IRE is often the answer to the crossword clue
[Wrath], [Fury] or [Spleen]
Dealing with IRE is natural in crosswords, and not just because tough clues can test our [Testiness]. IRE also happens to be one of crosswords’ most common answers.
I guess you could say [It’s all the rage].
Oddly, it was the solvers who weren’t not up to the task who found themselves in [Pique condition?].
IRE if often seen as [Fury], [Anger], or [Wrath]. Quaintly, it might be [Ill will]. Politely, [It’s past displeasure]. In modern parlance, it’s [Annoyance plus].
[Wrath I feel almost constantly]
Caleb Madison, Buzzfeed – March 2, 2016
As a verb, “to IRE” is to [Tick off] or [Tee off] someone. Crosswords exemplify the point to a tee when they use those clues, which work equally well for similar answers like BUG, IRK, or VEX.
Among the clues for IRE that can [Provoke] the most [High dudgeon] in solvers are:
- [Bile]
- [Spleen]
- [Choler]
- [Steam]
- [Heat source?]
- [Bring to a boil?]
- [Dander]
- [Passion]
- [Soreness]
- [Hot stuff]
- [Memo starter]
- [Burning sensation?]
[What’s not a good fit?]
Brendan Emmett Quigley, New York Times, March 22, 2020
IRE: a crossword answer that can [Cross state] borders
The [Apoplectic state] might seem to resemble Texas as a [Big red state?] or Florida as a [Hot state] or a [Stormy state], or perhaps even as a [Mad state].
But IRE turns out to be in fact a geographic state when it’s an abbreviation for the [Cork loc.] that lets IRE land for [Land starter?].
[What controversial cartoonists draw?]
Brian Thomas, The Puzzle Society, November 17, 2018
Fill-in-the-blank quote clues can be a pleasant way to inject a little poetry into a solve. My favorites for IRE are:
- [“It could not slake mine ___, nor ease my heart”: Shak.] (from Henry VI Part 3)
- [“My voice is not a bellows unto ___”: Keats] (from “Hyperion”)
Perhaps the most warped clue for IRE is one that might take a moment to unpack: [Slight reaction?]
[Slight reaction?]
Byron Walden, New York Sun, February 15, 2008
The clue turns on “slight” being read not as an adjective but as a noun meaning an “insult” or “affront.”
That’s pretty sharp. But no matter how good a pun for IRE is, it’s probably still [Bad humor].
