puzzle 11:13 (undecided why so gradual); meta: 75 min. (Matt)
 

Title: “No End in Sight” by Pete Muller
Prompt: The meta for this puzzle is hit music from the ’70s.
Answer: “So Far Away” by Carole King

The streak continues! I feel it’s at 26 Muller Metas now? I hold forgetting to examine nevertheless it’s a monster streak for certain. Muller, your powers are ineffective in opposition to me!

Found the thought to this one immediately. Pete had used the same metanism two months in the past so I used to be primed to identify it. I hate when solvers/reviewers point out that I’d used the same mechanism earlier than, however in fact I leap on the alternative to apply it to Pete! It’s a dog-eat-dog world on the market. What does that even imply? I don’t know.

Anyway, I noticed rapidly that the title “End” may very well be added to quite a lot of entries within the grid to type phrases ending in -END (how meta is that) outdoors the grid. The unchallenging 3×3 squares within the California and Maine sections of the grid have been the large tipoffs, since Pete actually didn’t want to make use of ATT, DEF, ETA, LAL, and EPT in these corners until one thing theme-y was occurring.

Answer is: append “END” to eight entries ending on the proper or backside fringe of the grid, forming a brand new phrase:

DEF(END)
ATT(END)
GODS(END)
FRI(END)
DEP(END)
PORT(END)
OFF(END)
APP(END)
LEG(END)

Next step: Find an entry whose clue would work for every of these 9:

DEFEND: 20-A [Protect] = SHIELD
ATTEND: 5-A: [Show up] = OUTDO. Nicely performed; 2 fully completely different meanings right here for “Show up”
GODSEND: 51-A: [Blessing] = FAVOR
FRIEND: 38-A: [Comrade] = ALLY
DEPEND: 26-D: [Count (on)] = RELY
PORTEND: 53-A: [Foreshadow] = AUGUR
OFFEND: 27-A: [Aggrieve] = WRONG
APPEND: 38-D: [Supplement] = ADD ON. Kudos to the A there, working extra time in each instructions. Letter of the day for certain.
LEGEND: 4-D: [King Arthur’s reign, e.g.] = YORE. A bit tenuous however let’s assume he discovered the perfect chance right here. Check out how skinny the Y part of the dictionary is someday.

Liked it quite a bit, as traditional. Even previous the last decade mark Pete shouldn’t be slowing down with these music metas! I hope they by no means cease. I’ll weblog them so long as he writes them. 4.55 stars.