Okay, so today I decided to tackle the “Playground Comeback” from the NYT crossword. I gotta say, it wasn’t a walk in the park.
I started by printing out the puzzle. There’s something about having it on paper that just feels right, you know? Then I grabbed my favorite pen, the one with the smooth ink flow, and found a comfy spot on the couch.
I scanned the clues, jotting down some of the gimmes. You know, the ones that just pop into your head. But there were definitely some head-scratchers in there.
- There was this one clue, “Informal farewell,” that stumped me for a good ten minutes. I kept coming back to it, trying different combinations.
- Then, the clue “Opposite of WSW” had me flipping through a mental compass. I’m not exactly a navigation expert, if you catch my drift.
- And don’t even get me started on “___ nous (among us, in France).” My French is, shall we say, rusty.
I hit a few walls, no doubt. I took a break, refilled my coffee, and even flipped through the dictionary a couple of times. I mean who am I kidding, I also checked some hints online. No shame in that, right?
Slowly but surely, I started making progress. I filled in a few more words, then a few more, and suddenly things started clicking. “Informal farewell” turned out to be “LATER,” which felt so obvious once I got it.
The Breakthrough
The real breakthrough came when I figured out “Opposite of WSW.” It was “ENE”! That unlocked a whole bunch of other answers, and I was on a roll. And that French one? Turns out it was “ENTRE.” See? Rusty.
Finally, after about, I don’t know, maybe an hour or so, I managed to fill in that last square. The satisfaction was immense. I leaned back, admired my handiwork, and felt like a crossword champion.
It wasn’t easy, but that’s what makes it fun, right? It’s like a little mental workout. Anyway, that’s my story of conquering the “Playground Comeback” crossword. On to the next one, I guess!
