J. Michael once said, "Remember, there are always two sides to every story. Understanding is a three edged sword. Your side, their side and the truth in the middle. Get all the facts before you jump to conclusions." Hopefully, those helpful words will assist you as you jump into this meta puzzle. The answer to the meta is a story genre. Answer & explanation: https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?p=196552#p196552
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!
Yes, my access is off and on -- mostly off. Do I need to pay my rent?
Berto 2s · 2025-02-23T14:43:07.707Z
So I looked at this last night and assumed we needed to find “another side” to the three long grid entries. I found Card READER (2nd word in clue for 39d), Oui MARIE (2nd word in 21ac), Piano FORTE (2nd word in 70ac). Thought it was a bit complex for Sss so Ssslept on it.
Woke up, read Once Upon A Tme plus the other hints (Ferry Tails, head slap) and submitted (in more ways than one…)
Meg 2s · 2025-02-23T15:44:41.224Z
Lovely!
Cindy Heisler 2s · 2025-02-23T16:14:54.621Z
Late start this Sunday morning, but a quick solve. Thanks!
Took a bit, but eventually I saw the 1D/27D/50D sequence and it was simple from there. Thought for a second that it might be inferred, before I saw the sound-alikes. Thanks. :)
whimsy 🤓9:22 · 2025-02-23T17:54:13.700Z
You're a prince of a fellow, Ben! Thanks!
Teamdoubletow 3s · 2025-02-23T19:22:24.062Z
Thanks for the happy ending!
MatthewL 🤓5:25 · 2025-02-23T20:03:39.920Z
Ooof -- spent way, way too long trying to make this more difficult than it was. Thanks for the puzzle, Ben!
hoover 3s · 2025-02-23T18:44:20.523Z
I started to look at first the middle, then both sides and the middle, of the three longest entries, but when HOMOT and CHOROMEPOTR didn't yield anything, I was about to curse Ben because the SSS is supposed to be smooth sailing, and then I saw ONCEUPONATIME and FERRYTAILS. If there's more to it than that, I didn't see it.
I stared at the three long entries for far too long. If only there were a fairy tale about man who tunes the piano of a French princess. She pays him with her Amex card, and they lived . . well, you know.
Whoops, spelled it TAILS at first and it said NO, I was AGHAST! How could it not be Fairy Tales with ONCEUPON A TIME, HAPPILYEVERAFTER and FERRYTAILS...Oh, wait, if you spell it correctly it goes better. Obviously I was thinking of Satyrs, Merfolk and Dragons with their tails! By the way, having not read "Hitchhiker's GUide" I had NO idea there was a VOGSPHERE, how, well, enchanting.
Thanks Ben
HeadinHome 3:13 · 2025-02-25T00:37:23.266Z
had to check puzzle cuz i can’t spell marmaset (marmoset). I mean, it’s not “marmolade” right?? Of course I do know it’s Togo not toga… that was dumb. Thanks for the fun!
Shout-out for Yaa Gyasi at 30-A; her two novels ("Homegoing" and "Transcendent Kingdom") are both modern-day masterpieces.
Thanks for the puzzle! And the cruciverbalists lived happily ever after! (With only the occasional cross word.)
ReB 4s · 2025-02-25T21:03:23.410Z
Took a fresh look at the puzzle now before going to the nudges and suddenly saw what was going on when I looked down at the left side in sequence. Everything else then quickly fell into place within seconds. Like others, I had been overly complicating matters before then.