OK, Now I’m Actually Mad!
Right, let’s dive into this grid. I was cruising along, feeling pretty smug about my progress. The NW corner was a delightful tapestry of clever misdirection and satisfying “aha!” moments. The SE? A smooth, uninterrupted flow of lexical brilliance. I even managed to crack a few of those multi-worders that usually have me gnawing on my pencil eraser. I felt…confident. Naive, clearly.
Then I hit it.
This one single crossword clue stopped me dead in my tracks. It’s not the obscurity, necessarily. I’ve faced down Latin phrases plucked from the dustiest corners of academia, obscure breeds of sheep only known to Welsh shepherds, and chemical compounds that sound like they belong in a sci-fi novel. No, it’s not the obscurity. It’s the _definition_.
It’s crafted in such a way that it’s inherently irritating. It sits there, radiating an aura of smug superiority, daring you to unravel its secrets. I’ve stared at it. I’ve muttered at it. I’ve even, I’ll admit, consulted the internet (briefly, of course, I’m not a
complete
cheat). And yet, the solution remains stubbornly elusive.
The surrounding answers offer little respite. They’re all perfectly reasonable, logically sound entries that only serve to highlight the infuriating nature of its counterpart. It’s like being stuck in a room full of people having perfectly normal conversations while someone in the corner is reciting riddles backwards in Pig Latin.
My usual crossword-solving tactics are proving utterly useless. Anagramming? Nope. Thinking outside the box? Nada. Even the tried-and-true method of mentally flipping through every word I’ve ever encountered in my entire life hasn’t yielded a single glimmer of hope.
The problem isn’t that it’s necessarily difficult, it’s that it feels
personal
. It’s as though the constructor deliberately targeted my intellectual blind spot, crafting a crossword clue specifically designed to drive me to the brink of crossword-induced madness.
I’m now at that point where I’m questioning everything. Am I even a competent crossword solver? Have I overestimated my abilities? Is this entire hobby a colossal waste of time? (Okay, maybe that last one is a bit dramatic, but you get the gist.)
I’ve considered just skipping it and moving on. Leaving it blank, admitting defeat. But the stubborn part of my brain refuses to allow it. The crossword puzzle has become a personal challenge, a battle of wits between me and the anonymous constructor on the other side of the page. And I, dammit, am not going to lose!
So, here I sit, staring intently at the grid, a caffeinated beverage by my side, ready to plunge back into the fray. Wish me luck. Or better yet, send positive brainwaves. I’m going to need them.
Available Answers:
THATDOESIT.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Universal Crossword – Themeless Sunday 143 By Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa