Grid: 10 minutes; meta: 15 extra 

Matt Gaffney’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “Trending Ending” — Conrad’s writeup.

This week we’re informed, The reply to this week’s contest crossword is how contest crosswords are created. There have been 5 symmetric* theme entries that ended with two repeated letters:

• [Major fuss]: BROUHAHA
• [Sun-worshiping queen]: NEFERTITI
• [Lake on which Tenochtitlan was built]: TEXCOCO
• [“Distracted boyfriend,” e.g.]: SUPERMEME
• [Birth city of Barack Obama]: HONOLULU

*There was additionally a non-symmetric grid entry that ended with two repeated letters: REESES. I initially thought it was thematic, particularly as a result of it adopted HONOLULU, forming the tantalizing potential partial contest reply …LUES. I looked for a repeated .C.C sample earlier than HONOLULU and located nothing.

WSJ Contest – 11.04.22 – resolution

I solved the meta shortly as soon as I deserted that rabbit gap. Two of the symmetric repeated letters matched one other 3-letter grid entry:

• BROU(HAHA): HA[S]
• NEFER(TITI): TI[L]
• TEX(COCO): CO[Y]
• SUPER(MEME): ME[L]
• HONO(LULU): LU[Y]

The remaining letter of every mapped grid entry spells SLYLY, our contest reply. Solvers: let me know the way you made out. Did you spend any time within the …LUES rabbit gap?