Explanation: The four silly themers (I actually got a semi-pun in the clue of one!) contain AUTUM, which is almost the alternate name for fall. But it's just a bit short. That suggests FALL SHORT, the quasi-seasonal answer to our meta (confirmed by SEASON and MARTIN, or FALL and SHORT, in the first and last across entries). Have a great start to your autumn!
This has got to be one of the wildest coincidences ever!
Joe 8:39 · 8 months ago
As I sat there struggling with this week's MGWCC, along comes an email from you. Two metas to tackle in one day? How can I possibly? Turns out, I can possibly nail them both!
whimsy 12:36 · 8 months ago
Should have trusted in that 1.5 mention -- then I wouldn't have been at such "loose en(d)s" for so long. Tanks, Mikey!
Nice one. It was interesting that Benchen71 just had a “One Too Many” puzzle with a 15 x 16 grid (one too many columns?) and this “Not Quite Enough” puzzle had a 14 x 15 grid (not quite enough rows?). Coincidence or planned?
Lovely bit of fun, though after the first AUTUM I was trying to figure out how I had erred because it was not spelled right and then, as they say with the egg joke, it hit me. A Monday level meta with a Tuesday or Wednesday level fill. Fun and Phun.
Thanks Mike
Dave C 3s · 8 months ago
Saw the missing n right away and struggled a bit to find the right answer.
lbray53 2s · 8 months ago
I typed in SHORTFALL but happened to notice that I needed two words and that SHORTFALL did not work with the prompt so I changed to FALL SHORT. Nice!
HeadinHome 🤓1:28 · 8 months ago
If it were a FIVE-word answer, I’d say HAVE NO N IN SIGHT!
Tyrpmom 🤓17:11 · 8 months ago
Fun.
Qmark 7s · 8 months ago
wonderful...thanks Mikey!
Meta World Peace 5s · 8 months ago
With my first guess of FALL APART (not quite, but almost!) and your African literary reference at 20-A, I was all set to quip, "not by the hair of my chinny-chin-Chinua (Achebe)!" But then it all... fell apart. FALL SHORT is better anyway!