Crossword Challenge Puzzle 288 Clues and Answers
Crossword Challenge Puzzle 288 is an 8×10 board with 30 clues, and every one of them is answered below.
Short answers dominate here: 9 of 30 fit in one or two squares. 5 clues are pictures, and 2 of those ask you to fill the gaps in a word printed on the image; 1 wants just the first letter of a single word; 2 clues are fill-ins, and 2 of them need only the missing letters. The longest answer runs 9 letters and belongs to the picture clue in the top row.
Here is the shortcut for Puzzle 288: read the first letters of the top-row answers and you get the answer to “First light”. Read the first letters down the left edge and you get the answer to the picture clue in the top row. One of those two words unlocks the first letter of 15 others.
Hints and answers, clue by clue
Clues look the way they do in the game. Tap Hint for a nudge or Answer to see the letters. The fully solved grid is below the hints.
Top row
These sit along the top edge and every answer runs down.
1Picture clue
Top row 1/7 · 9 letters · down
What is shown in the image? Shape: S _ _ M _ _ I _ _. Check the sixth letter against the picture clue in the left column.
SUBMARINE
TAKE BY FORCE
2Take by force
Top row 2/7 · 5 letters · down
Begins with U. Solving “Male honorific” first gives you its fourth letter.
USURP
3Fishing gear
Top row 3/7 · 3 letters · down
Both the picture and the text “FISHING GEAR” point to the same word. It begins with N.
NET
RAILROAD
4Railroad
Top row 4/7 · 2 letters · down
R _. Its second letter is shared with “Consumer”.
RR
ITEM
5Item
Top row 5/7 · 1 letter · down
Only one square: take the initial of Item.
I
6Picture clue
Top row 6/7 · 4 letters · down
Name the object in the picture. S _ _ _. “Elderly” crosses it at the third square.
SALE
FINISH POINT
7Finish point
Top row 7/7 · 3 letters · down
Fits E _ _. Its third letter is shared with “Elderly”.
END
Left column
These sit down the left edge and every answer runs across.
FIRST LIGHT
8First light
Left column 1/9 · 7 letters · across
Shape: S _ _ R _ _ E. “Item” crosses it at the fifth square.
SUNRISE
CONSUMER
9Consumer
Left column 2/9 · 4 letters · across
Shape: U _ _ _. Solving “Fishing gear” first gives you its third letter.
USER
EXCEPT
10Except
Left column 3/9 · 3 letters · across
B _ _. “Fishing gear” crosses it at the third square.
BUT
MALE HONORIFIC
11Male honorific
Left column 4/9 · 2 letters · across
Starts with M; pattern M _. Solving “Take by force” first gives you its second letter.
MR
AWAY FROM
12Away from
Left column 5/9 · 5 letters · across
Fits A _ _ R _. Solving “Fancified” first gives you its fourth letter.
APART
-ock
13Picture clue
Left column 6/9 · 1 letter · across
Say what the picture shows. “-ock” is printed on it, and the dashes are the letters you type. Starts with R.
R
NOTION
14Notion
Left column 7/9 · 4 letters · across
Begins with I. Solving “Time spans” first gives you its third letter.
IDEA
NOSE OPENING
15Nose opening
Left column 8/9 · 7 letters · across
Fits N _ _ T _ _ L. The fifth square is also part of “Road abbr.”.
NOSTRIL
-gplant
16Picture clue
Left column 9/9 · 2 letters · across
Work out the object in the picture, then drop the part already written on it (“-gplant”). What is left starts with E.
EG
Inside the grid
Split squares hold two clues: the top half runs across, the bottom half runs down.
__YBODY
17__YBODY
Row 3, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Fill the gap in “__YBODY”, but leave out the letters already shown. Starts with A.
AN
ABOARD
18Aboard
Row 3, col 6 · 4 letters · down
Begins with O. Its third letter is shared with “Away from”.
ONTO
ELDERLY
19Elderly
Row 4, col 5 · 3 letters · across
Fits O _ _. The third square is also part of “Finish point”.
OLD
FANCIFIED
20Fancified
Row 4, col 5 · 6 letters · down
Shape: O _ _ A _ _. Solving “Notion” first gives you its fourth letter.
ORNATE
FIRST NUMBER
21First number
Row 5, col 4 · 3 letters · across
Starts with O; pattern O _ _. The picture clue in the top row crosses it at the third square.
ONE
TIME SPANS
22Time spans
Row 5, col 4 · 4 letters · down
A _ _ _. Its third letter is shared with “Notion”.
AGES
FRESHLY
23Freshly
Row 5, col 8 · 5 letters · down
Starts with N; pattern N _ _ L _. Solving “Nose opening” first gives you its fourth letter.
NEWLY
AFTER M
24After m
Row 6, col 7 · 1 letter · across
Recite the alphabet up to M; the answer is its next letter.
N
HOUSE CLEANER
25House cleaner
Row 6, col 7 · 4 letters · down
Fits M _ _ _. Its third letter is shared with “Nose opening”.
MAID
GARDEN FIGURINE
26Garden figurine
Row 7, col 3 · 5 letters · across
Begins with G. Check the fourth letter against “House cleaner”.
GNOME
LOYAL ANIMAL
27Loyal animal
Row 7, col 3 · 3 letters · down
Starts with D; pattern D _ _. Solving the picture clue in the left column first gives you its third letter.
DOG
__AKE
28__AKE
Row 8, col 6 · 2 letters · across
“__AKE” is a word with a gap. Type just the gap, which begins with A.
AW
ROAD ABBR.
29Road abbr.
Row 8, col 6 · 2 letters · down
Starts with R; pattern R _. “Vortex” crosses it at the second square.
RD
VORTEX
30Vortex
Row 10, col 4 · 4 letters · across
Shape: E _ _ _. Solving “House cleaner” first gives you its third letter.
EDDY
Crossword Challenge Level 288 Solved Grid
Hide the letters to check your own board against the empty grid.
Next puzzles
Crossword Challenge Puzzle 2898×10 · 31 clues · 6 picturesLongest answer runs 9 letters, and 2 clues are fill-in-the-blanks.See hints and answersCrossword Challenge Puzzle 2908×10 · 31 clues · 5 picturesLongest answer runs 9 letters, with no fill-in-the-blank clues.See hints and answers
Puzzle 288 solved
Thanks for working through Puzzle 288 with us. Puzzle 289 is next, with 31 clues on a 8×10 board.