Today, I came across a little brain teaser that got me thinking. I was just chilling, scrolling through my phone, and stumbled upon this crossword puzzle, the NYT Mini, to be exact. The clue was “Word with nature or pretzel.” Sounds simple enough, right? But man, it had me stumped for a good while.
So, I started with the obvious, “nature.” I thought about words commonly associated with it: “Mother Nature,” “wild nature,” but nothing fit the bill. The puzzle was only a 5-letter word, so these wouldn’t work. Tried “green,” but still nothing, “force”? Nah, not that either.
Then, I shifted gears to “pretzel.” My mind went straight to food. Soft pretzels, hard pretzels, pretzel sticks, I was getting hungry just thinking about it. I pictured myself at a baseball game with a giant soft pretzel in hand. Still, none of these led to anything that seemed like the right answer.
I even started listing out types of pretzels, like “salted,” “twisted,” “baked” – you name it. Nope, nada, nothing. I was about to give up and search for the answer online, but figured it would be more rewarding if I worked it out myself. At the least, I would find the answer to solve the crossword puzzle I’m working on.
Brainstorming
I decided to change my approach. Instead of thinking of phrases or types, I focused on words that could directly follow “nature” or “pretzel” to form a common compound word or a commonly used phrase. Like, how about “nature walk” or “pretzel stick”? I jotted down a few more ideas but still felt like I was in a maze.
Finally, it hit me. What about “human”? “Human nature” is a common phrase, and although it’s a bit of a stretch, “human pretzel” could refer to a person in a contorted position, maybe a yoga master or someone really flexible. Could “human” be the answer? It fits!
- Tried: Nature walk, Nature trail
- Tried: Pretzel stick, Pretzel bun
- Realized: Human nature, human pretzel
I quickly checked the crossword, and bingo! “Human” was the right answer. Such a simple word, yet it took me on a wild ride of associations and guesses. It’s funny how our brains work, right? We can go from thinking about the wilderness to a snack in a matter of seconds.
Anyway, that was my little adventure for today. Sometimes the simplest things can be the most challenging, and it’s always satisfying to crack the code, no matter how small the puzzle. Hope you enjoyed my little brain teaser journey!
