Crossword Clue: Small case for needles
Here's the answer to the Small case for needles crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ETUI
The answer to "Small case for needles" is ETUI. Etui runs 4 letters — 3 vowels and 1 consonant — opening with E and closing on I. 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
An etui is a small ornamental case for holding needles, pins, or cosmetics. Its four letters include three vowels, making it a constructor's dream fill.
Common usage
You'll see ETUI in grids regularly — its 4-letter, 3 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the E or I, ETUI tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like ETUI are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet ETUI 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 ETUI will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Small case for needles" is just one way to arrive at ETUI. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Dainty sewing-kit holder". 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 ETUI into the grid took no time at all."
- "Etui is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Small case for needles' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in ETUI almost immediately."