Work through the levels. Reveal the Spangram only when you’re truly ready.
Today’s clue: “With a little elbow grease”
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.
6 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 classic cleaning tool that seems obvious in this domain, but the puzzle leans on substances and actions rather than tools.
It is part of the washing process and appears in many cleaning contexts, yet it is not one of today’s selected answers.
A sturdy cleaning vessel that fits the chore-day mood, but it names a tool rather than an answer.
A recognizable household chemical that feels like a natural entry, but it is absent from this particular product list.
a textbook decoy
The clue made the domestic angle obvious, but the real difficulty came from separating the actual answers from plausible near-miss tools. Once SCRUB went in, SOAP, BLEACH, and DETERGENT fell quickly because they share the same short, everyday vocabulary. CLEANSER and SOLVENT were the late holdouts, since both feel more commercial or chemical than the others. POWERWASH was easy to spot only after the surrounding words tilted the board toward outdoor cleaning, and then its two halves made the path obvious. The set is sneakier than it looks because the clue suggests physical effort, but the answers are mostly substances rather than actions.
That phrase is a classic way of saying a job needs hard scrubbing rather than a fancy product, so the clue is really pointing at the whole category of household cleaning. What’s fun is that the answers lean the opposite way—they are the products and substances you use instead of pure effort, plus POWERWASH, which is the motorized version of elbow grease. In hindsight, the clue is sweeter once you see it: it names the human effort that the theme words are standing in for.
The editor chose cleaning agents rather than tools, so the board reads like a shelf of products instead of a janitor’s cart. BLEACH, CLEANSER, DETERGENT, SOAP, and SOLVENT are all substances, while SCRUB bridges the clue’s physical effort and the product list. POWERWASH extends that idea into heavy-duty outdoor cleaning, connecting a product category to an activity. The design is elegant because it keeps the set cohesive while excluding obvious items like sponges and buckets.
