The Sneaky “Explosives” Clue: Cracking a Crossword Conundrum
Today’s crossword puzzle threw me for a loop! While I breezed through most of the clues, one particularly tricky one had me stumped. It was short, simple, and seemed straightforward: “Govt. agency whose initialism omits ‘Explosives'”. Easy enough, right? Wrong!
This deceptively simple clue sent me down a rabbit hole of government agencies, their acronyms, and my own increasingly frustrated sighs. The wording was so clear, yet the answer seemed elusive. I tried to brainstorm agencies related to explosives, like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which handles rocketry. But neither acronym fit the clue!
The “omit” part was throwing me off. Was there a government agency whose full name actually included “Explosives,” but their initialism left it out? This seemed unlikely, yet the crossword clue left no room for interpretation.
As I stared at the blank square, I realized I needed a fresh perspective. Perhaps the clue wasn’t about an agency directly involved with explosives at all. Maybe it was about an agency that
uses
explosives, but doesn’t have them as its primary focus. Could it be something within the Department of Defense? The Department of Energy?
The possibilities were endless, but my mind was getting bogged down in overthinking. I needed to step away, clear my head, and come back to the puzzle with fresh eyes.
I decided to tackle some other clues, hoping that inspiration would strike while working on the other parts of the puzzle. It’s a classic crossword strategy: when you’re stuck, move on and come back later.
And guess what? It worked! As I filled in other sections of the puzzle, a lightbulb finally went off. The answer was staring me right in the face, but it wasn’t what I initially expected.
So, what was the answer? You’ll have to solve the crossword puzzle for yourself to find out! But in the meantime, I’m eager to hear your thoughts on this tricky clue. Have you encountered any particularly perplexing crossword clues lately? Share your experiences in the comments below!
Available Answers:
ATF.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: NY Times Crossword 19 Sep 24, Thursday