Alright, buckle up, because I’m about to walk you through my recent deep dive into the “unlikely duo” crossword puzzle. It was a bit of a head-scratcher at first, but hey, that’s what makes it fun, right?
So, I kicked things off like I always do: scanning the whole grid. I was trying to spot those easy wins, the ones you can just drop in without a second thought. Didn’t find too many of those this time! Usually, there’s at least one or two that jump right out, but this one was playing hard to get.
Then I decided to focus on the enumerations. I always check those. They are lifesavers. Remember that enumerations tell you which entries are more than one word or where the answer has punctuation. Something like WON TON would have the enumeration (3,3), and SELF-AWARE would have the enumeration (4-5). Knowing that can really narrow things down.
Next, I started attacking the clues that seemed the most straightforward. There was one about “Onetime lead-in to ‘mobile’ in the auto world” I struggled for a bit, wracked my brain. Then it hit me – olds!
With “olds” in place, I started looking at the intersecting clues. Having even a few letters locked in can make a huge difference. It’s like suddenly the whole puzzle starts to unlock itself. One of the intersecting clues was about a source of a sleep-inducing narcotic in the “Odyssey”. After some thinking, I filled LOTUS TREE.
From there, it was just a matter of patiently chipping away at the remaining clues. There were definitely a few moments where I felt completely stuck, staring blankly at the grid. But I always try to remind myself to take a break, walk away for a few minutes, and come back with fresh eyes. Sometimes that’s all it takes to see something you missed before.
And you know what? Eventually, I cracked it! It took a while, and there were definitely a few clues that I needed to Google (hey, no shame in that!), but I got there in the end. It’s always a satisfying feeling to finally fill in that last square.
What I learned from this particular puzzle? Don’t be afraid to start with the clues that seem easiest, even if they’re not immediately obvious. And always pay attention to the enumerations – they’re your friend! Most importantly, be patient and persistent. Crosswords are a marathon, not a sprint.
