Unlock the Mystery of ‘Whole Bunch’ Crossword Clue – Can You Solve It?

As a detective, I approach the crossword clue ‘Whole bunch’ by first breaking it down into its component parts. ‘Whole’ suggests completeness or entirety, while ‘bunch’ implies a quantity or group. I begin to think of synonyms that might fit this description—words such as ‘plenty’, ‘lots’, or ‘batch’. However, none of these words satisfy the entire clue. As I continue to ponder, the thought occurs to me that the word ‘whole’ could also mean ‘entirely’ in the sense of ‘completely’. From there, I start to think of synonyms for ‘completely’ such as ‘absolutely’, ‘utterly’, or ‘altogether’.

Chasing this train of thought, I wonder if the second part of the clue might contain a similar element of wordplay. ‘Bunch’ may also have a synonym implying a large amount or group, and the word ‘whole’ might suggest that this synonym fills up the entirety of the answer. One viable candidate is ‘slew’, meaning a large amount or number. As I consider it more closely, I realize that ‘slew’ fits all the requirements of the clue—it means a whole bunch, or an entirely large amount.

In short, my deduction that ‘slew’ is the answer to ‘Whole bunch’ is based on a careful parsing of the two words that make up the clue. By thinking creatively about possible synonyms and word play, I land on the right solution.