Alright, settled in with the New York Times crossword earlier today, a nice little ritual. Came across this clue: lacking the wherewithal. Seemed simple enough at first glance, you know?
My first thought immediately went to money. If you lack the wherewithal, you’re probably short on cash. So, I started thinking of words like POOR or BROKE. Checked the grid – needed six letters for this particular spot. So, POOR and BROKE were out straight away. Too short.
Okay, what else means lacking funds? Maybe something like NEEDY? Nope, five letters. SHORT? Also five. Drat. How about STRAPPED, like ‘strapped for cash’? Let’s see… S-T-R-A-P-P-E-D. Eight letters. Too long this time. This wasn’t clicking immediately.
Thinking Beyond Just Money
Had to step back a second. Does “wherewithal” only mean money? Not really, right? It’s more general, like having the necessary means, resources, or capabilities to do something. If you lack those, you essentially… well, you can’t do it.
So, if you can’t do something because you lack the means, what are you? You are simply UNABLE. U-N-A-B-L-E. Six letters! Okay, now we’re talking. This felt like a much better fit for the broader meaning of “wherewithal”.
Went back to the grid. I already had a few letters filled in from crossing words. Looked something like U _ _ B _ E. Slotted in U-N-A-B-L-E. Perfect fit.
- The ‘U’ was already there.
- The ‘N’ fit nicely with the down clue crossing it.
- Same for the ‘A’.
- The ‘B’ looked solid.
- The ‘L’ worked too.
- And the final ‘E’ completed another crossing word.
UNABLE just clicked into place. It made sense with the clue – lacking the means makes you unable. And it fit the grid perfectly with the letters I already had. Felt good to work through that one, moving past the obvious money connection to the more fundamental meaning. Another little victory for the day!
