Title: “Look Both Ways”
Prompt: This week’s contest answer is a ten-letter phrase.
Answer: DOUBLE DOWN
Correct entries: 546

Wasn’t sure whether this was a Week 1 or 2. Turned out to be a 2, so today’s puzzle will be a Week 1 to get our cruciverbal karma back in alignment.

The idea was: at ten squares in the grid that began both an across and a down answer, the clue for the across also worked if you added the down to it:

1-A: [Cartoon character in the “wabbit season” arguments with Elmer and Bugs] = DAFFY at 1-A, or DAFFY DUCK if you take 1-A + 1-D
6-A: [It has no corners] = OVAL or OVAL OFFICE
10-A: [Pac-12 team] = UTAH or UTAH UTES. Note that 10-D is not a dupe per se since this usage of UTES comes from the word “utility,” not from the tribe.
28-A: [Buttery bakery buy] = BRIOCHE or BRIOCHE BUN
34-A: [It restrains a dog (and the person walking it)] = LEASH, or LEASH LAW. You do often see someone walking their dog in such a way that it makes you wonder who’s really in charge there.
37-A: [Otologist’s concern] = EAR or EAR EXAM
45-A: [Evening plans at a restaurant] = DINNER or DINNER DATE
57-A: [Start of a question that might be answered with “Later this afternoon” or “Next week”] = WHEN, or WHEN WILL. If I were rating this at Fiend I’d deduct .25 for this entry since it’s not a standalone phrase like the others. I spent a lot of time trying to get rid of it but to no avail. Crossword gods were in a mood I guess.
58-A: [Brian Williams works for them] = NBC, or NBC NEWS

The first letters of those spell DOUBLE DOWN, fitting since you get a second valid answer by adding the down entry.

Jonesy says:

Hardest week 1 i’ve ever seen!

DrTom says:

as a Utah Graduate – GO UTES!

Hollie asks:

Cute! But it took me way too long to decide that 25, 26 and 51 weren’t part of the meta (they’re not, are they?)

Nope. Just those 10! I think it’s impossible(-ish) to do this theme using *every* square that starts both and across and a down. Of course, now that I said that someone will send me a grid where they’ve done it.

Tyler Hinman writes:

Well, that took me too damn long; especially panic-inducing considering I’m stuck on four other metas right now.

Alex Bourzutschky notes:

I guess “gametes go home” doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Sean Reap has caught the meta bug:

Thanks – just found this last week, and did not solve. Happy to get my first one! These are great!

As has David Hill:

this is my first puzzle. I hope I got it right!

You did!

chriskingsc states, with amusingly misplaced self-deprecation:

A very refreshing puzzle after last week’s nonsense.

And finally, Laura M writes:

Nice! I don’t think I’ve ever had such a hard time with a week one. Somehow I was convinced that the three palindromic entries (which added up to 10 letters) had to anagram to something!

Yikes! That’s a tricky rabbit hole to fall into. SRS, AMA, and NAAN are those entries.

THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:

This week’s contest answer is a landlocked country.