Who had us at “Hello”?

As a detective, the first thing I do when I see a clue is to break it down into its components. In this case, the clue “Who had us at ‘Hello’?” suggests that we are looking for a person or character who is known for saying the word “Hello” in a memorable way. The use of the phrase “had us” suggests that this person made a strong impression on the audience.

Next, I think about any famous people or characters who are known for saying “Hello” in a memorable way. One person who immediately comes to mind is Adele, the British singer-songwriter. Her 2015 hit song “Hello” starts off with the iconic line “Hello, it’s me.” The song was a huge success and has been viewed over 2.8 billion times on YouTube. It would certainly be accurate to say that Adele “had us at ‘Hello’“.

Overall, the combination of the memorable use of the word “Hello” and the huge success of Adele’s song make her the most likely answer to this cryptic crossword clue. As a detective, it’s important to think creatively and make connections between different pieces of information to solve these types of puzzles.