Crossword Clue: Fierce blow of wind
Here's the answer to the Fierce blow of wind crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: GALE
The answer to "Fierce blow of wind" is GALE. Gale is a 4-letter word made up of 2 vowels and 2 consonants, beginning with G and ending with E. In a crossword grid it occupies a 4-square slot, and each of its letters also forms part of a word crossing it — so even if the clue stumps you, the crossing entries will usually hand you enough letters to fill it in.
Origin & meaning
A gale is a very strong wind, defined on the Beaufort scale as blowing between 39 and 54 miles per hour. The word's exact origin is uncertain, though it may relate to an old Norse term for 'mad' or 'frantic.'
Common usage
Gale turns up frequently in crosswords precisely because of that letter mix. Short, vowel-friendly words like GALE are a constructor's best friend: they interlock cleanly with longer entries and help a grid come together without awkward letter clashes. When you see a 4-letter slot and already have a crossing letter or two, GALE is often quick to confirm — especially once the G or E is in place.
Crossword trivia
Because it is only 4 letters long, GALE appears far more often in daily mini and themed puzzles than longer, more obscure words. Regular solvers come to recognize it on sight, and it is exactly the kind of entry worth committing to memory: the more common short words you know cold, the faster your solve times become.
Stuck on this clue?
If "Fierce blow of wind" has you stuck, don't force it — jump to the clues crossing this slot instead. Filling in even one or two intersecting letters usually makes GALE obvious. That crossing-first approach is the single most useful habit for improving at crosswords, and it works on everything from the quick daily Mini to a full Sunday grid.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue GALE — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing GALE into the grid took no time at all."
- "Gale is the kind of answer that clicks the moment you spot one letter."
- "Seeing 'Fierce blow of wind' in the clue list, an experienced solver pencils in GALE almost immediately."
- "Once the G was confirmed by the crossing word, GALE was the only entry that fit."