crossword 5:30
meta DNF 

whats up and welcome to episode #760 of matt gaffney’s weekly crossword contest, “Word for Word”. for this week 3 puzzle, the directions inform us that this week’s reply is one thing you’ll be in the event you get the meta. okay. what are the theme solutions? i don’t know. it’s an enormous grid (19×19), and the one explicitly indicated themer is the final throughout reply: {Year the crossword puzzle celebrated its a centesimal anniversary; or, the place to search out the meta reply} MMXIII. that’s 2013 in roman numerals. what does it imply that that’s the place we’re to search out the meta reply? i don’t know.

my first thought was to test the mgwcc archives for 2013. i didn’t actually suppose it made sense to look by 52 puzzles for something that stood out, however for the reason that a centesimal anniversary of the crossword was in december, i assumed i’d not less than have a look at the puzzles from december 2013. i did discover this puzzle which i had missed the primary time round since i typically take this week off from running a blog the mgwcc, and it’s a tour de drive, however i don’t see that it essentially has something to do with this week’s puzzle. i additionally discovered one other puzzle known as “word for word”, coincidentally additionally a year-end puzzle however from 2021, not 2013. it’s an attractive meta, and though it does have the identical title as this week’s puzzle, i don’t see what else it has to do with something.

what else can it’s? i suppose we might have a look at entries 20 and 13, though writing it as a roman numeral positively means that we must always interpret MMXIII as “two thousand thirteen” as a substitute of “twenty thirteen”. 20-across is {Nightmare} ORDEAL, and there’s each a 13-across {Gag} JOKE and a 13-down {One nook of a Monopoly board} JAIL. neither of these appears to level to something. however each {Nightmare} and {Gag} are one-word clues, so possibly we’re purported to be taking a look at one-word clues once more (as within the 2021 meta of the identical title). it will probably’t harm:

• {Gag} JOKE.
• {Nightmare} ORDEAL.
• {Just} RIGHT.
• {Youth} KID.
• {Evil} BAD.
• {Urgent} DIRE.
• {Brainiac} GENIUS.
• {Ardor} ZEST.
• {Taxi} CAB.
• {Higher} UPPER.
• {Pic} PHOTO.
• {Dry} XERIC. this one is hanging—that’s a quite common clue phrase and a really uncommon reply phrase.
• {Fourfold} QUADRUPLED.
• {Labor} WORK.
• {Wise} SAGE.
• {Object} ITEM.
• {Quest} MISSION.
• {Idle} LAZY.
• {Zeal} ENTHUSIASM. that is additionally fascinating, since all 4 of ardor, ZEST, zeal, and ENTHUSIASM are synonymous.
• {Khaki} TAN.
• {Moniker} NAME.
• {Region} AREA.
• {Saharan} HOT. okay, positively ringing alarm bells right here—saharan would extra generally clue dry, reasonably than simply HOT. one thing must be occurring with this and XERIC.
• {Compete} VIE.
• {Xanthous} YELLOW. one other bizarre phrase beginning with X! i’m beginning to suppose possibly there’s a series.
• {Videotape} FILM.

okay, that is positively one thing. there are 26 one-word clues, one beginning with every letter of the alphabet, and their 26 solutions additionally begin with A-Z as soon as every. however what’s the subsequent step? sorting them alphabetically by clue or by reply, presumably, however nothing jumps out at me both approach. i suppose Gag => JOKE and Nightmare => ORDEAL are a place to begin, however i’m undecided what i’m purported to see there both. chaining the letters so as from there doesn’t spell something out that i can see. weirdly, P is a set level on account of Pic => PHOTO.

effectively, i obtained type of shut, possibly, however on the final minute, and now i’m out of time. oh effectively. let me know within the feedback what i missed.