Okay, so today I decided to tackle the “Brush It Off” puzzle from the NYT crossword. I’ve been doing crosswords on and off for years, it’s kind of my way to unwind, you know?
I started by brewing a cup of coffee – gotta have that caffeine kick to get the brain going! Then, I printed out the puzzle. I know, I know, I could do it online, but I like the feel of paper and pencil. Old school, I guess.
First thing I do is scan through all the clues, both across and down. I’m looking for any “gimmes” – those clues that I just know right away. I got a few, and I quickly filled them in.
- There was one asking 3 letters word of “___-la-la (cry of joy)” I know is “ooh”.
- There was another one asking 5 letters word of “Small songbird” and I penciled in “wrens”.
With some of the easy ones done, I start to work on the intersecting words. That’s where the magic happens, right? One answer helps you figure out another, and so on. It’s like a little domino effect.
I got stuck a couple of times, I won’t lie. One clue was just totally baffling me. I think I stared at it for a good five minutes, just drawing a blank. When that happens, I usually move on to another part of the puzzle and come back to it later. Sometimes a fresh look is all you need.
Try different ways!
I usually try different ways.
Slowly but surely, I started to fill in more and more of the grid. There were a few “aha!” moments when I finally cracked a tough clue. It’s great when the answers finally click.
Finally, after some serious brainpower, I managed to complete the whole puzzle! It took me a little while, but it was super satisfying to see it all filled in. Another crossword conquered!
