Alright, so I was settling in with my morning puzzle, you know, the daily crossword. It’s a good way to get the old brain cells firing. I was cruising along pretty well, and then I hit this one clue: bank bought by chase for short crossword. I paused, sipped my coffee, and really looked at it.
My First Thoughts
My mind immediately started flipping through a mental Rolodex of bank names. Chase has been a big player, and they’ve definitely snapped up a few institutions over the years. The “for short” part was the real kicker here. That told me I wasn’t looking for a full, formal name, but more likely an abbreviation or a common nickname.
I started thinking back, especially around the time of the financial crisis – a lot of buyouts happened then. What was a really prominent bank that Chase acquired? One name jumped out pretty quickly: Washington Mutual. It was a huge deal back in the day.
Getting to the Answer
So, I had “Washington Mutual.” Now, how to make that “for short”? People didn’t usually say the whole thing. I remember folks talking about it, and they’d shorten it. What was it… W-M? No, that didn’t sound quite right for a crossword. Then it clicked!
- I remembered the common abbreviation: WaMu.
- That’s W-A-M-U. Four letters. Perfect for a crossword slot.
It just felt right, you know? It’s one of those answers that, once you think of it, seems obvious.
Making Sure It Fit
I tentatively wrote “WAMU” into the grid. The real test, of course, is how it fits with the other words. As I kept working on the surrounding clues, the letters started to confirm it. The ‘A’ lined up with a down clue I was figuring out, and then a bit later, the ‘M’ slotted in perfectly with another answer. That’s always a good sign.
It’s funny how sometimes a bit of relatively recent history can pop up in these puzzles. You don’t always need to know ancient kings or obscure literary figures. Sometimes, just remembering news from the last decade or so does the trick.
So, yeah, that was my little journey with that particular clue. A bit of memory, a bit of logic with the “for short” part, and then the satisfaction of seeing it all connect. On to the next clue!
