Stumped on a cryptic clue? Discover the answer to ‘A kiss, a hug, a wave, the works’ now!

As a detective solving the mystery of the crossword clue ‘A kiss, a hug, a wave, the works?‘, my initial thought was that this clue seems to be describing a series of actions that typically occur when saying goodbye. Hugs can be exchanged for close friends and family and kisses can be given for a more romantic farewell, and waving is a standard gesture when leaving someone. However, the final phrase, ‘the works‘, seemed to imply that there may be something more to this puzzle. As I dug deeper, I started to consider that these actions could all be seen as types of ‘parting‘ gestures. A hug is a kind of embracing ‘parting‘, a kiss is a sentimental ‘parting‘, and a wave is a more distant ‘parting‘.

With this in mind, I turned my attention to the word ‘whole‘, which could offer an interesting clue. And then it occurred to me that I could combine the two concepts. ‘Wholeparting‘ could mean a complete goodbye, one that encompasses all of the different types of parting gestures being described. This led me to the answer: WHOLEPARTING. With the help of logic and some careful deduction, this was a case where words and their nuances were the key to unlocking the puzzle.