Okay, so I was messing around with the crossword in the newspaper today, and I got totally stuck on one clue: “tourney position.” It was a short one, just four letters. I was racking my brains, thinking about all sorts of sports terms, but nothing seemed to fit.
I decided to take a more systematic approach. I started by listing out all the four-letter words I could think of related to tournaments or competitions. Things like “rank,” “seed,” “spot”… you get the idea. Still no luck.
Then, I remembered a trick I learned from a crossword-solving buddy. He told me to focus on the most common letters, especially vowels. So, I started thinking about words with common letter combinations. That’s when it hit me! The answer was “SEED.” You know, like a “seeded” player in a tournament?
- First, I was just randomly guessing words. Total fail.
- Then, I tried listing out related terms. Still nothing.
- Finally, I used the “common letters” trick. Boom! Solved it.
- Think general sports terms.
- Try listing the related 4 letters terms.
- Zeroed in on common letters (E, A, etc.).
My “Process”
It felt so good to finally crack that clue. It’s amazing how sometimes the simplest words can be the most challenging. And it’s a good reminder that sometimes you need to change up your approach when you’re stuck on a problem. Think outside the box, or in this case, inside the four little boxes!
