# Please explain these crossword clues/answers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816 "2009-02-07T17:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/1 "2009-02-07T17:02:55Z")
I’m not a major crossword player, and I’ve started playing the puzzle that _The Week_ magazine has recently added. But in the last issue’s puzzle, I was stumped by two clues and am still puzzled (har!) now that I’ve seen the answers. They are: Down 32: Shower (5 letters) Down 36: Solvent (6 letters) The answers, AIRER and AFLOAT, respectively. I’m 53 years old, a professional writer and editor, and have never heard the word “airer” before. I see that [M-W Dictionary online](http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airer) defines it as “British : a frame on which clothes are aired or dried.” I.e., virtually the opposite of “shower.” While writing this post, I realized the connection between “solvent” and “afloat.” My mistake was thinking in terms of hydrocarbons instead of finances. So I guess that one is a just a tricky clue. But can anyone explain shower/airer? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/2 "2009-02-07T17:05:19Z")
It’s show-er, not shower. By airing the clothes out to dry you are showing them to people who pass by. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/3 "2009-02-07T17:07:29Z")
Or you can think of it like a TV network. An airer = someone who airs something. A shower = someone who shows something. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/4 "2009-02-07T17:08:21Z")
Solvent/Afloat was immediately obvious to me, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an airer either. In addition to being something you dry clothes on, is it possibly also something that you would perhaps _show_ clothes on? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/5 "2009-02-07T17:26:39Z")
The OED defines “airer” using example sentences about how one can be, for instance, an airer of opinions. So airing something can be expressing an idea. This means that an airer can be someone who expresses (and hence publicly shows) their ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/6 "2009-02-07T17:31:05Z")
That makes more sense than my version. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/7 "2009-02-07T17:31:48Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Or you can think of it like a TV network. An airer = someone who airs something. A shower = someone who shows something. After seeing the answer, something like this crossed my mind, but it seemed awfully strained. Is “shower” ever used in the sense of “one who shows” (and presumably pronounced with a long O, not OW)? M-W doesn’t show such a usage. Is this kind of thing common in crosswords? I might have been more likely to get it if the clue had been “show-er” and not “shower.” ETA: Didn’t see **Wendell Wagner** ’s post before posting this. What’s the date of that usage? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/8 "2009-02-07T17:48:08Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Solvent/Afloat was immediately obvious to me 'tisn’t to _me_, I must say. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/9 "2009-02-07T17:51:13Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > 'tisn’t to _me_, I must say. Think of it in the context of the current economic situation in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/10 "2009-02-07T17:55:52Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > After seeing the answer, something like this crossed my mind, but it seemed awfully strained. > > Is “shower” ever used in the sense of “one who shows” (and presumably pronounced with a long O, not OW)? M-W doesn’t show such a usage. > > Is this kind of thing common in crosswords? I might have been more likely to get it if the clue had been “show-er” and not “shower.” > > … It’s the kind of thing that’s extremely common in crosswords. If you stick with doing them, it won’t seem as strange. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/11 "2009-02-07T17:56:19Z")
Yes, this type of thing is often used in crosswords. Another popular word for clues is _flower_, which often means not what you might expect but something that flows, eg a river. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/12 "2009-02-07T17:57:40Z")
The examples of “airer” with that definition in the OED are from the 18th and 19th centuries. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/13 "2009-02-07T17:58:28Z")
Good one. In fact, if you see “flower” in a cryptic crossword, it’s probably safer to bet they’re looking for a river, not a plant. ETA: That was meant as a response to **aldiboronti** ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/14 "2009-02-07T17:58:37Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > After seeing the answer, something like this crossed my mind, but it seemed awfully strained. > > Is “shower” ever used in the sense of “one who shows” (and presumably pronounced with a long O, not OW)? M-W doesn’t show such a usage. > > Is this kind of thing common in crosswords? I might have been more likely to get it if the clue had been “show-er” and not “shower.” > > ETA: Didn’t see **Wendell Wagner** ’s post before posting this. What’s the date of that usage? This is a style of certain kinds of contemporary crosswords. Some really tricky ones will have dozens of these “second sense” clues. They are deliberately designed - often by the editor, not the compositor - to make the puzzle more difficult. If you get into crosswords you’ll need to always keep in mind that words can be both nouns and verbs, or have a variety of meanings, or be puns. Some editors go for these clues more than others so you can hunt around for the ones that are to your liking. You’ll also find that after the few first hundred it becomes automatic to start parsing all the possible meanings in your head. And some words show up more frequently because these have lots of needed letters. Airer is a frequent flier because of the double vowel at the beginning. (Any hint of broadcasting or television will be either airer or rerun.) Also eerie and aerie and early and oeno and iodine. Crosswords become easier with practice, just like any other skill. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/15 "2009-02-07T18:02:01Z")
Can anyone explain why on refresh this thread still shows only 7 responses? And my response doesn’t show up on preview? ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/16 "2009-02-07T18:07:39Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Also eerie and aerie and early and oeno and iodine. Crosswords become easier with practice, just like any other skill. And oleo and alee and eero (as in [Eero Saarinen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eero_Saarinen)) and epee and so on. And yes, crossword clues are intentionally misleading. That’s what makes them such great brain exercise. **Exapno** , it was there for me, seeing as how I quoted you. Can you see it now? ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/17 "2009-02-07T18:25:35Z")
My all-time favorite crossword clues: ```auto [sub]4[/sub] [sup]1[/sup]oooo o o o ``` 1 ACROSS: \_\_\_\_\_ Musketeers 4 DOWN: \_\_\_\_\_ Match 1 ACROSS: “THE3” 4 DOWN: “3ONA” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/18 "2009-02-07T18:38:41Z")
Thanks, all, for the info and advice. I’ll get the hang of this if I keep doing the puzzles, I guess. After having done only three or so, I’m already getting better and faster. I really enjoy _The Week_ because it keeps me up to date on a wide range of news. When they added the puzzle, I didn’t expect I’d get into it, mainly because I didn’t think I’d have time. Warning: possibly TMI to follow. See, I keep the magazine in the bathroom and read it while on the toilet. I generally have almost exactly enough throne time in a week to read each issue before the next one comes on Friday. That was before the puzzles. I only got a third or half way through the first puzzle the first week. But I’ve done better since then. So maybe I’ll be able to make it a new part of my routine. I have a rule for myself: I won’t look up an answer. It has to come to me without any direct outside help. This make most sports and many pop culture clues nearly impossible. But I’m surprised how often I can finally figure out the answer just by letting it go for a while and coming back to it. What are your crossword dos and don’ts, tricks, tips, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/19 "2009-02-07T18:44:21Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Is this kind of thing common in crosswords? This kind of thing is what makes crosswords fun. If they were restricted to conventional word usage, they’d be boring and tedious. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816/20 "2009-02-07T19:40:16Z")
I remember a clue that read “Second person in the Bible.” The answer had four letters. Turns out it wasthou Personally, I love this kind of stuff. Makes your brain get off its butt and out of its rut. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-these-crossword-clues-answers/484816.md?page=2)