Alright, so I thought I’d jot down what happened when I tried tackling this thing called the “lads crossword”. Heard a few mates talking about it, sounded like a bit of a laugh, maybe something different to do instead of just watching the telly.
So, I got hold of one. First look, seemed straightforward enough, you know? Just a regular crossword grid. Black squares, white squares, numbers. Standard stuff. Grabbed a pen, sat down with a brew, ready to go.
Getting Started (or trying to)
Well, that initial confidence didn’t last long. Started looking at the clues. Across, Down. Some of them made sense, like proper crossword clues. Others? Bit strange, really. Felt like they were full of in-jokes or references I wasn’t quite getting. Maybe that’s the ‘lads’ part of it?
Spent a good ten minutes just staring at it. Filled in a couple of the easy ones, the really obvious ones. Felt a bit pleased with myself for a second. Then hit a wall. Like, properly stuck. The clues just seemed… weird. Not difficult in the usual tricky wordplay way, more like you had to be ‘in the know’.
- Tried guessing a few answers based on the letters I had.
- Read the clues out loud to myself, hoping it would click.
- Even walked away for a bit, made another tea.
The Middle Bit – Pushin’ Through
Came back to it later. Decided I wasn’t gonna let it beat me. Focused on one corner. Found a clue that was longer, maybe 10 letters. Thought if I could crack that one, it might open up a few others. It was something about a famous football match, I think. Vague memory, but took a punt. Wrote it in lightly with pencil first, just in case.
Turns out, that guess was right! Magic. Suddenly, a few of the down clues running through it started making sense. Got ‘goal’ for one, ‘score’ for another. Felt like I was actually making progress. It was slow going, mind. Like chipping away at concrete sometimes. One answer would lead to another letter, which might help with another clue, but just as often it led nowhere.
There were still clues that completely baffled me. Probably references to stuff I just don’t follow – certain TV shows or maybe some internet thing. Had to leave quite a few blanks, honestly.
Wrapping It Up (Sort Of)
Didn’t quite finish the whole thing. Got maybe three-quarters done? Some clues just remained mysteries. But you know what? Didn’t really matter by the end. It was more about the process, the trying bit.
Was it fun? Yeah, in a strange, frustrating sort of way. Good to exercise the old grey matter, I suppose. Better than scrolling endlessly on my phone. Would I do it again? Maybe. If I had a spare hour and fancied a bit of a puzzle that felt a bit different. It wasn’t life-changing, just… an experience. Something I tried.
Guess the ‘lads’ part is you’re meant to do it with your mates, maybe down the pub, have a laugh about the odd clues. Doing it solo made some parts feel a bit like guesswork. Still, glad I gave it a whirl.
