all clues have been solved, this word appears in the grid and should be replaced by the four letters absent from the thematic across clues. This completes the puzzle and reveals the theme (5,5). The meta answer is the paradoxical phrase which describes the removal of the four-letter sequence from the puzzle (5,2,2,4). All cross-references use answers to the clues, rather than grid-entries.
Since this is a bit complicated, here are some optional hints:
Hint 1: none of the thematic across clues mentioned above have cross-references.
Hint 2: however, some of them are cross-referenced by other clues.
Hint 3: you’ve probably already seen the word that gets removed from those down entries today.
Hint 4: those down entries are placed in the grid symmetrically.
Hint 5: the thematic word that gets revealed appears on a diagonal.
Ready to get started?
to save your puzzle progress/stats
This is a contest/meta puzzle. To submit your answer, first finish solving the grid (or reveal it if you get stuck or solved offline).