Madhatter5 constructed a number of cryptic crosswords back in the day which I very much enjoyed solving. However, he rarely (if ever?) included them in his MEOW series, probably because cryptics are not to everyone's taste - and they aren't usually metas, either. Well, allow me to rectify that! The answer to the meta is a girl's name. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=144324#p144323
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!
I will include an explanation for all clues when I post the answer next week!
SamKat9 24:01 · 2023-10-04T15:15:00.592Z
Thank you! :)
I K Snamhcok 🤓25:21 · 2023-10-04T15:00:58.162Z
I’m a cryptics doer, Ben, so this was in my wheelhouse. Thanks!
Hector 20:28 · 2023-10-04T15:55:25.519Z
A Sunday morning constant for many years was hunting down the hidden NINAs in Al Hirshfeld's drawings in the NYTimes
Cindy Heisler 2s · 2023-10-04T17:13:30.103Z
I almost didn't attempt this because it was cryptic. I am not usually very good at those. But, to my surprise, I filled in the grid fairly quickly. This was a fun one. Hopefully, I am climbing my way out of the meta slump that I have been in. Thanks, Ben!
Nice! I love cryptics, so I hope there will be more coming. The trick will be finding a unique metanism. ;) Thanks, Ben!
Meg 2s · 2023-10-04T17:38:08.786Z
So well-hidden! I’m impressed!
Laura M 🤓33:52 · 2023-10-04T19:14:30.152Z
I actually did the cryptic (in 34 minutes) without help, and understood it, a first for me! The meta took even longer but eventually I saw it, very nice "hidden in plain sight" mechanism.
YEESH! I know it always surprises folks but I am NOT good at these at all. I had to reveal at least a third. The solve was easy because that is an old Hatter trick.
Ergcat 28:30 · 2023-10-04T21:38:28.944Z
Finally! Read between the lines….
Fun to do a cryptic puzzle ( can’t believe I said that) and clever meta tie-in! Thanks, Ben!
Ergcat 28:30 · 2023-10-05T18:33:48.692Z
I also realized later that the meta prompt is (sort of) a cryptic hint to the answer. Word for "girl" in Spanish is NINA. And you had a couple of Spanish word clues in the grid. My guess is you already know that and it was intended hint. Clever!
Nice to be challenged slightly differently -- Thanks, Ben! Quite a trick to get that whole message into the grid so adroitly.
KayW 19:31 · 2023-10-06T19:59:45.943Z
Very well constructed!
ReB 3s · 2023-10-07T02:20:24.425Z
Enjoyed the cryptic cluing, Got all but the uncrossed squares for 3D and 26D, which unfortunately kept me from seeing the cryptic message without nudging. Ingenious idea.
i am certainly not the expert here, but i think cryptic hardliners would cry foul at 1d (no way to disambiguate) and definitely 26d (indirect anagrams are a huge no-no in the community i was in... to them i say "get gud"... to which they say to me "bruh, we're already leagues above you, get out and stop ruining our vibe"... to which i say, "... yeah, ok"). but it was still a good puzzle (no surprise there), with some fun and novel ideas for clues (maybe some which could use a little refinement, but thats personal taste), and of course a genius well-crafted meta
I don't normally get my puzzles checked by anyone - just create and publish, that's my motto! - but I should probably have had my cryptic clues edited by someone familiar with the genre. If there's a next time, I'll keep you in mind! ;-)