You're staring at the grid. Your coffee is cold. You've got five letters, a crossing "T," and a clue that just says "Broken down." It’s maddening. Honestly, "broken down" is one of those classic crossword traps because it can mean a dozen different things depending on whether the constructor is feeling literal, metaphorical, or just plain mean.
Crossword puzzles aren't just about vocabulary; they're about lateral thinking. When you see a broken down crossword clue, you aren't just looking for a synonym for "bust." You're looking for a pivot. It’s a linguistic shapeshifter. Sometimes it’s an adjective, sometimes a verb, and occasionally, it’s a sneaky indicator that you need to literally break a word apart to find the answer.
If you've played the New York Times or the LA Times puzzles long enough, you know the drill. You start by guessing UPSET. Doesn't fit. Then you try INOPERATIVE. Too long. By the time you realize the answer is ANALYZE, you’ve wasted ten minutes. That’s the beauty—and the absolute frustration—of the game.
The Literal Interpretations of Being Broken Down
Usually, the most obvious answer is the right one, especially in early-week puzzles like a Monday or Tuesday NYT. If something is broken down, it’s simply not working. You’re looking for words that describe mechanical failure or physical collapse.
BUSTED is a frequent flier here. It’s short, punchy, and fits those pesky six-letter slots. Then there is AMISS, though that’s a bit more "wrong" than "broken." If the clue is referring to a car on the side of the road, you might be looking for STALLED or even TOWED.
But wait. What if it’s about a person? If a person is broken down, they might be WEARY or SPENT. I’ve seen DONE IN used more times than I can count. This is where the "Expert" level of solving kicks in. You have to look at the surrounding letters. If you have an "O" and an "R," you might be looking at OUT OF ORDER. That’s a massive three-word phrase compressed into a single grid entry, often spanning multiple blocks or appearing as a long horizontal.
When the Clue Refers to Chemistry or Biology
Sometimes "broken down" isn't about a car or a sad person. It’s about science. If you’re dealing with a more academic constructor—think someone like Brendan Emmett Quigley or the late, great Merl Reagle—"broken down" might lead you to DECAYED or DIGESTED.
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In a biology context, you’re looking for LYSED. That’s a "crosswordese" staple. It’s a short, vowel-heavy word that helps constructors get out of tight corners. If the context is chemistry, ANALYZED is the big one. To analyze something is to literally break it down into its constituent parts to see how it works.
The Hidden Complexity: It's an Indicator, Not a Definition
This is where beginners get tripped up. In cryptic crosswords—and even some "punny" American crosswords—the phrase "broken down" serves as an anagram indicator.
Basically, the constructor is telling you: "Take the letters of the next word and break them down, then put them back together in a different order."
Example: "Broken down car (3)"
The answer might be ARC.
See what happened there? "Broken down" told you to scramble the letters of "car." If you spent twenty minutes looking for synonyms for a broken vehicle, you were doomed from the start. You have to be suspicious. Always. Every word in a clue is either part of the definition or a hint about the mechanics of the wordplay.
Common Anagrams and Variations
- ELATED: Could be "broken down" from "de-tale" or some other combination.
- STALE: Often a "broken down" version of "least" or "slate."
When you see "broken down" next to a word that seems out of place, stop looking for synonyms. Start counting letters. If the word next to the clue has the same number of letters as the answer space, you’re 99% likely looking at an anagram.
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Why "Broken Down" is the Ultimate Crossword Staple
Constructors love this clue because of its versatility. It’s a "chameleon clue." According to databases like XWord Info, which tracks every single New York Times crossword ever published, synonyms for "broken down" appear thousands of times.
It’s all about the "Vibe" of the puzzle. A Saturday puzzle is going to use "broken down" to mean something incredibly obscure, like ATROPHIC. A Monday puzzle will stick to CONKED.
You also have to consider the part of speech. Crossword clues must match the tense and plurality of the answer. If the clue is "Broken down," the answer could be FAILED (past tense). If the clue is "Breaks down," the answer might be ERODES or SOBS. Yes, sobbing is a form of breaking down. Constructors love that emotional pivot. One minute you’re thinking about a refrigerator, the next you’re thinking about someone crying at a movie.
The "Emotional" Break Down
Don't forget the mental health angle. In crosswords, someone who has broken down might be UPSET, DISTRAUGHT, or even IN TEARS.
I once saw a clue "Broken down, in a way" where the answer was PARSED. That’s brilliant. You’re breaking down a sentence into its grammatical components. It’s a meta-nod to the act of solving the puzzle itself. It’s that kind of cleverness that keeps people coming back to the Sunday paper.
Practical Tips for Your Next Grid
When you hit a broken down crossword clue, don't panic. Take a breath. Follow these steps to narrow it down:
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- Count the squares first. If it’s three letters, think OLD or BAD. If it’s five, think UPSET or BUSTED.
- Check the tense. Does the clue end in "-ing" or "-ed"? The answer must match. "Breaking down" leads to ANALYZING; "Broken down" leads to ANALYZED.
- Look for the Anagram. Is there a word right next to "broken down" that has the same letter count as the answer? Try scrambling it.
- Consider the "pun" factor. Could it be "broken down" as in... a door that was kicked in? The answer might be ADMITTED.
- Look at the crossings. If you have a "Z," it’s almost certainly ANALYZED. If you have a "Q," you might be looking at something very weird like QUASHED (though that’s a stretch).
Misconceptions About Wordplay
A lot of people think crosswords are just trivia tests. They aren't. They’re logic puzzles. A clue like "broken down" is a perfect example of why "knowing things" isn't enough. You have to know how constructors think.
Will Shortz, the editor of the NYT crossword, famously looks for clues that have at least two possible meanings. "Broken down" is the holy grail for him. It can be mechanical, emotional, chemical, or structural. It can even be a command.
If you're stuck, try to step away. The human brain has this weird way of working on problems in the background. You’ve probably experienced it: you leave the puzzle, go wash the dishes, and suddenly—bam—the word KAPUT pops into your head. That’s your subconscious realizing that "broken down" referred to a slang term for a broken machine.
The Most Common Answers for "Broken Down"
To save you some time, here are the heavy hitters. These appear more than almost any other variations in major publications:
- ANALYZE (or ANALYSED/ANALYZED)
- UPSET
- BUSTED
- KAPUT
- IN DECAY
- CONKED OUT
- STALLED
- DEGRADED
- DISSECTED
Actionable Strategy for Solvers
Next time you see this clue, don't just write in the first synonym you think of. Look at the grid's theme. Is the puzzle about cars? Then it’s TOWED. Is it about science? It’s LYSED. Is it a cryptic? It’s an anagram.
Keep a "cheat sheet" of crosswordese. Words like ETUI, ALEE, and LYSE aren't used in real life anymore, but they are the literal glue of the crossword world. "Broken down" often leads to these weird little words because they have helpful vowel patterns.
Focus on the crossings. Never guess a long word for "broken down" unless you are 100% sure of at least two of the letters crossing it. It's better to leave it blank than to fill it with "CRACKED" only to realize ten minutes later that the answer was actually "CRASHED."
Trust the constructor but verify. They want you to finish, but they want to make you earn it. If a clue feels too easy, it’s probably a trap. "Broken down" is the ultimate "Maybe it's this, maybe it's that" clue. Treat it with the respect—and the suspicion—it deserves.