Tackling the Grove NYT Crossword
Alright, so today I decided to sit down and wrestle with the Grove NYT crossword puzzle. Heard a couple of folks mention it, figured I’d give it a shot. Poured myself some coffee, found a comfy chair, and pulled up the grid.
At first glance, it didn’t look too scary. You know how some grids just look dense and impossible? This one seemed manageable. Started off in the top-left corner, like I usually do. Nabbed a few of the shorter across answers pretty quickly. Felt good, like okay, maybe this won’t take all day.
Then I hit the middle section. Things got a bit sticky there. There were a couple of proper nouns I just blanked on. Absolutely no idea. And one clue, man, it was worded so weirdly. I read it like five times and still wasn’t sure what it was asking for. That’s classic NYT for you, right? Keeps you on your toes.
I jumped around quite a bit. Filled in some answers down south, worked my way up the east side. Sometimes getting a crossing letter is all you need, that little spark. Had a few of those ‘aha!’ moments, which always feel great. Like solving a mini-mystery.
Here’s what I did when I got really stuck:
- I reread the clues I’d already answered, just to make sure they felt right.
- I focused on the shorter fill words – the three and four-letter ones. Sometimes they’re easier to guess.
- I honestly just stared at the empty squares for a bit, hoping something would pop into my head.
- Took a short break, refilled my coffee. Came back with slightly fresher eyes.
That break actually helped. When I came back, I saw a connection I’d missed before. One of the longer down answers suddenly made sense, and boom, that opened up a whole stubborn section that had been bugging me for ages. It’s funny how stepping away for even five minutes can completely change your perspective.
The final push was getting that tricky northeast corner sorted out. There was one particular clue that relied on wordplay, and once I figured out the trick, the last few answers fell into place pretty smoothly. Always satisfying to see the grid completely filled.
So yeah, got it done. It was a decent challenge. Not the hardest I’ve ever done, but it definitely made me think. Took a bit longer than I expected, mostly because of those few tricky clues in the middle. Good mental workout for the day. Now, what to do next…
