Unveiling the Scandalous Comment: Can’t crack this crossword clue?

As the detective investigating the crossword clue “Source of a scandalous comment,” I embarked on a quest to put the pieces of the puzzle together and uncover the truth. Intrigued by the notion of a scandalous comment, my mind was swarming with possibilities. To begin my investigation, I pondered on various scenarios where scandalous comments could originate.

Then, a striking revelation flashed through my mind. The word “source” suddenly took on a new meaning, not as a person or a place, but as a means. A means through which a scandalous comment could be unintentionally revealed. And it struck me like a bolt of lightning— a hot microphone.

A hot microphone, a term commonly used in broadcasting and public speaking, refers to a microphone that is live or open, even when the person speaking is unaware of it. This leads to unintended and often scandalous comments being picked up by the microphone and heard by the public. It is indeed the perfect source of a scandalous comment.

With my excitement brewing, I dove deeper into further clues hidden within the crossword puzzle. “Hot,” a word that can describe both temperature and a microphone left on, served as a crucial signpost. The connection between the two words strengthened my conviction in this newfound answer.

As I put all the pieces together, the final answer revealed itself: HOTMIC. The hot microphone, in its silent presence, had silently whispered its way into the solving of this crossword mystery. And with that, the case was solved, leaving behind an intriguing trail of clues that led to an answer as capturing as the scandalous comments themselves.