“It were ought six it were, and there was I hanging out in a Tangiers bar on a Sunday when it hit me; aye matey there’s a meta in here!”
Well you don’t have to be a Captain to solve this one, like many SSS puzzles it ought to almost solve itself if you watch for the right signs.
The answer is a 5 letter word for what people try to do with crucial information. So put your plan into operation and solve Operative Words.
NUDGE 1] As usual, Titles give so much away. But don’t lock yourself into a single definition
NUDGE 2] What was Tangiers historically known for? Besides being a den of thieves there was another group of people that hung out there and it made Tangiers a great meme for movies.
NUDGE 3] Symmetry, symmetry, symmetry
NUDGE 4] The in GRID nudge, particularly along with these other nudges, ought to give you a look behind the cloak (and dagger)
🅐🅟🅟🅐🅡🅔🅝🅣🅛🅨 🅜🅞🅡🅔 🅗🅔🅛🅟 🅘🅢 🅝🅔🅔🅓🅔🅓
Here is another nudge, well perhaps more of a shove:
NUDGE 5] The word you are looking for is 5 letters long therefore if you think you have a few of the theme answers look at their symmetrical positions. So 2 sets of two words in the same positions and one word in the position of main importance!!
𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝔼𝔸𝕃
Five different names for "Operatives" were among the answers, clued to "kinda" look like they brought you something, and one that was a nudge hint to the meta. Taking the first letter of each name gave you something people try to do with crucial information:
AGENT = A
MOLE = M
ASSET = A
SPYS = S
SCOUT = S
AMASS it