Noncommittal assent

As a detective solving the mystery of the crossword clue ‘Noncommittal assent‘, my thought process started with analyzing the given number of boxes for the answer to fit in. With my knowledge of crossword puzzles, the two-letter word “so” seemed like a good place to start. I tried different combinations of letters, such as ‘IS‘, ‘OK‘, and ‘AY‘, but nothing was fitting the clue. Then, I focused on the word ‘guess‘, which hinted at uncertainty or a lack of commitment. Combining these words together, I tried ‘IGUESSSO‘ which instantly made sense with the given theme of the puzzle. The ‘IGUESS‘ part portrayed hesitation while the ‘SO‘ at the end made it feel like an affirmation, but not definitive enough to suggest commitment. The ‘IGUESSSO‘ answer was the perfect representation of a non-committal assent. The insight that led me to the final answer was the understanding that the puzzle was testing my knowledge of language and the intricacies of nuances in words.