Work through the levels. Reveal the Spangram only when you’re truly ready.
Today’s clue: “On a bender”
A gentle direction — no specifics.
Closer — the category is coming into focus.
Near-direct — only read if you’re stuck.
Direction only.
Getting closer.
Near-direct.
7 theme words — lengths in random order
Spaces not counted in total
All theme words — shuffled
These words fit the theme on the surface, but aren’t part of today’s solution. Knowing them ahead of time can save you minutes of searching.
A major movable point that feels like an obvious fit, but it didn't make today's set.
A familiar hinge-like part that solvers may scan for after finding the bending theme.
It bends and twists constantly, but it's a column rather than one of the listed spots.
A common anatomy term that sounds related but names connective tissue instead.
a textbook decoy
I'm setting the difficulty at 3.4 because the pun in 'On a bender' unlocks as soon as ELBOW or KNEE surfaces, and the rest of the grid is filled with everyday vocabulary. After WRIST and SHOULDER appear, the remaining answers collapse into familiar upper- and lower-body names like ANKLE and KNUCKLE. The spangram BODYJOINTS is straightforward to spot once a few of those words are placed, since it is a literal two-word category stretched across the board. The only real hesitation comes from NECK, which is less a single hinge than a region, so solvers may briefly doubt it before committing.
The official clue is a winking pun: 'On a bender' usually means a drinking spree, but here it should be read literally as bending. The puzzle is built around body joints—ANKLE, ELBOW, KNEE, KNUCKLE, NECK, SHOULDER, and WRIST—with BODYJOINTS as the spangram. It's a satisfying aha because the phrase flips from a night of excess to something utterly ordinary and physical, and once you see it, every word in the grid suddenly feels inevitable.
Tracy Bennett's set favors everyday language over medical precision. The seven answers—ANKLE, ELBOW, KNEE, KNUCKLE, NECK, SHOULDER, WRIST—are common body parts we casually describe as bending or twisting, rather than a strict anatomical inventory. Hip and jaw feel equally eligible but are omitted, while neck and shoulder make the cut on functional flexibility. The spangram, BODYJOINTS, tidily labels that everyday category while spanning the grid.
