Okay, so I was working on a crossword puzzle the other day. Just something to pass the time, you know? Nothing too serious.
Stuck on a Clue
Anyway, I hit this one clue: “gap”. Just three letters. Seemed simple enough at first glance. My brain immediately jumped to things like “pit” or “cut”. But neither fit with the letters I already had filled in from other words crossing it. I had an ‘A’ in the middle. So, _ A _. What could it be?
I stared at it for a while. Chewed on the end of my pen. Frustrating, you know? When something looks easy but just won’t click. Reminds me of trying to fix that leaky faucet last month. Thought it’d be a quick job, ended up taking the whole afternoon and a trip to the hardware store. Same feeling. You think you know, but you don’t.
Working Through It
So, back to the puzzle. _ A _. What kind of gap has an ‘A’ in the middle? I started thinking more broadly.
- Maybe it wasn’t a physical gap? Like a gap in conversation? No, still drawing a blank.
- Could it be some abbreviation? Crosswords sometimes do that, but it didn’t feel right.
- I looked at the crossing words again. Checked if I’d made a mistake there. Nope, they seemed solid.
I put the puzzle down, made a cup of tea. Sometimes stepping away helps clear the head. Stared out the window for a bit. Watched a squirrel bury a nut. Then it kinda hit me, not like lightning, but more like a slow dawn.
What about a simple, common word? Something almost too obvious? I went back to the puzzle. _ A _. How about…
The Answer
LAG. Yeah, L-A-G. Like a time lag, a gap in time or progress. It fit perfectly with the crossing letters. Felt a bit silly for not seeing it sooner. It’s often the simple ones that trip you up, hiding in plain sight.
So, that was my little adventure with that crossword clue. Just another reminder that sometimes the answer isn’t complicated, you just need to look at it the right way. Or maybe just take a tea break.
