Okay, so I was chilling on the couch, trying to tackle the Sunday crossword, and I got totally stuck on a clue: “damage in a way”. I stared at it, and stared at it. Nothing. My brain was a complete blank. I even tried to cheat a little, looking up some synonym lists, but still no dice.
So, I decided to, you know, actually think about it. I started going through different ways you can damage something. You can:
- Break it
- Scratch it
- Dent it
- Burn it
- …and a million other things.
But, none of those words fit the number of letters I needed. I was about to give up and declare defeat, my pride slightly bruised, you know? But I kept going, I am nothing if not persistent.
From Zero to…almost hero.
Then I thought, “Damage in a way” It’s not just asking what can damage, it’s asking for a word describing a type of damaging. Started to make sense, finally.
I re-examined the spaces I had, and any crossing letters, I mumbled the clue to myself over and over “damage in a way…damage in a way…”
Then, out of nowhere, it hit me! MAR. Like, to mar something. It fit perfectly! One little word, a bit old-timey, but that mean to damage.
I felt like a freaking genius, even though it was just a small crossword victory. See, that is what I like about crosswords, some little moment you get yourself out of a jam. I slotted it in, and it helped me crack the rest of the puzzle. Total triumph.
So, yeah, that’s my super exciting story of how I figured out “damage in a way” in a crossword puzzle. Sometimes, the simplest things can be the most satisfying, am I right?
