So, I was tackling a crossword puzzle the other day, just kicking back, you know? And I hit this clue: “right away”. Seemed simple enough at first glance.
But then I looked at the grid. It needed four letters. My first thought, like probably everyone’s, was “NOW”. But that’s only three letters. No good. Then I thought, maybe “SOON”? Four letters, yeah, but it didn’t quite feel like the same urgency as “right away”, and honestly, the letters I already had crossing it just didn’t match up. Drat.
I stared at those four empty squares for a bit. What else means “right away”? My brain cycled through “FAST”, “QUICK”… still not quite hitting the mark or fitting the letters. I even considered if there was some old-timey word I was missing.
Figuring it Out
Then it clicked. Abbreviations! People use shortcuts for “right away” all the time. The first one that jumped out was ASAP. As Soon As Possible. Four letters. I checked the crossing letters I had penciled in – yeah, that looked promising. The ‘S’ and the ‘P’ lined up perfectly with the down clues I already solved. Felt pretty good about that one.
It got me thinking, though. Crosswords love using variations. What else could fit?
- STAT came to mind next. You hear that in doctor shows, right? Means immediately. Also four letters. Definitely a common crossword answer for this kind of clue.
- PRONTO. That’s another good one, borrowed from Spanish/Italian, means quickly, right away. Five letters, so maybe not for this specific puzzle I was doing, but definitely one they use.
- Sometimes they even use ANON, which is an older word, meaning soon or right away. Four letters again.
So, for my puzzle, ASAP was the winner. It fit the squares and the crossing letters. But it was a good reminder of how many ways these puzzle creators can ask for the same basic idea.
It’s kind of satisfying when you work through it like that. You start stuck, wrack your brain, try a few things, and then boom, you find the word that just slots right in. That’s why I keep doing these things, I guess. Keeps the old brain working!
