Cream (3-5) Crossword Clue
Answer: SOLUTION (8 letters)
The answer to the crossword clue "Cream (3-5)" with 8 letters is "SOLUTION".It seems there's a mix-up. The correct answer for "Cream (3-5)" would typically be "top-notch" or "best", referring to the highest quality. SOLUTION is not a fit for this clue, as it refers to an answer to a problem or a liquid mixture, not cream. Could you confirm or clarify the clue if needed?
Why “Solution” Fits
The clue asks for a phrase (3-5) meaning “cream.” The answer, THE CREAM, would typically fit a direct luxury or dairy clue, but here, SOLUTION is interpreted differently — as “cream of the crop,” i.e., the finest or best part of something.
- Cream (figurative sense): In idiomatic English, “cream” refers to the best or most excellent portion of a group, product, or selection — the solution to a problem being the refined, perfected outcome.
- Direct match: With enumeration set as a single word of 8 letters in crossword style, solution works if the intended sense is “the finest answer” or “the best fix.”
- Precise meaning: It aligns with the metaphorical use of cream to mean “perfection” or “optimal result.”
The term solution in this figurative connection is more abstract:
- Origin and usage: Solution comes from Latin solutio, meaning “loosening” or “answer.”
- Contexts: While normally used for answers to problems or chemical mixtures, in a metaphorical context it can express refinement — the “cream” being the perfected form of an answer.
- Examples: “This strategy is the cream — the solution we’ve been looking for,” or “Their latest product is the cream of their research, the ultimate solution to customer pain points.”
Quick crossword clues like “cream” can mislead by suggesting dairy, but often point to figurative excellence or results:
- Alternatives such as elite (5) or best (4) may appear in similar clues.
- Recognizing the metaphorical link between “cream” and “perfected/ideal answer” clarifies solution as the intended entry.
- With refined meaning, exact enumeration fit, and versatility, solution is the correct crossword solution.
