137. Gee Whiz!

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Hello hello! Cubs-Tigers had such a playoff atmosphere last night. We were on the losing end but will still try to win 2-out-of-3! Also, Pete Crow-Armstrong is amazing. That is all.

Delaying the reveal for 136, since I need to post this one a bit earlier again, so here's the reveal for 135 anyway, haha. I will catch up!

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1. Puzzle #135 answer: FINAL EXAM

Correct entries: 56

Shortest explanation: Take the last letters of each of the four themed entries to get EAT, ORSE, URE, and IVE. Looks slightly promising: now add "END" before each of these! You'll get four words, each of which having an alternate somewhere in the grid. These alternates are, in top-down order, ABIDE, COAX, ARUGULA, and CONFIRM. Note their last letters spell EXAM, pointing us to FINAL EXAM, the answer to the meta. Whew!

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2. I have to play this one safe, so this one will get a Level 4 rating. As always, your mileage may vary. Check out Crosshare/Muggles for nudges along the way.

Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful!

Mikey G

The answer to the meta is a 6 letters long.