Well, this will be an interesting test. At time of construction the answer to this meta was still very much part of the zeitgeist. Will this be true in more than 12 months? Only time will tell! The answer to the meta is a 2-word phrase. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=188216#p188216
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here: https://www.ephesusscroll.com/about/interest4.html. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
Not quite sure how this puzzle came to be released. No matter: there are now two MOATs running concurrently this week!
MatthewL 🤓8:17 · 2024-12-10T22:11:05.712Z
Very cute. Google definitely came in handy. Thanks for the bonus puzzle, Ben!
KayW 🤓13:05 · 2024-12-10T23:02:58.469Z
Whew!!! Got a real google workout on this one, even tho I suspected where it was going after the first three themers. Thanks for the happy accident bonus puzzle, Ben!
Carolyn 2s · 2024-12-10T23:37:05.060Z
Thank you Mr. G! Now to figure out the other puzzle...
HeadinHome 🤓1:23 · 2024-12-11T16:52:08.059Z
Yep just had to look up the first few and was ready to guess. Some of these people I swear are too young to have adult children… aren’t they?? (I feel old.)
whimsy 12:05 · 2024-12-11T20:40:59.126Z
Wasn't really familiar with the expression (maybe I missed it? -- whoosh!) but it makes enough sense that I grokked it part way through the solve and it's kind of cute. Well, probably actually cuter when they were babies, like for instance, middle-aged Ben Stiller or Josh Brolin! Thanks for the bonus, Ben, even if it was a boo-boo!
Thought I had the answer after the 1st 4 and then "B" - so I kept on and soon saw. Nice puzzle with a fair amount of Mr. G. I might have gotten away with some gaps and filling in, but what is the fun in that. Thanks for TWO rounds of fun my Aussie cohort.