Investment banker turned freelance writer. Budding cruciverbalist venturing into meta-land.
Hint 1: There are 6 themed entries, which are easy to spot—they're all marked with parenthetical numbers. The longest across entry gives you a huge nudge as to what to do with them.
Hint 2: So what do the numbers in parentheses mean? They usually…
Hint 1: The longest grid answer and the title should point you in the right direction. Pay attention to that title!
Hint 2: Three clues and their corresponding grid answers make specific reference to the meta activity, yet have nothing to do with…