Every dedicated solver knows that moment. You’re cruising through the grid, letters falling into place, a satisfying rhythm unfolding, then BAM! You hit a wall. A single, stubborn crossword clue stands between you and a glorious completion, demanding a deeper dive, a more lateral thought process. Today, we’re dissecting one such delightfully deceptive puzzle: “To get furthest, just emboss it evenly (6).”
Six letters. The number alone offers a little comfort, a manageable length, but the wording… oh, the wording! This isn’t your everyday, straightforward definition. This is the kind of crossword clue that makes you pause, reread, and then stare blankly at the ceiling for a good five minutes. It’s a masterclass in misdirection, a true test of a solver’s ability to think outside the literal box when tackling challenging crossword clues.
Let’s break down this particular brain-teaser. First, we have “To get furthest.” What immediately springs to mind? Maximum, extreme, ultimate, peak? It hints at superlatives, at reaching an apex, at the greatest possible extent. This part of the crossword clue seems to point towards a concept of going the distance, achieving the most. It feels like a strong definitional component, pushing us to consider words associated with extension or extremity, giving us a solid anchor for the meaning of our six-letter answer.
Then we encounter the second, undeniably trickier half: “just emboss it evenly.” Now
this
is where the magic of the cryptic crossword clue often lies. “Emboss it evenly.” What does that even mean in a literal sense? To raise a design from a surface? To make an impression? In the quirky, ingenious world of crossword puzzles, however, words like “evenly” often carry a very specific, technical meaning. It’s a word that can be an absolute game-changer, pointing you towards a particular type of wordplay. When you encounter “evenly” in a crossword clue, especially paired with an instruction like “just emboss it,” your cryptic senses should tingle. It often serves as an elegant indicator for a specific type of manipulation. Are we looking at letters in even positions within a given phrase? Or perhaps a rearrangement where the letters are distributed ‘evenly’? The beauty of such an indicator is its subtlety; it guides without explicitly stating, pushing you to consider the letters themselves as components to be manipulated. This isn’t about mere synonyms; it’s about the very structure of words, making it a favorite technique among setters of cryptic crossword clues.
The brilliance of this specific crossword clue is how these two distinct parts – the definitional and the manipulative – intertwine. You have a clear direction from “To get furthest,” and then you have a wonderfully obscure instruction from “just emboss it evenly.” The challenge is to find a six-letter word that satisfies both. It’s not about finding a synonym for “furthest” and then trying to awkwardly fit “emboss it evenly” into the picture. Instead, the latter phrase is almost certainly instructing you on
how to construct
the word that “To get furthest” defines.
This particular crossword clue requires that delightful shift in perspective. You’re not just looking for a definition; you’re looking for a word that can be
created
or
derived
in a very specific, clever way, and then that created word must perfectly fit the definition. The joy, as any seasoned solver of tricky crossword clues knows, comes when the penny drops, and you see how “emboss it evenly” truly relates to the letters of the answer, and how perfectly that answer then defines “to get furthest.” It’s a testament to the setter’s wit and a supremely rewarding mental exercise for the solver.
What are your initial thoughts on this particular brain-teaser? How do you approach such a multi-layered crossword clue? Share your strategies below – but remember, no spoilers for the answer itself! Let’s just revel in the ingenious construction of this gem. Tackling cryptic crossword clues like this one builds not just vocabulary, but also a sharper, more lateral thinking mind. It’s why we keep coming back to the daily grid, always seeking that next brilliant challenge in solving crossword clues.
Available Answers:
UTMOST.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Sunday, 23 November 2025