Okay, so I sat down with the NYT crossword earlier today, like I usually do with my morning coffee. Just trying to get the brain working, you know?
Getting Started
I started chipping away at it, filling in the easy stuff first. The Across clues were okay, got a few right off the bat. Then moved onto the Downs. It’s always a bit of a back-and-forth process. You get a few letters here, which helps unlock something over there. Standard stuff.
Hitting the Clue
Then I hit this one clue, I think it was something like “Certain metabolic state”. My first thought immediately went to stuff like, well, sleep? Or maybe fasting? But those didn’t seem quite right, or didn’t fit the letter count I vaguely remembered needing.
I usually try a few things in my head:
- Think about common phrases related to the clue words.
- Consider different meanings of “state”. Like, a condition, you know?
- Try to picture what letters I might already have from crossing words.
The Process
I didn’t have many crossing letters for this particular one yet, which made it tricky. I skipped it for a bit, worked on some other parts of the puzzle. Sometimes coming back to a clue with fresh eyes, or more importantly, with a few letters filled in, makes all the difference.
Eventually, I got a couple of letters in place from the Down clues that crossed it. I think I had the first letter and maybe one near the end. I stared at it again. “Metabolic state”. What kind of state involves metabolism? Digestion? Energy use?
Aha Moment (Sort Of)
Then it kind of clicked. You hear about diets sometimes, people trying to get into a specific fat-burning state. What’s that called again? It was right on the tip of my tongue. I sounded it out with the letters I had… ah, KETOSIS. That seemed to fit the letters and the clue’s meaning pretty well.
Finishing Up
So, I penciled in KETOSIS. It felt right. The crossing words started making more sense after that, too, which is always a good sign you’re on the right track. It wasn’t the hardest clue in the puzzle, but it definitely made me pause and think for a minute. Felt good to finally figure it out and put it down. On to the next section!
