Stumped by a nickname? Drop the -art and solve the crossword!

Stumped by a nickname? Drop the -art and solve the crossword! - STU
Nickname that drops -art

As a detective solving the mystery of the crossword clue ‘Nickname that drops -art’, my first instinct was to break down the clue and identify the key elements that might lead me to a potential solution. The word “nickname” suggests that we are looking for a shortened or familiar version of a longer name. And the phrase “drops -art” indicates that a four-letter word ending with “art” needs to be removed from the solution.

Next, I started thinking about possible names that are commonly shortened or abbreviated. One possibility that immediately came to mind was “Stuart,” which is often shortened to “Stu.” The name fits the bill because it’s a common first name and has only four letters. Additionally, “art” appears at the end of the name and can be removed to form ‘STU.’

After weighing these insights, I felt confident that ‘STU’ was the answer to the crossword clue. But I still had to ensure that it passed the other tests and criteria for fill-in-the-blank puzzles. I scanned the adjacent clues to check if ‘STU’ would fit in the available spaces and found that it perfectly matched all the criteria. And with that, the puzzle was successfully solved.

STU