Crossword Clue: Flippered coastal mammal
Here's the answer to the Flippered coastal mammal crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: SEAL
The answer to "Flippered coastal mammal" is SEAL. Seal runs 4 letters — 2 vowels and 2 consonants — opening with S and closing on L. In a grid it fills a 4-square slot whose letters are each shared with a crossing word, so the intersections do a lot of the heavy lifting when the clue itself is tough.
Origin & meaning
Seals are marine mammals that swim gracefully with flippers but move awkwardly on land. The same word 'seal' also means an official stamp or airtight closure, from a separate Latin root meaning a small figure or mark.
Common usage
You'll see SEAL in grids regularly — its 4-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the S or L, SEAL tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like SEAL are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet SEAL again and again, and recognizing it instantly is one of the quiet skills that separates fast solvers from slow ones.
Stuck on this clue?
The fastest way past a stubborn clue like this one is the grid itself: pencil in the easy crossing answers first, and SEAL will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Flippered coastal mammal" is just one way to arrive at SEAL. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "'Kiss from a Rose' singer", "'Kiss from a Rose' one-named singer". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing SEAL into the grid took no time at all."
- "Seal is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Flippered coastal mammal' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in SEAL almost immediately."