Crossword Challenge Puzzle 253 Clues and Answers
Puzzle 253 of Crossword Challenge gives you 29 clues on a 8×10 board. Each one is listed below with a hint first and the answer second.
10 of the 29 answers are one or two letters long. 4 clues are pictures, and 2 of those ask you to fill the gaps in a word printed on the image; 5 clues want only the initials of the clue words; 3 want just the first letter of a single word; 2 clues are fill-ins, and 1 of them needs only the missing letters. The longest answer runs 9 letters and belongs to “Yelling loudly”.
Here is the shortcut for Puzzle 253: read the first letters of the top-row answers and you get the answer to “Tennis starting shot”. Read the first letters down the left edge and you get the answer to “Yelling loudly”. 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.
YELLING LOUDLY
1Yelling loudly
Top row 1/7 · 9 letters · down
Shape: S _ _ E _ _ I _ _. The sixth square is also part of “Chaotic state”.
SCREAMING
EARLY GRANT OFFICE
2Early grant office
Top row 2/7 · 3 letters · down
Abbreviate “Early grant office” to its initials.
EGO
RAINBOW
3Rainbow
Top row 3/7 · 1 letter · down
Write the first letter of Rainbow, nothing more.
R
VIDEO FORMAT
4Video format
Top row 4/7 · 2 letters · down
Shorten the clue to its first letters: 2 squares.
VF
DUNGEON GEAR
5Dungeon gear
Top row 5/7 · 5 letters · down
Shape: I _ _ N _. “Title holder” crosses it at the fourth square.
IRONS
6Picture clue
Top row 6/7 · 4 letters · down
What is shown in the image? Shape: C _ _ _. “First number” crosses it at the third square.
CONE
COMING FORTH
7Coming forth
Top row 7/7 · 9 letters · down
E _ _ R _ _ N _ _. Check the sixth letter against “Global economy”.
EMERGENCE
Left column
These sit down the left edge and every answer runs across.
TENNIS STARTING SHOT
8Tennis starting shot
Left column 1/9 · 7 letters · across
Begins with S. The fifth square is also part of “Dungeon gear”.
SERVICE
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
9Computer graphics
Left column 2/9 · 2 letters · across
Initials: the first letter of each word in “Computer graphics”.
CG
10Picture clue
Left column 3/9 · 3 letters · across
Name the object in the picture. R _ _. “EASY ___ IT” crosses it at the third square.
ROD
EXAMPLE
11Example
Left column 4/9 · 1 letter · across
Only one square: take the initial of Example.
E
ZONES
12Zones
Left column 5/9 · 5 letters · across
Begins with A. Check the fourth letter against “Drunk”.
AREAS
CHAOTIC STATE
13Chaotic state
Left column 6/9 · 4 letters · across
Shape: M _ _ _. Check the third letter against “EASY ___ IT”.
MESS
tox-
14Picture clue
Left column 7/9 · 2 letters · across
Work out the object in the picture, then drop the part already written on it (“tox-”). What is left starts with I.
IC
DIGIT-RELATED
15Digit-related
Left column 8/9 · 7 letters · across
Shape: N _ _ E _ _ C. Its fifth letter is shared with “Ultimate reality”.
NUMERIC
CROSS-WORD PATTERN
16Cross-word pattern
Left column 9/9 · 4 letters · across
Fits G _ _ _. Check the third letter against “__RROR”.
GRID
Inside the grid
Split squares hold two clues: the top half runs across, the bottom half runs down.
OPPOSITE OF TO
17Opposite of to
Row 3, col 4 · 4 letters · across
Shape: F _ _ _. Check the third letter against the picture clue in the top row.
FROM
"EASY ___ IT"
18"EASY ___ IT"
Row 3, col 4 · 4 letters · down
Say “EASY ___ IT” out loud and the blank fills itself: D _ _ _.
DOES
FIRST NUMBER
19First number
Row 4, col 5 · 3 letters · across
Shape: O _ _. The third square is also part of “Coming forth”.
ONE
DRUNK
20Drunk
Row 4, col 5 · 6 letters · down
Shape: W _ _ T _ _. Its fourth letter is shared with “Rotate”.
WASTED
TITLE HOLDER
21Title holder
Row 5, col 3 · 5 letters · across
Fits O _ _ E _. The fourth square is also part of the picture clue in the top row.
OWNER
HAPPEN AGAIN
22Happen again
Row 5, col 3 · 5 letters · down
Starts with R; pattern R _ _ U _. “Digit-related” crosses it at the fourth square.
RECUR
GEM
23Gem
Row 6, col 7 · 1 letter · across
Gem starts with the answer.
G
FIRM HOLD
24Firm hold
Row 6, col 7 · 4 letters · down
Starts with G; pattern G _ _ _. Solving “Digit-related” first gives you its third letter.
GRIP
GLOBAL ECONOMY
25Global economy
Row 7, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Abbreviate “Global economy” to its initials.
GE
ULTIMATE REALITY
26Ultimate reality
Row 7, col 6 · 2 letters · down
Abbreviate “Ultimate reality” to its initials.
UR
ROTATE
27Rotate
Row 8, col 4 · 4 letters · across
Shape: T _ _ _. Check the third letter against “Firm hold”.
TURN
__RROR
28__RROR
Row 8, col 4 · 2 letters · down
Only the hidden letters of “__RROR” go in the grid. First one: M.
MI
-rfume
29__RFUME
Row 10, col 6 · 2 letters · across
Say what the picture shows. “-rfume” is printed on it, and the dashes are the letters you type. Starts with P.
PE
Crossword Challenge Level 253 Solved Grid
Hide the letters to check your own board against the empty grid.
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Puzzle 253 solved
Thanks for working through Puzzle 253 with us. Puzzle 254 is next, with 29 clues on a 8×10 board.