Got stuck on ‘Had a Cow’ clue? Here’s the solution!

As a detective attempting to solve the mystery of the crossword clue “Had a cow,” my first thought was to focus on the phrase itself. It was apparent to me that the statement was meant to be taken figuratively and not literally, which lent itself to the possibility of a play on words. I then began to think about the different types of scenarios in which someone might use the phrase “Had a cow” colloquially. Almost immediately the answer, “CALVED,” came to me. The word ‘cow’ is often used to refer to a female bovine, and when a cow gives birth to a calf, it is said to be calving. Therefore, it made complete sense to me that the answer was “CALVED.” My thought process was more focused on coming up with a phrase related to cows that could act figuratively to fit the context of the crossword clue given. Through critical thinking, inference, and making associations between different concepts, “CALVED” emerged as the perfect answer to this puzzling clue.