It's always hard for the meta crossword constructor to anticipate how difficult a meta puzzle will be. I think this is easier? he says, with a quizzical expression. Ah well, time will tell. Note that the answer to the meta is an adjective, an ironic adjective at that. Good luck! Answer and explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=1217&start=20#p69565
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!
The use of brackets in the puzzle title and clue for 39 across implies that you ignore the D in COVID. What does COVI suggest, especially with two significant words close by?
The use of brackets in the puzzle title and clue for 39 across implies that you ignore the D in COVID. What does COVI suggest, especially with two significant words close by?
My intention was for solvers to notice the ZERO and the ONE in close proximity on either side of COVID. Given that the D is to be ignored, C=ZERO, V=ONE. You'll still have to work out what to do with that, if you want to push through to the solution.
Laura M 🤓17:59 · 2021-10-03T02:16:53.605Z
Got it with all the nudges! I'm a computer geek but not so much a linguist, so I completely missed the C/V significance until the last hint. I really liked it but the (D) in parentheses seemed to indicate that the D was more important rather than less.