Today I tackled something called a “strict crossword.” Sounds pretty serious, right? I’d been hearing about these things getting harder as the week goes on, with Monday being the cakewalk and Saturday some kind of mental marathon. And don’t even get me started on the Sunday one – I heard it’s like the boss level of crosswords.
So, I jumped in, pen in hand. I figured I’d start with the easy clues, you know, get a little momentum going. That’s what all the articles say. Build confidence, they say. And it worked! I was cruising through the first few, feeling pretty good about myself.
But then, bam! I hit a wall. Some of these clues were tough. I mean, “strict” was one of them. Who knew there were so many ways to say “strict”? I scribbled down a few guesses, erased them, scribbled some more. It was a mess.
- Tried looking up synonyms online.
- Racked my brain for anything I could remember.
- Even asked my roommate for help (he was no help, by the way).
I spent a good chunk of time just staring at the grid, hoping the answers would magically appear. No such luck. I did notice, though, that there weren’t any repeated answers. That’s kind of cool, I guess. Makes it a little less frustrating when you’re stuck on a short word.
The Moment of Truth
After what felt like forever, I finally cracked it! I managed to fill in most of the grid, even some of the really tricky ones. There were still a few blanks, but I was pretty proud of myself. It’s definitely a challenge, but a fun one. I can see why people get hooked on these things.
I learned that you need a lot of time to do it. Maybe I’ll try a Saturday one sometime, just to see how badly I’ll lose. But for now, I’m happy with my “strict” victory. It’s a good feeling to push your brain like that, even if it means a few hours of head-scratching.
