My Afternoon with a Crossword
So, I decided to tackle a crossword puzzle today. Found one with an interesting theme, something about “the whole nine yards”. Figured I’d give it a shot, see how far I could get during my coffee break.
Started off like I usually do, scanning for the clues that jump out as easy wins. You know, the fill-in-the-blanks or the really short words. Got a few letters down pretty quickly that way. Felt good, like I was making some real progress right off the bat.
Then I hit a few tricky spots. Some of the clues were a bit vague, and I had to really think. Stared at 14 Across for ages, just couldn’t figure out what they were getting at. The theme clue itself, the one related to the title, wasn’t immediately obvious either. I penciled in a few guesses, erased them, tried again.
What really helped was getting some of the crossing words. You know how it goes:
- You solve a “Down” clue.
- That gives you a letter for an “Across” clue you were stuck on.
- Suddenly, that “Across” clue makes sense!
It’s like a little chain reaction. Slowly but surely, the grid started filling up. Had to get up and walk around for a bit, clear my head. Sometimes looking away for a few minutes makes all the difference.
Came back, looked at a particularly stubborn corner near the bottom right. With a few new letters in place from the words I’d solved while taking my break, the answer suddenly clicked. It’s always satisfying when that happens, like finding a missing piece.
Filled in the last square maybe an hour or so after I started. Didn’t rush it, just enjoyed the process. Felt pretty good to see the completed grid. Another puzzle solved, another afternoon well spent just puzzling things out. It’s the simple stuff sometimes, you know?
