Crossword Clue: New rendition of an old song
Here's the answer to the New rendition of an old song crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: COVER
"New rendition of an old song" points to COVER, a 5-letter entry that starts with C and finishes on R and carries 2 vowels. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into COVER from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
A cover is a new performance or recording of a previously released song by a different artist. Some covers, like Jimi Hendrix's 'All Along the Watchtower,' become more famous than the original.
Common usage
Compact, vowel-friendly answers such as COVER 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
Cover 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 "New rendition of an old song"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make COVER obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue COVER — 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
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'New rendition of an old song'? That's COVER nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed COVER was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing COVER into the grid took no time at all."