The Outer Limits
Print Puzzle
Download .puz File
Account / Settings
Construct a Puzzle
Profile

The Outer Limits

· By Mikey G

Meta Prompt
[Level 3] The answer to the meta, an 11-letter adjective illustrated by the grid, is what I hope you find this puzzle to be.
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

  • oldjudge solved 2023-08-19T17:01:31.339Z
  • Hector solved 2023-08-19T17:12:48.663Z
  • BrennerTJ solved 2023-08-19T17:22:01.566Z
  • KayW solved 2023-08-19T17:31:37.544Z
  • Philip Chow solved 2023-08-19T17:38:39.215Z
  • merlinnimue solved 2023-08-19T17:42:00.575Z
  • FrankieHeck solved 2023-08-19T17:42:31.576Z
  • Pair O Ducks solved 2023-08-19T18:14:36.496Z
  • Cindy Weatherman solved 2023-08-19T19:00:56.327Z
  • Meg solved 2023-08-19T19:03:38.426Z
  • spotter solved 2023-08-19T19:05:40.293Z
  • boharr solved 2023-08-19T19:30:26.216Z
  • CPJohnson solved 2023-08-19T23:44:48.002Z
  • I K Snamhcok solved 2023-08-20T00:47:00.098Z
  • Cindy Heisler solved 2023-08-20T01:02:35.260Z
  • benchen71 solved 2023-08-20T12:32:16.719Z
  • Abide solved 2023-08-20T12:46:08.150Z
  • Bob J solved 2023-08-20T12:57:51.598Z
  • Schmeel solved 2023-08-20T17:48:41.719Z
  • Darth solved 2023-08-20T19:59:43.642Z
  • MatthewL solved 2023-08-20T21:41:22.626Z
  • markhr solved 2023-08-20T21:49:17.553Z
  • woozy solved 2023-08-21T01:47:42.980Z
  • DJB solved 2023-08-21T12:16:25.847Z
  • Myelbow solved 2023-08-21T14:14:09.595Z
  • JM solved 2023-08-22T22:23:12.758Z
  • BarbaraK solved 2023-08-23T03:12:08.805Z
  • Berto solved 2023-08-23T08:20:13.847Z
  • Laura M solved 2023-08-23T16:34:12.448Z
  • DIS solved 2023-08-23T16:35:29.946Z
  • JR solved 2023-08-23T18:46:25.000Z
  • andeux solved 2023-08-23T19:50:56.559Z
  • lbray53 solved 2023-08-23T21:05:39.790Z
  • hoover solved 2023-08-23T21:44:52.452Z
  • SamKat9 solved 2023-08-24T00:27:28.811Z
  • Toast solved 2023-08-24T00:40:00.346Z
  • Katiedid solved 2023-08-24T01:31:55.740Z
  • kurtalert solved 2023-08-24T14:18:11.855Z
  • Cate C solved 2023-08-24T16:30:00.457Z
  • DrTom solved 2023-08-24T22:47:15.908Z
  • Tyrpmom solved 2023-08-24T23:22:55.737Z
  • whimsy solved 2023-08-25T01:29:25.313Z
  • rjy solved 2023-08-25T02:08:04.790Z
  • ReB solved 2023-08-25T02:40:43.648Z
  • Darrell solved 2023-08-25T04:04:44.397Z
  • Qmark solved 2023-08-25T22:03:08.010Z
  • Capn Rick solved 2023-08-26T01:47:14.959Z
  • Joe solved 2023-08-26T02:58:54.548Z
  • Tom Wilson solved 2023-08-26T14:42:25.164Z
  • Bbaack solved 2023-08-27T23:09:55.112Z

Comments

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

  • oldjudge 3s · 2023-08-19T17:04:44.580Z
    Great job, Mikey! Thanks for the boundless joy your puzzles bring.
    • KayW 🤓6:46 · 2023-08-19T17:32:19.165Z
      OMG!!! what a brilliant puzzle. I saw all the EDGEs and it took me a while to come up with an 11-letter adjective to fit.
      • merlinnimue 🤓5:07 · 2023-08-19T17:51:21.447Z
        nice one as usual... spotted the metanism early on but couldn't pin down the exact phrase (i tried double-edged and edge-trimmed first)... then i ran down another rabbit hole seeing other possibilities for the edges (like zone/cruz or sin/bans & din/band)... i feel like theres a recent trend in puzzles that are *suggestive* of the meta instead of pinning it exactly, which makes it harder for a dumdum like me, but i guess i just gotta get good (or at least mediocre, fingers crossed)
        • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-26T16:14:22.312Z
          Yeah, this was a bit different in that regard; I think Wendy Walker (from Muggles) has distinguished them as visual metas and...I forget the other term but metas that directly spell the answer out. Thanks for solving!
          • DrTom 5s · 2023-08-27T11:46:30.168Z
            My term is implicit versus explicit. To me a visual meta is one where something shows up, like the 8 ball one or "They turn into Superheroes"
        • Philip Chow 🤓9:54 · 2023-08-19T17:40:31.491Z
          "sign of summer?" was so devious... i was like why doesn't LEO fit?! also, the rita ora and ana de armas reference... so true!! 😂
          • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-26T16:14:53.987Z
            Funny about that: I clued the ORA clue like that without knowing ANA was coming up...and then quickly scanned and said, "Okay, perfect." 🤣
          • boharr 3s · 2023-08-19T19:34:35.713Z
            Cutting edge is two words.
            • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-19T22:58:16.181Z
              As an adjective, it is technically hyphenated!
              • boharr 3s · 2023-08-20T01:26:37.976Z
                Thanks for the puzzle.
              • Abide 🤓9:15 · 2023-08-20T12:49:39.850Z
                Merriam-Webster has the noun as two words and the adjective as hyphenated. So technically correct but maybe unnecessarily devious. (My second submission was “There’s no friggin edge 🙀”)
                • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-20T13:30:36.932Z
                  I'm allowed to be sneaky now and again, haha.
              • I K Snamhcok 2s · 2023-08-20T00:48:52.433Z
                Edgy! And I love it! I needed some help, but even with that, it was a very enjoyable solve. Thanks, Mikey! I hope the Cubs make the post-season!
                • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-22T13:39:47.896Z
                  And if they do, I will be on edge!
                • Darth 13:35 · 2023-08-20T20:00:46.079Z
                  This puzzle is a bit edgy! :P Thanks, Mikey!
                  • MatthewL 8:48 · 2023-08-20T21:43:48.080Z
                    Well, I got it, but only with a couple of strong nudges. Nice feat of construction!
                    • woozy 10:42 · 2023-08-21T01:48:00.928Z
                      ha, ha, ha, ha
                      • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-26T16:15:40.684Z
                        My thoughts exactly!
                        • woozy 10:42 · 2023-08-26T19:13:46.599Z
                          This really was a masterful construction! I'm a bit miffed that I didn't consider that an 11-letter adjective could be a compound hyphen and I needed Ben to give me a nudge to my question "So it's just word play and this point, right, I need to find a pun-ish adjective that means something about cutting edges or something like that, right?"
                          A very very ingenuous construction.
                      • Berto 🤓3:00 · 2023-08-23T08:23:49.281Z
                        I needed some gentle pushing through this one, found the metanism, but only after being told the answer was hyphenated did it come to me (immediately). Guess that will be the final nudge thrown out?! Reminded me of Look Both Ways! Thanks Mikey!
                        • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-26T16:16:12.188Z
                          I was torn about putting "hyphenated" in the prompt. Probably should have in retrospect. Yeah, this was made before that one but always fun when the connections come into play like that!!
                        • Laura M 🤓7:32 · 2023-08-23T16:39:19.653Z
                          I thought my first guess of "educational" (edge-ucational) wasn't too bad! But I needed nudge #7 to finally get to the correct adjective. None of the 11-letter word lists I was looking at included hyphens...
                          • kurtalert 🤓5:06 · 2023-08-24T14:20:00.210Z
                            Great puzzle! I initially had a zillion surplus Es around the edges but it took a bit to notice other letters that fit patterns. The hardest part of the puzzle may have been not realizing that cuttingedge has ever been thought of as one word! LOL. It's a perfect answer, though, given the metanism.
                            • whimsy 🤓8:51 · 2023-08-25T01:41:25.422Z
                              Same here. I had only Es -- 22 of them -- and was trying to imagine what that depicted -- a picket fence? Only with the nudge about a 4 letter word, over and over, could I work it out. Glad I did because it was quite the puzzle! Thanks, Mikey!
                              • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-26T16:16:44.946Z
                                Yeah, I know this one doesn't have as immediate of a "click" that we'd want, and that could leave you...on edge (had to).
                            • DrTom 5s · 2023-08-24T22:55:40.435Z
                              Well that was (1) difficult (2) brilliant. You have no idea how many different combos of E??E I had (lots will ALMOST work). Then I had a mental block because I could not make the three row parts work out until I realized that making the E the last in the row and first in the column satisfied it (as I say. mental block). Even when I had it I submitted the wrong answer because I was sure that it would be, like the puzzle itself, cutting edge. Obviously LEADING edge was better, but cutting edge describes it to a T. I'm not even going to guess how long this took to make. I have an idea how you did it but I am sure I would not have had the patience to. My constructor AND solver hats are both tipped to you sir!
                              • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-26T16:17:44.442Z
                                This one did take a bit! I made it earlier this year. Would've liked a bit cleaner fill in the middle of the grid, but some of that was necessary to accommodate things like PRESSON(E) and CLEMENT(E), I think. Thank you for your kind words!!
                              • Tyrpmom 2s · 2023-08-24T23:25:39.023Z
                                Geesh that was a struggle, but I love the answer.
                                • ReB 3s · 2023-08-25T02:47:01.748Z
                                  Brilliant to be able to surround the entire puzzle with the same repeated word. Was close to finding edge after the second set of nudges, knew the first and letter letter had to be E, but couldn't quite find the other two letters. Nudge eight forced me to find the correct positioning of the word, and then I realized that it had to be EDGE, which of course made total sense in retrospect. Not many candidates for an 11-letter adjective after that, and CUTTING seemed the most appropriate beginning based on the title.
                                  • Mikey G constructor · 2023-08-26T16:18:51.072Z
                                    Yeah, when you have "EDGE" at the end, and you realize they are disappearing and that I was "cutting" them...that's pretty much what you need!
                                  • Qmark 3s · 2023-08-25T22:05:16.325Z
                                    Thanks Mikey! I had the metanism of the missing letters around the outside but got stuck trying to use "ET"s everywhere...which of course kept me stuck in a rabbit hole. Need the second set of nudges (not the 3rd) to let me know it was the same 4 letter word in all places to help me find the path to the finish line.
                                    • Capn Rick 8:58 · 2023-08-26T01:49:42.683Z
                                      Thanks, Mikey! I had "edge" a long time ago, but I needed all your nudges to get the "cutting" part. I should've figured it out. Great construction!
                                      • Joe 🤓7:15 · 2023-08-26T03:00:20.749Z
                                        I figured out EDGE pretty soon after solving the grid, but couldn't get there until the nudges! Nice job, as always.
                                        • Sendhil Revuluri 🤓5:00 · 2023-10-02T20:42:03.361Z
                                          If anyone can point me to an explanation of the meta, I'd appreciate it!
                                          1A
                                          Helpful contacts
                                          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
                                          Across
                                          1. 1A
                                            Helpful contacts
                                          2. 4A
                                            Film trailer?
                                          3. 8A
                                            Rockies, on scoreboards
                                          4. 11A
                                            Place for a pin, perhaps
                                          5. 12A
                                            "White Heron" author Sarah ___ Jewett
                                          6. 13A
                                            "Bravo!"
                                          7. 14A
                                            Her last name in a Tennessee Williams play is Kowalski
                                          8. 16A
                                            "Stormy Weather" songwriter Harold
                                          9. 18A
                                            Org. at ORD
                                          10. 19A
                                            Together, musically
                                          11. 20A
                                            Larger-life connection
                                          12. 22A
                                            Ironing is hard work, but I have to ___
                                          13. 25A
                                            Long period of time that's an anagram of 41-Across
                                          14. 26A
                                            Place to serve
                                          15. 27A
                                            Concerning abbr.?
                                          16. 28A
                                            Short Line, for one, for short
                                          17. 29A
                                            Kelsey from the Las Vegas Aces and a certain Professor (Get a Clue!)
                                          18. 30A
                                            Back
                                          19. 31A
                                            Padded envelopes
                                          20. 33A
                                            Oodles upon oodles
                                          21. 34A
                                            Perfect flowers to buy for Mother's Day
                                          22. 35A
                                            Summer DC hours
                                          23. 36A
                                            Run out
                                          24. 38A
                                            It's often seen when it's cold
                                          25. 41A
                                            Number that's an anagram of 25-Across
                                          26. 42A
                                            Org. behind the Final Four, Elite Eight, Sweet Sixteen, and Thriving Thirty-Two (okay, I made that one up)
                                          27. 44A
                                            French vineyard
                                          28. 45A
                                            "Gnarly!"
                                          29. 46A
                                            Shades of summer
                                          30. 47A
                                            Term of endearment that sounds like 40-Down
                                          Down
                                          1. 1D
                                            Ancient pre-text communications (from, like, 2004)
                                          2. 2D
                                            See 8-Down
                                          3. 3D
                                            "Word Freak" author Fatsis
                                          4. 4D
                                            "The Big Easy," familiarly
                                          5. 5D
                                            British singer Rita that cruciverbalists love just as much as actress Ana de Armas of "Knives Out"
                                          6. 6D
                                            Helpful contact
                                          7. 7D
                                            What I would want all of my students to be (even though I teach math!)
                                          8. 8D
                                            2-Down and his daughter
                                          9. 9D
                                            "Bravo!"
                                          10. 10D
                                            Late, great "Dancing with the Stars" judge Goodman
                                          11. 15D
                                            Hookup in the office?
                                          12. 17D
                                            Ferric oxide, basically
                                          13. 19D
                                            Jack-in-the-pulpits, e.g. (the middle three letters of this entry are a beverage)
                                          14. 20D
                                            A monomial has exactly one
                                          15. 21D
                                            Bar mitzvah highlight
                                          16. 22D
                                            Decants
                                          17. 23D
                                            College course in which you'd find ketones and aldehydes, briefly
                                          18. 24D
                                            Night light
                                          19. 26D
                                            Merciful
                                          20. 29D
                                            Sign of summer?
                                          21. 30D
                                            Join
                                          22. 32D
                                            Repaired a damaged wing, especially in a hawk (or "acted like a rapscallion," I guess)
                                          23. 33D
                                            A summer drink for a musician is band-___
                                          24. 35D
                                            "Dead Ball" and "Good Feelings," for two
                                          25. 36D
                                            Rory's mom's nickname on "Gilmore Girls"
                                          26. 37D
                                            Actress de Armas of "Knives Out" (see, told you)
                                          27. 38D
                                            Embargo
                                          28. 39D
                                            Cambodian string instrument, using three of four of the letters in ROTE in some order
                                          29. 40D
                                            Barbarian that sounds like 47-Across
                                          30. 43D
                                            Abbr. for the second-largest country and third-largest state
                                          Loading...