Alleviates pain a little … or what this puzzle does to certain squares for literal effect

Once upon a time, there was a village located on the top of a very steep hill. The villagers found it difficult to go up and down the hill and often got injured in the process. One day, a kind helper arrived at the village with a special tool that could alleviate pain a little bit. This tool was able to take the edge off of their injuries and make them more manageable.

The villagers were delighted with this new invention and soon, everyone in the village had a tool to take the edge off their injuries. As a result, they were able to move around more easily and with less pain.

In appreciation of the helper’s invention, the villagers decided to create a puzzle that would have the same effect. They crafted a crossword puzzle where certain squares, when filled in with the correct answers, would take the edge off the puzzle and make it easier to solve.

The puzzle was so successful that soon, people from all over the world wanted to try it out. They called it “TAKESTHEEDGEOFF” and it quickly became one of the most popular puzzles of all time.

And that, my dear, is how the connection between the crossword clue ‘Alleviates pain a little … or what this puzzle does to certain squares for literal effect’ and its answer ‘TAKESTHEEDGEOFF’ was born.