You’re staring at a grid. It’s late, or maybe it’s just one of those Sunday mornings where the coffee hasn't quite kicked in yet. You’ve got three letters, maybe a fourth, and the clue says make shiny in a way crossword style. Your brain immediately jumps to "polish" or "buff," but the boxes don’t fit. Crosswords are sneaky like that. They use "in a way" as a massive red flag that you’re looking for a specific process, not just a general verb.
Most of the time, the answer is ENAMELED.
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It’s a word we don’t use much in daily conversation unless we’re talking about cast-iron Dutch ovens or vintage jewelry. But in the world of the New York Times, LA Times, and Wall Street Journal puzzles, it’s a heavyweight. Why? Because the vowel-to-consonant ratio is a constructor's dream. When you have three E’s in an eight-letter word, you can bridge almost any difficult section of a grid.
Why ENAMELED is the Answer to Make Shiny In A Way Crossword
Crossword constructors, the people who actually build these grids, have a specific vocabulary. They love words like etui, area, and oleo. Enameled falls right into that category of "crosswordese" that feels slightly elevated. If you see the clue make shiny in a way crossword, you’re likely looking for the past tense of a verb that describes a coating process.
Enameling isn't just "making something shiny." It’s the process of fusing powdered glass to a substrate—usually metal, glass, or ceramics—by firing it in a kiln. The powder melts, flows, and then hardens into a smooth, durable, vitreous coating. It's permanent. It's glossy. And honestly, it's a lot more complex than just rubbing a cloth over a piece of silver.
Other Common Variations You Might Encounter
Sometimes the grid is smaller. Sometimes the tense is different. If ENAMELED doesn't fit, you might be looking at:
- ENAMEL (6 letters): The base verb or the coating itself.
- GLOSS (5 letters): A more common, everyday way to describe shine.
- JAPAN (5 letters): This one is a "deep cut." To japan something is to lacquer it with a hard, black, glossy finish. It’s a favorite for Friday or Saturday puzzles when the difficulty ramps up.
- WAX (3 letters): The simplest version, often used in Monday or Tuesday puzzles.
- GLAZE (5 letters): Frequently used if the clue mentions pottery or ceramics specifically.
The Logic Behind Crossword Clues
Crossword clues are essentially a secret code. When a clue adds "in a way" or "of a sort," it’s telling you that the definition is a bit lateral. It’s not a direct synonym. It’s a specific instance of the action.
If the clue was just "Make shiny," you’d expect "Buff."
But make shiny in a way crossword indicates a specialized method.
Think about the way language evolved. We used to "enamel" things to protect them from rust or decay. Today, we mostly see it on high-end Le Creuset pots or maybe a set of teeth. But for a crossword setter, that history is gold. They need those vowels. If they’re stuck in a corner with a bunch of consonants, they’ll reach for a word like "enameled" every single time. It’s the duct tape of crossword construction.
Why Puzzlers Get Stuck on This Specific Clue
Actually, it's the suffix that kills people. In American English, we usually spell it ENAMELED (one L). In British crosswords, like those in The Guardian or The Telegraph, you’ll see ENAMELLED (two Ls). That extra letter can completely wreck your solve if you aren't paying attention to the publication's origin.
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Then there's the "in a way" part.
Some solvers overthink it. They start looking for chemical processes or obscure industrial terms. Honestly, just look at the cross-references. If you have an "E" at the start and a "D" at the end, and the clue is about shine, just ink in enameled.
Real Examples from Major Puzzles
The New York Times has used variations of this clue hundreds of times. Will Shortz, the long-time editor, often favors clues that have a bit of a "wink" to them. You might see:
- "Coated with a glossy finish"
- "Given a permanent shine"
- "Applied a glassy surface to"
In a 2018 puzzle, the clue was simply "Like some cookware." The answer, of course, was ENAMELED. It’s all about the context of the gloss. Unlike a wax or a polish, an enamel is part of the object. It’s fused. That’s the "in a way" distinction that the clue is hinting at.
How to Get Better at Identifying These Clues
You've gotta start thinking like a constructor. They have certain "crutch words" they use to fill gaps. Words with frequent vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and common consonants (R, S, T, L, N, E) are their bread and butter.
If you see a clue about "shining" or "coating" and the word length is 7 or 8 letters, run through the "crosswordese" checklist:
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- Does it involve heat? (Enamel/Glaze)
- Is it a liquid? (Lacquer/Varnish)
- Is it a physical action? (Burnish/Polished)
Burnishing is another great "crossword" word. To burnish is to polish something by rubbing it, usually with a tool. It's often the answer when the clue is make shiny in a way crossword but focuses on metalwork.
The Evolution of the Enamel Clue
Back in the early days of the NYT crossword—we're talking the Margaret Farrar era—the clues were much more literal. "To coat with glass" would have been the standard. As the puzzles evolved to be more conversational and tricky, editors started using the "in a way" phrasing to add a layer of difficulty. It forces the solver to pause.
It's a psychological trick. By adding those three little words—"in a way"—the editor moves the clue from a "Definition" category to a "Riddle" category.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Puzzle
Don't let a blank grid frustrate you. If you're stuck on a clue for make shiny in a way crossword, try these steps:
- Count the boxes first. 8 letters is almost always ENAMELED. 7 letters? Maybe GLAZING.
- Check the tense. If the clue is "Make shiny," the answer is a verb (ENAMEL). If it's "Made shiny," you need the past tense (ENAMELED). If it's "Making shiny," look for the -ING ending.
- Look for the "K" or "X". If the cross-clues give you a weird letter like X, the answer might be WAXED. If you see a K, think LACKER (though usually spelled lacquer, constructors love a phonetic pun).
- Identify the publication. If it's a British puzzle, always account for that extra "L."
- Think about materials. Is the clue hinting at nails? Then it's POLISH. Is it hinting at a car? Maybe WAXED. Is it hinting at a "way" that involves high heat? It's ENAMEL.
Crosswords are essentially a vocabulary test disguised as a game. The more you play, the more you realize that "make shiny in a way" isn't a question about physics or chemistry. It's a prompt for a specific set of words that fit into the tight corners of a grid. Master ENAMELED, and you’ve just cleared one of the most common hurdles in modern puzzling.
Next time you see those boxes, don't overanalyze the "way." Just remember the glass, the heat, and those three beautiful E’s that help you solve the rest of the corner.