CrossClimb #905: Clues and Compound Challenge

CrossClimb #905: The Route

This ladder rewards tight clue reading and disciplined letter tracking. Each answer has four letters, and every move changes exactly one position.

Step 1: Ring, like a bell

The opening clue gives PEAL. It describes the clear sound made by a bell.

Step 2: Top of a mountain

PEAK fits the second clue. Compare it with PEAL: the final letter changes from L to K.

PEAL → PEAK
       L → K

Step 3: Part of an incentive package

The answer is PERK. Only the third letter changes from A to R.

PEAK → PERK
       A → R

The clue points to a workplace benefit or extra, such as a bonus, discount, or flexible arrangement.

Step 4: Pig meat

PORK answers the food clue. The third letter shifts from E to O.

PERK → PORK
       E → O

Step 5: What you might do from home or in an office

The final ladder word is WORK. The second letter changes from O to O? No change would violate the ladder rule, so the decisive comparison is between PORK and WORK: the first letter changes from P to W, while the remaining letters stay fixed.

PORK → WORK
       P → W

That completes the clue path: PEAL → PEAK → PERK → PORK → WORK.

The Compound Finish

The compound clue asks for a wriggly creature that many birds eat. The two-word result is MEAL and WORM, forming mealworm.

The final pair ties the puzzle together through the idea of a complete route: the ladder moves through sound, landscape, employment benefits, food, and daily activity, while the compound answer returns to food in a literal form. A mealworm is the creature described, and its name neatly splits into the supplied compound parts.

The Aha! Moment

The key is not solving the clues in isolation. It is checking each candidate against both the definition and the one-letter constraint. Once PEAL establishes the PE_ pattern, the sequence narrows quickly: mountain top, workplace extra, pork, then work. The compound clue provides the final confirmation with MEAL + WORM.