Welcome back, fellow cruciverbalists! If you’ve found yourself staring at a blank spot in today’s grid, you’re certainly not alone. Every day brings a fresh set of challenges, and sometimes a seemingly simple
crossword clue
can turn into a real brain-teaser that leaves you scratching your head while your morning coffee goes cold. Today, we’re diving into a specific prompt that has been popping up in various puzzles lately: “Some Duracells.”
When you encounter this
crossword clue
, the first thing to consider is the brand itself. Duracell is synonymous with power, longevity, and, of course, those copper-topped cylinders we all keep in a junk drawer somewhere. But in the world of crosswords, brands often serve as a clever shorthand for the objects they represent. When a constructor uses a brand name in a
crossword clue
, they are usually pointing you toward a specific category of product or a characteristic associated with that brand.
Are we looking for a specific size? A chemical composition? Or perhaps a pluralized abbreviation that fits perfectly into those pesky three- or four-letter slots? One of the most important strategies when tackling a tricky
crossword clue
like this is to look closely at the letter count required by the grid. If the puzzle is asking for a short word, your mind should immediately jump to the most common battery sizes. Crossword constructors love these because they provide high-frequency vowels and common consonants, which are essential for building the connective tissue of a complex grid.
However, don’t let the simplicity of the brand name fool you. Sometimes a
crossword clue
is designed to lead you down one path while the actual answer lies elsewhere. The word “Some” is the biggest hint here. In the language of cryptic and standard puzzles alike, “some” almost always indicates that the answer will be in the plural form. This is a classic setter’s trick to help you fill out those final squares when the singular version of a word just won’t fit the space.
If you’re stuck on this particular
crossword clue
in the New York Times, the LA Times, or the Wall Street Journal, remember to lean on your “crossers”—the words that intersect your target. If you have the first or last letter from a horizontal word, the identity of these Duracells usually clicks into place within seconds.
Solving a
crossword clue
is as much about pattern recognition as it is about general knowledge. The more puzzles you complete, the more you start to see “Some Duracells” not as a mystery, but as a familiar friend in the grid. It’s one of those entries that, once solved, makes you wonder why you didn’t see it immediately. It’s all about visualizing those little power cells and how we refer to them in our everyday lives.
So, take another look at your grid. Is it a three-letter plural? A four-letter size designation? Check those intersecting letters, stay patient, and let’s get that puzzle finished! Happy solving, and may your mental batteries always stay fully charged.
Available Answers:
AAS.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Washington Post Crossword -Friday’s Daily By Nate Curry & Kevin Curry / Ed. Patti Varol