Unveiling the Elusive Crossword Clue: Foolish Expedient or Brilliant Mind Game?

Once upon a time, there was a young man named Jack who loved puzzles. His favorite puzzle was the crossword, which he did every day. One day, as he was working on a particularly challenging crossword, he came across the clue: “A foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever, when they are only wasting their time,” per Shaw.

Jack had no idea what the answer to this clue could possibly be. He racked his brain for hours, but he simply couldn’t figure it out. Frustrated and on the verge of giving up, Jack went to his grandfather for advice.

His grandfather, an avid chess player, asked him if he had ever played the game of chess. Jack admitted that he hadn’t, but he was willing to learn. His grandfather patiently taught him how to play, and soon Jack was hooked.

As he played more and more games of chess, Jack realized that this was the answer to the crossword clue. Chess was the perfect example of a game that made people feel clever, even though they were just wasting their time. Chess was a game of strategy and skill, and it made people feel like they were doing something productive, even when they weren’t.

From that day on, Jack was not only an avid crossword puzzle solver but also a passionate chess player. He realized that sometimes the answer to a puzzle can’t be found in the clues themselves, but rather in the process of looking for the answer.