“So weird …”
Every so often, a particular crossword clue lands on the page like a tiny, perfectly aimed meteor, leaving a smoking crater of utter bewilderment in its wake. Most mornings, the grid presents its familiar challenges – a clever pun, a well-disguised synonym, a pop culture reference that sends me spiraling into Wikipedia. But then there are the outliers. The true head-scratchers. The ones that make you lean back, squint at the paper, and mutter, “Well,
that’s
just weird.”
This morning offered one such gem. One particular crossword clue didn’t just pose a question; it seemed to open a portal to an alternate dimension of thought. It wasn’t complex in its phrasing, nor particularly obscure in its subject matter, at least not at first glance. It was the
implication
. The sheer, delightful, out-of-left-field unexpectedness of it that made me pause mid-sip of coffee.
You know that moment, don’t you? The one where your brain, accustomed to the structured dance of a typical crossword clue, suddenly hits a wall of pure, unadulterated “What even
is
this?” It’s the kind of cryptic challenge that initially feels less like a puzzle and more like a riddle from a mischievous sprite. My first thought was a blank stare. My second was an involuntary chuckle. This specific crossword clue wasn’t playing by the usual rules, and honestly, that’s precisely what made it so brilliant.
It immediately sent me down a mental rabbit hole, pulling threads from disparate corners of my knowledge base that rarely, if ever, converge. It wasn’t about simply recalling a fact; it was about connecting concepts that seemed utterly unrelated on the surface. That’s the magic of a truly exceptional crossword clue – it forces your mind to stretch, to contort itself into new shapes, to find connections where none logically should exist.
I re-read the crossword clue half a dozen times, each reading peeling back another layer of its deceptively simple exterior. Was it a trick? Was I overthinking it? Was there some incredibly obscure bit of trivia I was missing? The beauty of it was that it felt entirely new, despite the fact that its components were undoubtedly familiar. It managed to reframe something ordinary into something extraordinary, simply by virtue of its presentation in the form of a crossword clue.
There’s a unique joy in wrestling with such a peculiar challenge. It’s not the frustration of a poorly written or ambiguous clue, but rather the exhilarating pushback from something genuinely original. It makes you feel like the puzzle constructor is winking at you from across the page, sharing a private joke. This particular crossword clue transcended mere wordplay; it was a mini-narrative, a tiny philosophical query disguised as a few words and a blank space. It’s a testament to the artistry involved in crafting crosswords that a single crossword clue can provoke such a robust, even existential, reaction.
Ultimately, the solution, when it finally clicked, was as satisfyingly odd as the clue itself. It wasn’t a “duh” moment, but an “aha!” moment tinged with a lingering sense of its delightful weirdness. Some crossword clues you solve and immediately forget. This one? This one’s going to stick with me. It’s a reminder that even in the most structured of games, there’s always room for a little glorious, head-tilting strangeness.
Available Answers:
HOW ODD ….
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: 0810-25 NY Times Crossword 10 Aug 25, Sunday