69. Let's Meet After Work

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September is here! It does mean that summer is unofficially ending, so this is the last puzzle in the Summer of Solves. We will still go back to puzzles on a bimonthly basis, and the next one will go live Saturday, September 16 at 1 pm ET.

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1. Puzzle #68 answer: ABIDE

Correct entries: 49 (tying last week, with about 20 or so likely solo solves).

Shortest explanation, which is still a bit involved: The five longest across entries, with one letter changed, would contain within them five consecutive letters of the alphabet. (For instance, SUPERSTAR would have PQRST if the E were changed to a Q). 

All changes (with new/old letter)

SUPQRSTAR (QE)

DEFGHTON (FI)

THIJKLIKEACAT (JN)

FIRSTUVE (UA)

BCDEFAULT (CY)

The new letter and replaced letter start and end five other 5-letter words in the grid. Their order, from top to bottom, JOANN, UMBRA, QUITE, CADDY, FIERI. We already have "used" the start and end letters of these, but the middle letters spell ABIDE, the contest answer and one of the few single 5-letter words (ABODE is the other I found) that share the property in question: when one letter is changed to another, a string of five consecutive letters of the alphabet forms: ABCDE, in this case!

The main question I had on this, which was fair, was why the center letters are used; I thought this was a legitimate mechanism, as nothing directly states the initial letters always have to spell the answer. In retrospect, I might have included some entry or directive that indicated to look toward the center.

Onward!

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2. Leaderboard (I know I'm still behind. This should be finalized by the time the next puzzle drops!)

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3. This is the first Saturday in September and, indeed, we have a cool-down lap of a Level 1 to close out the Summer of Solves.

Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful!

Mikey G

The answer to the meta is what you did to solve it (but not really).