Mike Shenk’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “Tight Spots” — Conrad’s writeup.
This week we’re looking for a one-syllable part of the body. Oddly specific puzzle note, and therefore probably important. Completing the grid was a slog (for me), and the grid itself was pretty weird, with two 2×2 black squares in the middle. Those signs usually indicate a grid that is getting a workout in order to support the meta, which turned out to be the case this week.
There was one clear-cut theme entry: the long center down entry HOSPITALCORNERS, clued as Tightly tucked parts of a made bed. The clue echoed “tight” in the title, so that had to be important. I looked at the four corners of the grid and found noise. I looked at the corners of the large black grid squares and found more noise. I Googled hospital corners, which lead me down a doomed diagonal grid entry rabbit hole.
I set the puzzle aside and returned, doubling down on corners. I spotted a signal at the top of the grid: WHERET. The grid contained more corners than I realized: (W)AS(H), (E)THE(R), and (E)AS(T) all abutted corners. By “corner” I mean two filled grid squares above, below, to the left, or right. The rest of the filled grid squares had three or four. The mirroring bottom corner letters contained NAENDS. I realized I was missing HE UL, so I backsolved those and noticed the corners of the entries above and below LOSALAMOS. Here are the entries containing corner squares:
WSJ Contest – 01.17.2025
- (W)AS(H)
- (E)THE(R)
- (E)AS(T)
- (H)ONOR
- ALORANG(E)
- (U)NPOETIC
- VITA(L)
- (N)AS(A)
- (E)DSO(N)
- (D)AD(S)
The corner grid squares form WHERE THE ULNA ENDS, leading to our contest solution WRIST. That also explains one-syllable in the title: ELBOW would also be a viable answer without that caveat. I suppose HAND is also a valid answer, but I submitted WRIST. I suspect they’ll accept both answers. Solvers: please share your thoughts.
I looked at the inside letters os the four corner answers and got HEAD. Quick solution but wrong.
Same.
As I noted elsewhere –
If you Google the phrase from the grid “Where the ulna ends” – WRIST is the answer. Multiple browsers and search engines – including incognito and secure – on multiple devices (including some not signed into an account or to another user) – all provided WRIST. Can you get to the HAND? Only through the wrist. Even wiki “a broad distal end that articulates with the carpal bones at the wrist.”
Think about it from a break or a sprain standpoint. You can have it afflict your arm, your wrist or your hand. The WRIST is a separate body part. It comes before the hand.
As for THUMB? That’s on the radius side of your HAND (ulna is pinkie side).
However based on recent puzzles and answers, it seems to be guaranteed not to be WRIST, but HAND :rofl:
I didn’t submit because I thought there were too many possible answers. My thinking is: Ok. If WRIST is correct- I questioned how that works with the theme “Tight Spots”? Wouldn’t JOINT be a better answer? -as in jail- which is a tight spot. Further, Mike also didn’t say it was a human body part. A dog’s ulna ends at the leg joint -for instance.
If we are talking about humans, I agree WRIST, HAND and even PALM could be valid.
So just “corners” then; the “hospital” descriptor being a major red herring. Tried a dozen ways of folding the grid and/or reading diagonals. Never got there.
Congrats on figuring it out. I was stymied because I thought maybe we were supposed to fold down corners as they do in Hospital Corners. That did not amount to much, but I considered WAIST that rhymed with WASTE which I got by folding WASH and EAST together. But the title TIGHT SPOTS made me think the answer would be plural. I ended up sending in SHINS.
Did anyone else notice the number of body parts or their homonyms in the clues? NAVA(e)L, ARMoury, EYE, BACK, LIMB, and even COLUMN (Spinal). Also HIP in FIRESHIP.
I would never have figured out the correct answer. This puzzle was more difficult than actually making Hospital Corners!
In each of the four corner sections you can find “EAR” clockwise in a triangular (hospital corner?) arrangement. Seemed fairly convincing.
I should have gotten this – I recently broke my ulna, but feared both forearm bones had been broken. When the ER doc told me it was just the ulna, I was so happy, I joked, “Oh, a crossword injury!” He had no idea what I was talking about, even after I explained it. Fortunately, I went to an orthopedist who immediately laughed at my retelling of the ER experience! (All ok now.)