Okay, so yesterday I was staring blankly at the NYT crossword, totally stuck. The clue was “lands resoundingly,” and I was like, “What in the world could that be?”
First, I tried thinking of words related to landing. Like, airplanes landing? Nope. Maybe something about birds? Still nothing. My brain was just spinning. I even grabbed a coffee, hoping caffeine would magically solve it.
Then, I started thinking about the “resoundingly” part. What makes a sound when it lands? Does it have to be something big? Loud? That’s when it hit me – maybe it’s not about physical landing at all.
I went back to the clue and read it again, slowly this time. “Lands resoundingly…” Then I started thinking about synonyms for “resoundingly.” Like, decisively, emphatically, convincingly…
And then…BOOM! The answer popped into my head. It’s “WINS.” Because you know, when someone wins something big, it’s a resounding victory. It just clicked!
I quickly typed it in, and sure enough, the little jingle played, telling me I was right. I felt like a genius, even though it took me way longer than it should have.
The Takeaway: Sometimes you just need to step away, maybe grab some caffeine, and think about the clue from a different angle. “Resoundingly” wasn’t about sound at all. It was about the feeling of a win. Crosswords, man, they’ll get ya every time!
- Read the clue carefully.
- Think about synonyms.
- Don’t overthink it (easier said than done!).
- Caffeine helps (maybe).
Hopefully, sharing my little crossword victory helps someone else out there who’s scratching their head at a tricky clue. Keep puzzling!
