My Tangle with the “Handles Crossword”
Alright, so I sat down with this “handles crossword” earlier today. Been doing crosswords for ages, you know, just a way to keep the brain ticking over. Saw this one themed around “handles” and thought, “Okay, let’s see what this is about.” Sounded straightforward enough, right? Handles… like on a door, or a mug.
So, I grabbed my pencil – yeah, I still use pencil, makes rubbing out easier – and took a look at the grid. Started with the Across clues, just scanning for anything obvious, the low-hanging fruit. Got a few pretty quick. Stuff like common three or four-letter words, the usual suspects. Then I hit the first themed clue related to “handles”. Threw me off a bit.
Getting into the thick of it…
It wasn’t just about physical handles. That was the tricky part they threw in there. I started seeing clues that hinted at:
- Nicknames or online usernames (like a Twitter handle).
- Dealing with or managing something (like “getting a handle on” a situation).
- Tool parts (axe handle, screwdriver handle).
- Names of people famous for ‘handling’ things, maybe? Though that seemed less common here.
Took me a while to switch gears between these different meanings. I’d fill in a section thinking about tools, then get completely stuck because the next “handle” clue was about social media. Had to erase a few answers that seemed right but messed up the crossing words once I figured out the type of handle they were going for in another clue.
Hitting the Wall (and climbing over it)
There was this one section, down in the bottom right corner, that just wouldn’t budge. I had like three crossing “handle” clues all meeting there. One seemed like it should be a type of tool, another maybe a way of saying ‘manage’, and the third… well, I had no idea. Just stared at it for a good ten minutes.
I actually got up, made a cup of tea, walked around a bit. Sometimes stepping away helps shake something loose. Came back, looked at it fresh, and suddenly saw one of the crossing words – totally unrelated to handles – that I’d been missing. Bam! That gave me a couple of letters for the tricky handle clues, and the rest just sort of fell into place. It’s funny how that works.
Finished! The Aftermath.
Finally got the whole thing filled in. Took me longer than my usual puzzle, maybe 45 minutes all told, with that tea break in the middle. Wasn’t the hardest crossword I’ve ever done, not by a long shot, but the theme definitely made me work for it. Having to constantly switch my thinking on what “handle” meant was the main challenge.
It felt good to finish, like untangling a knot. It’s that little sense of accomplishment, you know? Just sorting out that little box of words. A decent way to spend a bit of time. I liked it – kept me on my toes.
