112. Make It a Triple!

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Hello hello! At this rate, we might be at Dodgers-Yankees, a classic playoff matchup (the most common in World Series history) that hasn't happened since 1981. Still hoping the Mets can pull off an upset. We'll know by this time next week!

We have a bonus puzzle today, as a consolation for last week's Level 3 being like a Level 5, haha.

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1. Puzzle #111 answer: THREE DOG NIGHT

Correct entries: 39, a definite toughie, to say the least.

Shortest explanation: There are 13 3-letter grid entries that are acronyms, the only entries of which whose clues contain an abbreviation or acronym itself. The initial letters spell out SIX NINE TWELVE, each of which is starting exactly one entry: TRIO PUP EVE. The clues for those words allow for slight alternates, and TRIO becomes THREE, PUP becomes DOG, and EVE becomes NIGHT for THREE DOG NIGHT, our meta answer! Note JOY across the center and the fact that they covered Harry Nilsson's "One," so it's apropos indeed for puzzle 111!

I think the hardest part was the SIX NINE TWELVE and what to do with it; several solvers got to TPE and started looking at bands starting with those letters. This last step or two definitely took this above the Level 3 echelon.

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2. I made this Level 1 in a couple of hours last Saturday. It is a Level 1. Really.

Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful!

Mikey G

The answer to the meta is a 2-word redundancy.