Alright, so today I decided to tackle an Italian crossword puzzle I had lying around. It’s a good way to keep my language skills somewhat sharp, you know? Anyway, I was chugging along, filling in some of the easier clues, feeling pretty good about myself.
Then I hit one that just said: Paul. Simple enough, I thought. Just need the Italian name for Paul. My mind went blank for a second. It’s funny how common names can sometimes trip you up when you’re switching languages.
I looked at the grid. It was five letters long, and I think I already had the last ‘O’ from another word crossing it. Okay, so P _ _ L O? No, wait, that doesn’t seem right. Italian spelling is usually more phonetic.
Let’s see… Paul… Paul… What sounds Italian? I mentally ran through some variations. Paulo? That sounds more Portuguese or Spanish maybe. Then it clicked: Paolo! Yeah, that felt right. P-A-O-L-O.
I grabbed my pencil and carefully wrote it in. P… A… O… L… O. Looked at the words crossing it again. Yep, the letters fit perfectly with the other answers I already had in place.
It’s always satisfying when a guess like that just slots right in. Another clue down! On to the next one.
