The answer to the meta is a word associated with writing and photography
In the Roman world mirrors would have been made from bronze, tin or silver, highly polished to reflect light. However, they would not have given the perfect reflections of mirrors of today. Hence, Paul's words in 1 Cor. 13:12: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (KJV) And now on with the meta, the answer to which is a word associated with writing and photography. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=127998#p127998
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Nice. I kept looking for Magritte, The False Mirror. Didn't find it.
DebbieC 🤓13:47 · 2023-04-25T14:01:07.174Z
Lovely puzzle. Fun themers. Could someone explain the C in GIFTACATFIN not being used in solution?
Hector 2s · 2023-04-25T15:11:33.501Z
The center letters in the 11-letter entries (C and A) are not used, presumably because they don't violate mirror symmetry. So maybe the ONCE at 67A has to be stretched a little to make sense.
What I don't entirely understand is the exact meaning of the last clue. We are looking for letters that don't match their reflections and so ... "once"? A single time? I'm just not parsing that correctly.
hoover 2s · 2023-04-25T17:36:25.131Z
The first clue ends with an ellipsis and the last clue begins with one. The first entry is ECHO and the last entry is ONCE. ECHOONCE also follows the near-palindrome pattern.
GIFTACATFIN has an odd number of letters so the center C is perfectly balanced. The (middle) A in STAREATRATS is the same. Odd letter phrases are often the lifeline of palindromists.
MatthewL 9:09 · 2023-04-25T14:14:36.233Z
Very clever. Grid a bit tougher than usual, but the payoff is nice. Thanks for the puzzle, Ben!
I K Snamhcok 2s · 2023-04-25T15:40:52.148Z
Thanks, Ben, for being not too tough on us after this weekend’s MGWCC and yesterday’s MMM.
I got there in the end, but it took a little rewriting and interpolating. I got into an ECHOONCE (since they are almost reverses of each other) hole. However, I'll take the solve since this weeks has not been a real productive one for me. Thanks Ben!
Cindy Heisler 3s · 2023-04-27T10:05:20.193Z
This took me longer than it should have because I got hung up on the C and A. Reading the comments below, I now understand the reasoning. Thanks, Ben.
JHSeeman 2s · 2023-04-27T18:21:53.718Z
Nice puzzle and meta. would have had it sooner except I was beating my head against the wall for the gaffney.