Okay, here’s my attempt at mimicking that blogging style, focused on “the horn of the horn of africa nyt crossword”:
So, I’m tackling the NYT crossword, as usual, and BAM! I’m hit with “the horn of the horn of Africa.” I’m thinking, “Okay, Africa… horn… I got this.” I mean, geography, I know a little bit, right?
First, I scribbled down “SOMALIA” because, well, that’s the horn of Africa, isn’t it? It’s the big pointy bit sticking out. But nope. Not enough letters. Darn it.
Then I was like, “Okay, think smaller, what makes up the horn.” My brain went through a few options. I thought, “Could it be a region within Somalia?”
My Process of Elimination
- ETHIOPIA: Too big, plus it’s more inland, right?
- KENYA: Definitely not the horn. South of Somalia.
- DJIBOUTI: Hmmm, small, on the horn… but I wasn’t feeling it.
I stared and Stared at my screen for the longest, trying to remember those other tiny countries I learned about.
I was stuck. Seriously stuck. So, I did what any self-respecting crossword puzzler does… I started filling in other clues, hoping the crossing letters would give me a hint. That’s the ticket, sometimes you just do that to see some progress, you know?
And then, a few letters started to appear in the “horn” puzzle… an ‘E’, an ‘R’… wait a minute… It hit me: ERITREA!
I typed it in, and YES! It fit! “The horn of the horn of Africa” is ERITREA. It’s that little country on the horn of Somalia, making it, like, the horn-iest part, I guess.
Felt pretty good. Sometimes it’s not about knowing everything off the top of your head, it’s about, well, figuring it out… and maybe getting a little lucky with those crossing letters!
