Today, we’re diving into a crossword clue that often elicits a chuckle, a raised eyebrow, or a sudden flash of insight: “Give the finger?“. It’s the kind of entry that perfectly encapsulates the delightful trickery inherent in crossword puzzles, blending everyday language with the clever misdirection we solvers adore. This particular crossword clue stands out because it immediately brings to mind several distinct, often conflicting, interpretations, making it a rich target for a constructors’ wordplay.
When you first encounter “Give the finger?” in your daily crossword, your mind probably jumps to the most common, modern understanding of the phrase – a rather impolite gesture. And that’s precisely what a clever crossword setter wants you to do. They love to tap into our immediate, knee-jerk associations, only to then subtly pivot and reveal a far more innocent, or perhaps obscure, meaning. This is the art of a great crossword clue: luring you down one path before revealing the true, often literal, road less traveled.
But let’s unpack this intriguing phrase. The word “give” itself is a versatile verb. In a crossword context, “give” can mean to impart, to offer, to present, to yield, or even to cause. Think about how many different synonyms and actions “give” can represent. Then, we have “the finger.” Beyond the rude gesture, what else is a “finger”? It’s a digit on your hand, an anatomical part. It can also refer to a specific action, like to ‘finger’ something as in to touch it or identify it. We “finger” suspects, we “finger” a piece of fabric, we “finger” a guitar fret. There’s also the idea of a finger as a small, narrow projection or a measurement unit in some historical contexts. The possibilities, even before we consider the ‘give’ aspect, are already expanding.
The question mark at the end of a crossword clue is always a vital signal. It’s almost universally a flag indicating that the clue employs wordplay, a pun, a non-literal interpretation, or some form of lateral thinking. It tells the solver, “Don’t take this at face value; there’s a twist!” For “Give the finger?“, this question mark is your permission to explore beyond the obvious. It encourages you to strip the idiom down to its constituent parts and see how “give” and “finger” might combine in a completely different, perhaps more literal or archaic, sense.
Consider the actions one might perform
with
a finger, or actions that involve a finger being
given
or
used
. Do you “give” a ring to a finger? Do you “give” a specific measurement using a finger? Does “give” imply a transfer of a physical finger, or perhaps a task or instruction related to fingers? This kind of detailed linguistic analysis is key to cracking challenging crossword clues. The constructor might be playing on a specific, less common idiom, or even a highly literal interpretation of the words that, when combined, create a surprising and often humorous answer.
Solving crosswords like this requires you to shed your preconceptions and embrace the multifaceted nature of language. It’s about recognizing that “Give the finger?” isn’t asking you to recall a gesture, but rather to delve into the dictionary and thesaurus of your mind for alternative definitions and usages of each word. The satisfaction of finally connecting the dots, seeing the brilliance in the wordplay, and arriving at that “aha!” moment is what makes tackling such a crossword clue so incredibly rewarding. It’s a testament to the fact that even the most seemingly straightforward phrases can hold hidden depths, just waiting for a keen crossword solver to uncover them.
Available Answers:
POKE.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: 1115-25 NY Times Crossword 15 Nov 25, Saturday