Okay, so I finally decided to tackle the “Grove” NYT crossword. I’ve heard people rave about how tough and rewarding these puzzles are, and I wanted to see if I could hang. I grabbed my iPad, made sure my Apple Pencil was charged, and got comfy on the couch.
First, I opened the NYT Crossword app. The “Grove” puzzle was right there, staring me down. I took a deep breath and tapped on it.
The grid popped up, and man, it was intimidating. Lots of black squares, long intersecting words… this was clearly a step up from the usual Monday or Tuesday puzzles I sometimes dabble in.
I started, as I usually do, by scanning for any gimmes. Fill-in-the-blanks, obvious clues, anything to get a foothold. I found a few short ones, thankfully, and penciled those in. It felt good to get something on the board, even if it was just a few scattered letters.
Then came the real work. I started working through the clues, one by one. Some were straightforward, others were ridiculously cryptic. I remember one clue, something about “Sounds from a sty,” and I was completely stumped. I mean, who knows pig sounds that well? (Turns out, the answer was OINKS, which, duh, but I didn’t get it at first!).
- I used the check feature sparingly.
- I try not to use it at all.
- I did get this one!
I spent a good hour, maybe more, just chipping away at it. I’d get a few words, then hit a wall. I’d go back and forth, trying different combinations, erasing, re-entering. Slowly but surely, more and more of the grid started to fill in.
The Breakthrough
The biggest breakthrough came when I finally figured out a couple of the long theme answers. Once I had those, it was like a chain reaction. Letters started falling into place, and I could see how the whole puzzle was interconnected.
Finally, after what felt like forever, I entered the last letter. The little “Congratulations!” message popped up, and I have to admit, I felt pretty darn proud of myself. It was a challenge, for sure, but a super satisfying one.
I did it! I finished my “Grove” NYT Crossword!
