A fair clue does not need to be easy. It needs a defensible answer, enough context, and wording that does not depend on an invisible assumption.
Give the clue a boundary
Era, competition, role, geography, or answer type prevents a broad statement from matching several famous names.
- Use two identity signals for people.
- Name the competition scope.
- Date volatile records.
Remove unsupported superlatives
Greatest, biggest, fiercest, and most iconic often encode opinion. Replace them with a sourced event, role, or relationship.
- Prefer observable facts.
- Attribute quotations.
- Avoid fabricated consensus.
Test with crossings removed
A clue should offer a plausible route before the grid solves it entirely. Then crossings should distinguish spelling or close candidates.
- Ask a second reviewer to solve.
- List alternative answers.
- Revise any clue with two equally valid fills.
Sources and review scope
This guide was reviewed on September 1, 2026. Organizer and Laws sources are used for terminology and historical scope; no unsourced rating or record claim is made.