Crossword Challenge Puzzle 1989 Clues and Answers
Puzzle 1989 of Crossword Challenge gives you 34 clues on a 8×10 board. Each one is listed below with a hint first and the answer second.
Expect plenty of tiny answers, 14 of them only one or two letters. 4 clues are pictures, and 2 of those ask you to fill the gaps in a word printed on the image; 2 clues want only the initials of the clue words; 3 want just the first letter of a single word; 5 clues are fill-ins, and 5 of them need only the missing letters. The longest answer runs 9 letters and belongs to “Two-hulled ship”.
Here is the shortcut for Puzzle 1989: read the first letters of the top-row answers and you get the answer to “Larch”. Read the first letters down the left edge and you get the answer to “Two-hulled ship”. 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.
1Two-hulled ship
Top row 1/7 · 9 letters · down
Picture plus words: “TWO-HULLED SHIP”. The answer opens with C.
CATAMARAN
DENTIST'S EXAM
2Dentist's exam
Top row 2/7 · 4 letters · down
O _ _ _. Solving “MU__BLE” first gives you its third letter.
ORAL
plan--r
3PLAN__R
Top row 3/7 · 2 letters · down
Work out the object in the picture, then drop the part already written on it (“plan--r”). What is left starts with N.
NE
BLACK AND WET
4Black and wet
Top row 4/7 · 4 letters · down
Fits I _ _ _. Solving “Yarn craft” first gives you its third letter.
INKY
5Picture clue
Top row 5/7 · 3 letters · down
One word for the picture, starting with F. The third square is also part of “Yarn craft”.
FAN
AFTER D
6After d
Top row 6/7 · 1 letter · down
Recite the alphabet up to D; the answer is its next letter.
E
QUITE A BIT
7Quite a bit
Top row 7/7 · 6 letters · down
Fits R _ _ H _ _. Its fourth letter is shared with “New hampshire”.
RATHER
Left column
These sit down the left edge and every answer runs across.
LARCH
8Larch
Left column 1/9 · 7 letters · across
C _ _ I _ _ R. The fifth square is also part of the picture clue in the top row.
CONIFER
"GLADIATOR" LOCALE
9"gladiator" locale
Left column 2/9 · 5 letters · across
Fits A _ _ N _. Solving “Black and wet” first gives you its fourth letter.
ARENA
MU__BLE
10MU__BLE
Left column 3/9 · 2 letters · across
Only the hidden letters of “MU__BLE” go in the grid. First one: T.
TA
UNITE
11Unite
Left column 4/9 · 4 letters · across
Shape: A _ _ _. Its third letter is shared with “Cut”.
ALLY
MAJESTY
12Majesty
Left column 5/9 · 1 letter · across
Majesty starts with the answer.
M
HEAD DOG
13Head dog
Left column 6/9 · 5 letters · across
A _ _ H _. “Helium” crosses it at the fourth square.
ALPHA
SP__NKLE
14SP__NKLE
Left column 7/9 · 2 letters · across
Rebuild the word in “SP__NKLE” and enter only the missing part, starting with R.
RI
"A BUG'S LIFE" BUG
15"a bug's life" bug
Left column 8/9 · 3 letters · across
Fits A _ _. Solving “Taiwan” first gives you its third letter.
ANT
-boy
16Picture clue
Left column 9/9 · 4 letters · across
The image carries “-boy”. Name the picture and keep only the letters hidden behind the dashes, beginning with N.
NEWS
Inside the grid
Split squares hold two clues: the top half runs across, the bottom half runs down.
B_CKUP
17B_CKUP
Row 3, col 7 · 1 letter · across
Rebuild the word in “B_CKUP” and enter only the missing part, starting with A.
A
B & B, E.G.
18B & b, e.g.
Row 3, col 7 · 3 letters · down
I _ _. “Single unit” crosses it at the third square.
INN
YARN CRAFT
19Yarn craft
Row 4, col 4 · 4 letters · across
K _ _ _. The third square is also part of “B & b, e.g.”.
KNIT
CUT
20Cut
Row 4, col 4 · 3 letters · down
Fits L _ _. Check the third letter against “Head dog”.
LOP
NEW HAMPSHIRE
21New hampshire
Row 5, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Initials: the first letter of each word in “New hampshire”.
NH
PROMISE
22Promise
Row 5, col 6 · 4 letters · down
Begins with O. The third square is also part of “Estimated time arrival”.
OATH
OLEANDER
23Oleander
Row 6, col 3 · 1 letter · across
Oleander starts with the answer.
O
STRAIGHT PATH
24Straight path
Row 6, col 3 · 4 letters · down
Fits L _ _ _. “A bug's life" bug” crosses it at the third square.
LINE
SINGLE UNIT
25Single unit
Row 6, col 5 · 3 letters · across
Starts with O; pattern O _ _. Its third letter is shared with “Quite a bit”.
ONE
HELIUM
26Helium
Row 6, col 5 · 2 letters · down
H _. Its second letter is shared with “Estimated time arrival”.
HE
ROCK
27Rock
Row 7, col 7 · 1 letter · across
Rock starts with the answer.
R
BAND AID
28Band aid
Row 7, col 7 · 3 letters · down
Fits A _ _. “A__LOGY” crosses it at the third square.
AMP
ESTIMATED TIME ARRIVAL
29Estimated time arrival
Row 8, col 4 · 3 letters · across
Initials: the first letter of each word in “Estimated time arrival”.
ETA
TAIWAN
30Taiwan
Row 8, col 4 · 2 letters · down
Fits T _. The picture clue in the left column crosses it at the second square.
TW
AL__ST
31AL__ST
Row 8, col 8 · 2 letters · down
Rebuild the word in “AL__ST” and enter only the missing part, starting with M.
MO
SOUND OF THOUGHT
32Sound of thought
Row 9, col 5 · 3 letters · across
H _ _. Solving “AL__ST” first gives you its third letter.
HMM
START OF 'S'ONG
33Start of 's'ong
Row 9, col 5 · 1 letter · down
Think of one character, not a word, for “Start of 's'ong”.
S
A__LOGY
34A__LOGY
Row 10, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Fill the gap in “A__LOGY”, but leave out the letters already shown. Starts with P.
PO
Crossword Challenge Level 1989 Solved Grid
Hide the letters to check your own board against the empty grid.
Next puzzles
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Puzzle 1989 solved
Thanks for working through Puzzle 1989 with us. Puzzle 1990 is next, with 32 clues on a 8×10 board.