Okay, so I was messing around with crossword puzzles today, and I got totally stumped by this one clue: “insult.” It was just sitting there, mocking me. I figured I’d share how I finally cracked it, ’cause it was a bit of a journey.
First, I stared at it. Like, really stared. Blank. Nothing. My brain was a total wasteland. I even tried saying “insult” in different ways, like I was casting a spell or something. Nope. Still nothing.
Then, I started looking at the crossing letters. I had a few filled in, so I thought, “Okay, maybe I can work backward.” I had an “E” in the second spot, and a “T” at the end. So, it was ?E??T.

- I tried “MEAT”. That is not an insult!
- I tried “FEET”. It’s also not an insult, but it has other meaning!
- I tried “BEAT”. Okay, getting warmer, but still not quite right.
I decided to take a break. Sometimes you just gotta walk away, you know? I grabbed a cup of coffee, flipped through some channels on the TV, and then BAM! It hit me.
The Breakthrough!
I remembered one of my friend always use “SLIGHT” to describe being ignored or disrespected. That’s kind of an insult, right? A subtle one, but still… I rushed back to the puzzle, plugged it in, and…YES! It fit perfectly!
So, yeah, “SLIGHT” was the answer. It wasn’t super obvious, but that’s what made it so satisfying to finally figure it out. Just goes to show, sometimes you need to step away, let your brain do its thing, and the answer will pop up when you least expect it.