Okay, so today I decided to tackle the “misses” from the NYT Crossword. You know, those clues that just stump you and you end up staring at a half-filled grid for ages? Yeah, those.
Getting Started
First, I opened up the NYT Crossword app on my phone – I’m old school, I still do it on paper sometimes, but the app is just so convenient. I scrolled through my recent puzzles and picked one that had been giving me a headache. It was from last Wednesday, and I remember there were a few answers I just couldn’t crack.
The Struggle is Real
I looked at the first blank space. The clue was something about a “Literary Bell”. Ugh, I had no idea. My mind went blank. I tried a few random letters, hoping something would click, but nothing. Then I moved on to the next “miss”. That one was a seven-letter word for “Makes a choice.” My brain churned. “Selects”? Nope. “Chooses”? Too long.
- I started to think about synonyms.
- I mumbled words to myself like a crazy person.
- “Opts”? That’s it!
The Breakthrough
Filling in “OPTS” gave me a few crossing letters for the “Literary Bell” clue. Suddenly, I saw it – “BRONTE”! Of course, the Bronte sisters! I slapped my forehead – how could I have missed that?
It went like that, the process I used:
- I used the crossing letters.
- I tried some random letters.
- I did it!
Victory!
With those two big “misses” solved, the rest of the puzzle fell into place pretty quickly. It’s amazing how just a couple of answers can unlock the whole thing. I finished the puzzle with a satisfying tap of the “check puzzle” button, and boom – all green squares!
So yeah, that’s how my little “misses” adventure went today. Felt good to finally conquer that Wednesday puzzle. Anyone else have any good crossword-solving tips or stories? Let me know!
