You're staring at the grid. It’s a Tuesday. Or maybe a Wednesday. The coffee is getting cold, and you’re stuck on a four-letter word for "ordinary" or "average." You type in "BARE." Doesn't fit. You try "DRAB." Still nothing. Then it hits you: the answer is actually looking for a synonym of run of the mill crossword fodder.
It's funny. We use that phrase to describe things that are boring, but in the world of cryptic and American-style puzzles, the "run of the mill" is actually a fascinating piece of linguistic history. Most people think these clues are just filler. They aren't. They are the structural glue that holds the Sunday New York Times together.
Honestly, the term "run of the mill" itself comes from 19th-century manufacturing. It referred to cloth or lumber that hadn't been graded yet—just the standard stuff coming straight off the machines. In puzzling, we see this everywhere. You've got your "ETUIs," your "AREAs," and your "ERIEs." These are the workhorses. Without them, the flashy "1Across" themed answers would never have enough vowels to cross each other.
The Mechanics of the Mundane
Why do constructors use these? It's simple math. English is a consonant-heavy language, but crossword grids require a massive amount of vowel checking. If you want to fit a long, snappy phrase like "QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT" into a 15x15 grid, you’re going to end up with some awkward clusters of letters nearby.
That’s where the run of the mill crossword entries come in.
Take the word ALEE. In real life, nobody says "alee" unless they are on a sailboat and perhaps wearing a very specific type of hat. In a crossword? It’s a godsend. It’s got three vowels and one very common consonant. It helps bridge the gap between complex themed entries. Will Shortz, the legendary editor of the New York Times crossword, has often spoken about the "stale" word problem. He tries to limit them, but you can't kill them entirely. If you did, the puzzles would become impossible to construct.
Why "Ordinary" Clues Trip You Up
The "run of the mill" clue is a trap. Because the answer is common, constructors often try to hide it behind a "misdirection" clue.
💡 You might also like: Why the GTA San Andreas Motorcycle is Still the Best Way to Get Around Los Santos
For example, if the answer is OREO, the clue might not just be "Chocolate cookie." It might be "Twistable treat" or "Hydrox rival." If the constructor is feeling particularly mean on a Saturday, they might use "Snack with a Mega Stuf variety." They take a common, everyday object and describe it from a weird angle.
This is what experts call "crosswordese."
It’s a specific dialect. You have to learn it. If you see the word "Algonquian," you should immediately think CREE. If you see "Singer Horne," your brain needs to scream LENA. These aren't just bits of trivia; they are the rhythmic patterns of the game.
The Evolution of the Standard Clue
Back in the 1920s, when Margaret Petherbridge Farrar was editing the first puzzles for the World, the "standard" clues were much drier. They were almost like dictionary definitions. "A large bird" for EMU. Boring.
Today, things have changed.
Modern constructors like Brendan Emmett Quigley or Elizabeth Gorski have turned the run of the mill crossword into an art form. They take these boring words and give them a pulse. They might clue EMU as "Bird that can't back up" (which is a real biological fact, by the way).
📖 Related: Dandys World Ship Chart: What Most People Get Wrong
- 1940s: Clues were literal.
- 1970s: Clues started getting punny.
- 2020s: Clues are pop-culture heavy and self-referential.
The struggle is real for new solvers. You might know a lot of "stuff," but if you don't know the specific way crosswords use that stuff, you're toast. You’ll be looking for a complex answer when the grid just wants a three-letter word for "Japanese sash" (OBI).
How to Beat the Common Clue
If you want to get faster, you have to stop thinking like a scholar and start thinking like a grid-builder.
Constructors love certain letters. R, S, T, L, N, E. The Wheel of Fortune favorites. When you see a clue for a "common" or "standard" item, look at the crossing letters first. If you have an "A" and an "E" already in place, the answer is almost certainly a vowel-heavy filler word.
Don't overthink it.
I’ve seen people spend ten minutes trying to think of a specific type of ancient Greek vessel when the answer was just URN. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes a run of the mill clue is just looking for the simplest possible synonym.
The "Era" of the ERA
Let's talk about the word ERA.
👉 See also: Amy Rose Sex Doll: What Most People Get Wrong
It is perhaps the most common word in the history of the medium. It can be clued as a period of time, a baseball stat (Earned Run Average), or even a political amendment (Equal Rights Amendment). Because it is so versatile, it shows up everywhere. If you see "History segment," it's ERA. "Pitcher's pride"? ERA. "Victorian, for one"? ERA.
If you're stuck, and you need a three-letter word that starts with E, just put in ERA. You'll be right 80% of the time.
Dealing with Frustration
It's okay to be annoyed by these.
Die-hard enthusiasts often complain about "gluey" grids—puzzles that have too many of these run of the mill crossword answers. It feels like lazy construction. And sometimes, it is. But more often, it's a trade-off. To get that one amazing, 15-letter "seed" entry that makes you smile, the constructor had to use ELOI and ADIT somewhere else.
Think of it like a movie. You can't have two hours of explosions. You need the "boring" scenes where people talk so the action actually means something. These clues are the dialogue scenes of the crossword world.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Solve
To move from a novice to an intermediate solver, you need to build a mental library of these standard answers. It isn't about being "smart" in the traditional sense; it’s about pattern recognition.
- Keep a list of "Crosswordese." Every time you have to look up a word that seems obscure but fits a common pattern (like ETUI for a needle case), write it down. These words recur constantly.
- Focus on the short words first. Most people try to get the long themed answers right away. That's a mistake. Fill in the three and four-letter words in a corner first. This gives you "toeholds" into the harder parts of the grid.
- Question the "obvious" definition. If the clue is "Average," don't just think "MEDIOCRE." Think "PAR," "NORM," or "MEAN."
- Use the "Plural Check." If a clue is plural, the answer almost always ends in S. Even if you don't know the word, put the S in the last box. It helps more than you’d think.
- Ignore the theme at first. If you’re struggling with the main gimmick of the puzzle, ignore it. Solve the "run of the mill" sections in the corners to reveal parts of the theme by accident.
Next time you see a clue that seems "run of the mill," remember that it’s actually a vital piece of a much larger architectural puzzle. It’s not just a boring word; it’s the bridge that gets you to the finish line.
Check the vowels. Watch the "S" endings. And for heaven's sake, remember that "Cookie with a creamy filling" is always OREO.