# Stupid/obvious crossword clues? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 7, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428 "2011-12-07T23:21:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/1 "2011-12-07T23:21:30Z")
I came across this outstanding example doing the crossword in the free commuter rag while waiting for my train home last night: 14 Down: Pertaining to America (8) By the time I got to it I had AM—C-N Any other examples? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/2 "2011-12-07T23:40:58Z")
Moved MPSIMS --\> the Game Room **twicks** , who’s written thousands and thousands of crossword clues and never scraped the bottom of that particular barrel ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/3 "2011-12-08T00:28:58Z")
I dimly remember an old “National Lampoon,” probably from the 70’s, that had a crossword puzzle called “The Nose On Your Face.” The answer to every clue was the clue, verbatim. PS I never realized what a funny word “cunctator” was until just now. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/4 "2011-12-08T02:30:17Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Moved MPSIMS –\> the Game Room > > **twicks** , who’s written thousands and thousands of crossword clues and never scraped the bottom of that particular barrel twickster, do you write puzzles for any newspaper syndicate, or do you do them for yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/5 "2011-12-08T02:33:33Z")
One from the other day: “Federal Bureau of Investigation, abbrev.” Two women who are beloved by crossword makers are “Actress Thurman” and “Actress Hagen”. (Uma and Uta, both of whom show up constantly.) ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/6 "2011-12-08T02:49:25Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > One from the other day: “Federal Bureau of Investigation, abbrev.” > > Two women who are beloved by crossword makers are “Actress Thurman” and “Actress Hagen”. (Uma and Uta, both of whom show up constantly.) I don’t do crosswords, but wouldn’t a better clue for “Uma” be something like “Poison Ivy” ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/7 "2011-12-08T03:08:55Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I don’t do crosswords, but wouldn’t a better clue for “Uma” be something like “Poison Ivy” The puzzle constructors create the word grids first, and in a tight spot a letter configuration like “Uma” might help them to do so…they then write the clues, and how obvious or obscure they make them plays a big part in determining the puzzle’s difficulty. You’re right that “Poison Ivy” works - but it’s much less obvious for the average non-enthusiast solver than “Actress Thurman” - whether it’s “better” depends on the target audience, and how difficult they want/need the puzzle to be. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/8 "2011-12-08T03:10:29Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I don’t do crosswords, but wouldn’t a better clue for “Uma” be something like “Poison Ivy” There ARE certain clues that show up all the time… like “Mine entrance” (adit) and if you memorize them, you are going to make your life easier. One thing that kills me is the hebrew months and letters of the alphabet. I have tried memorizing them but for some reason they just don’t stick. What kind of crosswords are you folks doing? NY Times, for example don’t tend to give out clues like the ones I’m seeing. Except when they say “alphabet run” and if you have one letter in the string, you just fill in the rest. I also hate roman numeral math. Leave me alone! DCI x XXIV ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/9 "2011-12-08T03:11:54Z")
> [@stink fish pot](#): > > there are certain clues that show up all the time… oleo, lol. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/10 "2011-12-08T03:27:58Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > oleo, lol. great one! I have a NYC Times Sunday Omnibus, and one of the favorites has been “They play at Shea” ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/11 "2011-12-08T04:00:08Z")
I highly recommend the documentary [“Wordplay”](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wordplay/) for all crossword puzzle nerds out there… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/12 "2011-12-08T04:04:10Z")
Twistable cookie Toiletries case Soothing plant Large stewpot Like a moray UN workers organization Fencing sword ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/13 "2011-12-08T05:14:55Z")
Erstwhile Heathrow landing Clues with “Livy’s (blank)” Clues pointing to alphabet strings, like “D-H Bridge” Joe ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/14 "2011-12-08T12:21:44Z")
Here are three I got in one puzzle, in an actual adult newspaper. I remember them exactly because I ranted about it on FB. “All’s well that \_\_\_ well” “to be or \_\_\_ to be” “\_\_\_ and yang” I especially liked this clue “+” for the answer “plus”. Note that this is a sampling of the horrible clues, the puzzle was filled with them. This puzzle was so bad I gave up on it in disgust. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/15 "2011-12-08T14:22:12Z")
[In this thread about lazy crossword clues](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=622302&highlight=crossword), I made the following post: > [@](#): > > This is a direct copy-and-paste of an email I sent to the SF Chronicle last year: > > > [@](#): > > > > I have been a daily reader of The Chronicle for nearly 15 years, since I moved to California. One of my very favorite parts of the paper are the puzzles - especially Sunday. I do all of them, or at least I attempt them all - sometimes I get stumped. My favorites are the crosswords - all three in the back of the Pink section, and even the Hollywood Crossword in the TV section. > > > > I understand that the Hollywood crossword is intended to be light fare - nothing particularly difficult. But do we really need these four clues from the July 4th puzzle? > > > > Actor McRaney’s Initials > > Acuff’s Initials > > Shaw’s Monogram > > Initials for Goulet > > > > Are we now giving half of the answer in clues? I suppose only one-third of the answer is given in the clue “Shaw’s Monogram,” since the Shaw referenced is George Bernard, not Robert, but that doesn’t excuse it. > > > > If the crossword is produced in-house, as opposed to syndicated, perhaps some editorial guidance is in order. > > > > Regards, Joe ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/16 "2011-12-08T14:38:13Z")
The ones that annoy me are the converse - where the clue is too broad to even offer a chance of finding the answer. E.g: Type of fish (5) Author (6) European Capital (6) Yes, if I already have half the letters I can fill in the rest but I have to start somewhere. If you can’t, in theory, get the right answer from the clue alone then what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/17 "2011-12-08T14:48:26Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Any other examples? All of the clues for any crossword in **People** magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/18 "2011-12-08T16:26:30Z")
Two more common ones for getting in the vowels: Jacob’s brother. (Esau) Fencing sword. (Epee) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/19 "2011-12-08T18:40:54Z")
There was one the other day that said “One of the Mario Brothers”. Well, “Mario” would be TOO obvious, which only leaves one other one. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428/20 "2011-12-08T18:52:49Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > There ARE certain clues that show up all the time… like “Mine entrance” (adit) and if you memorize them, you are going to make your life easier. > > One thing that kills me is the hebrew months and letters of the alphabet. I have tried memorizing them but for some reason they just don’t stick. > > What kind of crosswords are you folks doing? NY Times, for example don’t tend to give out clues like the ones I’m seeing. The Times sometimes used to use “crossword puzzle words,” but they mostly dropped that after Will Shortz became puzzle editor. (Or if they were included, they had unusual clues.) This greatly improved things, as far as I was concerned. Before that I would sometimes have “knots” where I didn’t know either crossing word. Now most clues are “gettable” without knowledge of words used only in crossword puzzles. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-obvious-crossword-clues/605428.md?page=2)