What a gavel bang may mean

As a detective of words, the crossword clue “What a gavel bang may mean” made me think of an auction. The gavel bang is commonly associated with an auction, where the auctioneer bangs the gavel to signal the end of the bidding and to declare the item sold. This led me to consider words related to selling, such as “sold“, “bid“, and “sell“. However, the clue specifically mentioned the gavel bang, so the answer had to relate to the sound of the gavel hitting a surface. It finally clicked that “sold” represents the final bang of the gavel, indicating that the item has been sold to the highest bidder. It all added up, and the answer to the crossword clue “what a gavel bang may mean” was undoubtedly “SOLD“.