Okay, so the other day I was doing the NYT crossword, and I got totally stuck. The clue was something like “ending with play or plate,” and I was drawing a complete blank. My brain was just not cooperating.
I started by trying to think of words ending in “play.” Nothing. Then I switched to “plate.” Still nothing. I paced around my room, muttered to myself, and generally felt like a dummy. It’s so frustrating when you know the answer is right there, but you just can’t grasp it.
My Little Experiment
First, I decided try free association:
- play… game… child… fun…
- plate… food… dinner… dish…
I scribbled down a bunch of words, hoping something would click. Nope.
Then, I tried a different approach. I started listing words I know that could go before “play” and “plate”:
- Fair play…
- Foul play…
- License plate…
- Home plate…
still stucked, and I thought will it be a three letter word or four, or even longer?
I stared at the empty squares in the crossword, willing the answer to magically appear. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it hit me. “Oh, it’s got to be a short word!” I grabbed my pen and, with a surge of triumph, filled in the final answer.
I gotta say, crosswords are a real love-hate thing for me. The frustration is intense, but the feeling of finally cracking a tough clue? Totally worth it.
