Crossword Clue: Fleshy side of the face
Here's the answer to the Fleshy side of the face crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: CHEEK
The answer to "Fleshy side of the face" is CHEEK. Cheek runs 5 letters — 2 vowels and 3 consonants — opening with C and closing on K. In a grid it fills a 5-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
The cheeks form the fleshy sides of the face below the eyes. To have 'cheek' means to show bold impudence, and 'turning the other cheek' means responding to insult with patience rather than retaliation.
Common usage
You'll see CHEEK in grids regularly — its 5-letter, 2 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the C or K, CHEEK tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like CHEEK are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet CHEEK 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 CHEEK will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue CHEEK — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "Once the C was confirmed by the crossing word, CHEEK was the only entry that fit."
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Fleshy side of the face'? That's CHEEK nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed CHEEK was right."