Becomes Less Clear Crossword Clue 90

Ah, the humble crossword clue. For many, it's a gentle puzzle. A little brain tickle before breakfast. But for some of us, it's a battleground. Especially when you hit a certain one. You know the one. The one that starts innocently enough, with words that seem perfectly ordinary. And then... BAM! You're staring at it, and your brain just… short circuits.

Let's talk about "Becomes Less Clear". Specifically, the 90-Across version. This clue has a special place in my personal hall of shame. I've seen it. I've pondered it. I have, on occasion, thrown a pencil in its general direction. It’s one of those clues that feels like a cosmic joke. A riddle designed by a mischievous genie with a penchant for the abstract.

You see the letters. You know the word is probably something like FADES. Or maybe BLURS. Those seem logical, right? They fit the definition. But then the answer grid mocks you. It's not FADES. It's not BLURS. It’s something… else. Something that, in retrospect, makes a bizarre kind of sense, but only after someone else has revealed it. And then you feel like a fool. A brilliant, puzzle-solving fool, but a fool nonetheless.

I’m convinced that whoever writes these particular clues has a secret dictionary. A dictionary where words have multiple, often contradictory, meanings. A dictionary that was probably penned by a philosopher who spent too much time in a smoky room contemplating the existential nature of fog. And this clue, "Becomes Less Clear", is its poster child.

It’s like trying to describe a dream you just woke up from. You know it was important. You know there were feelings. But the actual details? Poof! Gone.

I’ve had this happen with other clues, of course. The ones that are deceptively simple. Like "Small amount". You think, "Easy! BIT! LITTLE!" But no, it’s SCRAPE. Because a scrape is a small amount of damage. Or something. My brain does a cartwheel trying to justify these leaps. It’s exhausting.

But "Becomes Less Clear". This one has a particular sting. It’s not just about a word having a double meaning. It’s about the feeling it evokes. It's the intellectual equivalent of trying to remember someone's name when they're standing right in front of you. You know you know it! It's on the tip of your tongue! But it refuses to surface. It remains stubbornly, infuriatingly out of reach.

And then the answer is revealed. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, the answer is DIMINISHES. Now, yes, technically, something that diminishes can become less clear. But is that the first thing that comes to mind? Is that the most natural interpretation? I argue, with all my might, that it is not. It feels like a cheat. A clever, wordy cheat.

It’s the kind of clue that makes you question your own intelligence. You start to doubt your vocabulary. You wonder if you’ve been living under a rock, blissfully unaware of the vast and convoluted landscape of English wordplay. It’s a wake-up call. A rather rude, ink-stained wake-up call.

And the worst part? The absolute worst part is when you finally figure it out. After staring at it for ten minutes, after scribbling down every synonym you can think of, after resorting to peeking at the solution in the back of the paper… there it is. And you realize that, yes, it does make sense. It makes a weird, convoluted, "aha!" kind of sense. But that "aha!" is immediately followed by a deflated sigh. Because you know you're going to fall for it again. Next week. Or the week after.

It's like that one friend who always has a comeback. You think you've got them. You've delivered your best zinger. And then they hit you with something so unexpected, so perfectly crafted, that you just have to grudgingly admire it, even though it completely blindsided you. That’s "Becomes Less Clear" for me. It’s the crossword equivalent of a mic drop.

So, to the crossword constructors out there who delight in such linguistic mischief, I offer this: a gentle plea. Or perhaps a not-so-gentle grumble. My brain has enough to deal with. It juggles bills, remembers birthdays (sometimes), and occasionally finds matching socks. Do we really need to add "deciphering the hidden philosophical meaning of 'becomes less clear'" to the list? I think not. My mental filing cabinet is already overflowing. Especially with those 90-Across clues.

Perhaps, in a perfect world, a clue like "Becomes Less Clear" would be answered with a simple, satisfying DIM. Or maybe HAZE. But alas, we live in a world of intricate wordplay and infuriatingly clever compilers. And so, we soldier on. We stare at the grid. We furrow our brows. And we wait, with bated breath, for the next time "Becomes Less Clear" decides to grace our puzzle pages. And the next time, I swear, I'll have a stronger cup of coffee. And maybe a notepad. And a direct line to a crossword clue guru.

Until then, happy puzzling. And try not to throw anything. Unless it’s a very soft cushion.