This was one of those night-time meta ideas that pop into your head while you are supposed to be sleeping. While it's not like my usual metas, I think you will still enjoy it. The answer to the meta is a three-word phrase. Answer and explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=102224#p102224
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!
Once I figured out to eliminate the two ends and just use the corners, I generated a phrase that seemed plausible, though I hadn't heard it before - and it proved correct. The closest American phrase I think would be "on the mend" - as in after an accident. Glad I had the mechanism all along.