Alright, so yesterday I was really into the New York Times Mini Crossword. I’m not a huge crossword guy, but I do them from time to time. I saw that “do penance” was the clue that got a lot of people messed up on that day, July 17th. I figured, why not give it a shot? I’m thinking, I got this, no problem.

Do Penance NYT Style: Whats the Point Anymore? (A Quick Look at its Purpose)

So I started brainstorming, trying to come up with words that mean “do penance”. My mind went all over the place, thinking about religion, guilt, making amends. I scribbled down a few things that kind of fit, but nothing was really clicking. Time was ticking, and I was starting to feel the pressure. You know that feeling when you’re so close but still so far?

I decided to take a break, walked around a bit, maybe get some fresh air. I remember that someone once told me that the puzzles get harder as the week goes on, I’m not sure if that’s true, but I kept that in the back of my head. Then it hit me, I need to change my approach. Instead of thinking about the definition of the clue, I started focusing on the structure of the word. “Do penance”… it’s a verb phrase, so I need an answer that’s also a verb.

  • First, I tried a few random words, like “repent” and “apologize”, but they didn’t fit.
  • Then I thought, what’s another way of saying “make amends”?
  • And then, BAM! It hit me: “MAKE ATONEMENT”!

I typed it in, and boom, it worked! The satisfaction was immense. It was like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. Seriously, that feeling when you finally crack a tough clue is the best.

From Zero to Hero

So, that’s how I conquered the “do penance” clue. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but figuring it out made my day. I learned that sometimes, you gotta switch up your thinking, and that taking a little break can do wonders. I probably spent a good hour on this, off and on. Feels good to have finally figured it out, though!

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