Crossword Clue: Fierce blow of wind
Here's the answer to the Fierce blow of wind crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: GALE
The answer to "Fierce blow of wind" is GALE. Gale runs 4 letters — 2 vowels and 2 consonants — opening with G and closing on E. 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
A gale is a very strong wind, defined on the Beaufort scale as blowing between 39 and 54 miles per hour. The word's exact origin is uncertain, though it may relate to an old Norse term for 'mad' or 'frantic.'
Common usage
You'll see GALE 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 G or E, GALE tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like GALE are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet GALE 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 GALE will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue GALE — 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
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing GALE into the grid took no time at all."
- "Gale is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Fierce blow of wind' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in GALE almost immediately."