Second, some solvers have instructed me that they don’t know the place to search out meta directions when fixing on-line. They present up within the preliminary pop-up when you open the puzzle, the place it shows the title and my byline. For those who don’t do not forget that, although, it’s straightforward to search out them once more simply by hitting the data button above the puzzle.
Lastly, for those who’re in any respect frightened that you just may have to lookup assets on-line that can assist you clear up a meta, don’t be! I offer you permission to do that. Wanting up no matter you have to discover to resolve a meta is honest recreation in my e book.
Oh, one different bit of stories: This week is the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) in Stamford, Conn. I will likely be there, so come say hi there for those who’re planning to be there, too.
The directions say that this puzzle has “two internet-related meta solutions, each of that are seven letters lengthy.” As traditional with metas, the very best place to begin is the theme entries. There are seven weird names of made-up webpages from all over the world, with DOT in rebus squares. (Be aware that for those who solved in print, you’ll be able to write an precise dot within the rebus squares as you’d see in URLs. For those who solved this puzzle on-line, nevertheless, it’s not attainable to enter a “.” for the rebus squares, so for that you just simply need to enter the letters DOT.)
- 26A: [European webpage where you can say “Settle down” to a female deer?] is EASYDOE.IT, and crossing the rebus sq. at 27D: [Elaborate request?] is (DO T)ELL. A tricky crossing clue — you need to consider “elaborate” as a verb quite than an adjective — however it’s a clue I’ve been sitting on for a couple of years, simply ready for DO TELL to drop right into a grid.
- 28A: [South American webpage showing a sculpture of a rodent patterned after Erté’s style?] is DECORAT.VE, and crossing it at 15D: [“Viva Maria!” actress Brigitte] is BAR(DOT).
- 47A: [European webpage where you can chat with a stage mom?] is PLAYMA.ES, and crossing it at 49D: [Showered attention (on)] is (DOT)ED.
- 59A: [South American webpage showing a Calif. city pigpen?] is LASTY.AR, and crossing it at 52D: [French printer Firmin ___ (Hint: If you didn’t know of him, his name is one letter off from a word in this clue)] is DI(DOT). The trace in that clue was my little method of acknowledging that he could also be a tricky reply to depend on for a rebus-based meta, so hopefully you noticed that DIDOT is one letter off “didn’t.” Shifting on …
- 64A: [African webpage where you can follow an intergovernmental org.’s holy jurisdiction?] is UNSEE.LY, and crossing it at 66D: [Serve a sentence] is (DO T)IME.
- 82A: [Asian webpage with info about an old horse (but not just any old horse)?] is THENAG.IN, and crossing it at 74D: [Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for ___”] is GO(DOT).
- 109A: [North American webpage where you can get live views of a big zoo animal?] is HIPPOCAM.US, and crossing it at 96D: [“Wonder Woman” actress Gal] is GA(DOT).
There’s additionally a touch within the backside half of the grid at 119A: [Place you might visit, and an alternate title for this puzzle] which is POINT OF INTEREST. “Level” is a synonym for DOT, so for those who’ve managed to determine that you just want a “.” (or DOT) in rebus squares, that’s a superb place to search for at the least one of many theme solutions. Do the webpage names look suspiciously near actual phrases and phrases? They’re. You may exchange every of the dots with a single letter to get legitimate entries in each instructions:
- EASYDOE.IT → EASY DOES IT, creating SELL at 27D.
- DECORAT.VE → DECORATIVE, creating BARI (an Italian seaport) at 15D.
- PLAYMA.ES → PLAYMATES, creating TED at 49D.
- LASTY.AR → LAST YEAR, creating DIE at 52D.
- UNSEE.LY → UNSEEMLY, creating MIME at 66D.
- THENAG.IN → THEN AGAIN, creating GOA (a state in India) at 74D.
- HIPPOCAM.US → HIPPOCAMPUS, creating GAP at 96D.
The letters that may exchange the dots spell SITE MAP, which gives details about an internet site’s pages, however you don’t have to know that for this meta. Its two phrases trace at web sites and world geography, which is the primary takeaway of the primary meta reply.
The second meta reply is trickier to search out and entails a few steps. As earlier than, although, it’s a good suggestion to begin with the theme solutions since these are what the puzzle is primarily constructed on — and I can let you know that POINT OF INTEREST hints on the second meta reply in a extra refined method.
By now, you understand this puzzle is in regards to the web and world geography, in order that’s what you need to be specializing in. Have a look at the webpage names once more and, as well as, have a look at their clues. Do you discover how I mentioned they had been webpages from Europe or South America or whichever continent? You may get extra particular than simply continents. You may want some help from (the place else?) the World Large Internet to verify what you’re on the lookout for, however the final two letters of every webpage point out which nation the webpage is supposedly from. Here’s a good list that you may seek the advice of if you have to look them up.
- IT → Italy
- VE → Venezuela
- ES → Spain (watch out right here, because it’s tempting to assume ES may stand for Estonia, however no — ES refers to it’s Spanish spelling, España).
- AR → Argentina
- LY → Libya
- IN → India
- US → United States
Now what? The primary letters of these nation names don’t appear to spell something. However take into consideration the puzzle you’ve simply solved. Do you bear in mind seeing these international locations wherever whilst you had been fixing it? They’re within the clues, and so they point out an attraction (or a focal point) in every nation:
- 24A: [Grand ___ Rimini (five-star locale in Italy)] is HOTEL.
- 51A: [Venezuelan Coastal Range flower] is ORCHID.
- 54A: [Setting of the Palacio de Galiana in Spain] is TOLEDO.
- 61D: [Mammal one might find at Argentina’s Mundo Marino] is SEAL.
- 113A: [El-Kouf National ___ (wildlife area in Libya)] is PARK.
- 121D: [India ___ (badminton event held at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi)] is OPEN.
- 136A: [U.S. state that’s home to the Alamo] is TEXAS.
Take the primary letters of these corresponding entries and so they spell out HOTSPOT — a location the place you may get on-line, however as a two-word phrase, “scorching spot” can also be a tough synonym for a “focal point.” I had added another international locations within the clues, too, largely to make it a bit of bit more durable to smell out the proper seven that you just want, however when you lock onto the seven international locations from the webpage names, then it turns into a scavenger hunt within the clues to land on the second meta reply.
For those who acquired one or each meta solutions, nicely completed! For those who didn’t discover both of them, to not fear — it was an odd puzzle from the get-go with the rebus squares and the faux URLs and two meta solutions to search out as a substitute of 1. However we acquired to spend time on the web collectively, and isn’t that what on-line friendships are all about?
See you on the ACPT for those who’ll be in attendance!
