78. Level One
Hello hello! Happy 2024!
Now awaits my toughest time of the year: the holidays are over, and baseball doesn't start until March, so what better way to spend your time than curl up with a cat and some crosswords? Ideally, I'll use this time to make some metas too, so we're introducing the:
(I just like an excuse to make graphics.)
Metas coming in weekly until winter ends - no leaderboard or anything like that, just good 'ole-fashioned puzzling!
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We have two explanations here, since we have had two puzzles' deadlines come and go since last time.
1a. Puzzle #76 answer: MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Correct entries: 46
Shortest explanation: Sixteen of the entries start with the clue answer in reverse order (one of them, for instance, is 1-Across: "Subway alternative" = BUS, which is reversed at the beginning of the clue). Find all sixteen of these clues, and then take their last orders in reverse order, bottom-to-top, right-to-left. They spell out MANY HAPPY RETURNS, our meta answer. It's a somewhat old-fashioned saying but fitting for the holidays and for a play on returning/reversing.
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1b. Puzzle #77 answer: 123123
Correct entries: 42
Shortest explanation: Five PIES can be found in the grid (in numerical order: HUMBLE, POT, TACO, OREO, and MAG). They are all clued in regard to the pie, making some make sense already (OREO and OREO PIE are both black-and-white desserts) but at least one making no sense, haha (MAG is not a chatterbox...but a MAGPIE is!).
Per the central clue at TIMES, take the clue numbers and multiply them together: 3 x 7 x 11 x 13 x 41 = 123123, the 6-character answer to our meta! So it was easy as...123 as well! (Also note that 123123 can be parsed American-style into 12/31/23, the last day of 2023!).
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2. In honor of my yearly goal to make one Level 1 or Level 2 meta a month, this one's title is hopefully self-descriptive! We will see. We'll say Level 1.25, haha.
Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful!
Mikey G
The answer to the meta is how you might describe a Level 1 puzzle.
I didn't know that Julia left the kitchen to write for the theater.
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