Crossword Clue: The Police frontman turned solo star
Here's the answer to the The Police frontman turned solo star crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: STING
"The Police frontman turned solo star" points to STING, a 5-letter entry that starts with S and finishes on G and carries 1 vowel. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into STING from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
Sting was the lead singer and bassist of The Police before a solo career. He is known for hits like 'Fields of Gold' and 'Englishman in New York.'
Common usage
Compact, single-vowel answers such as STING are a constructor's staple: they slot into a 5-square space and play nicely in both directions. Solvers who recognize it on sight save real time on the daily puzzle.
Crossword trivia
Sting belongs to the small vocabulary of words that appear constantly in grids. Because it's only 5 letters, editors can drop it almost anywhere, which is why regular solvers know it on sight.
Stuck on this clue?
Stuck on "The Police frontman turned solo star"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make STING obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "The Police frontman turned solo star" is just one way to arrive at STING. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "One-named former Police frontman". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'The Police frontman turned solo star'? That's STING nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed STING was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing STING into the grid took no time at all."