Receiving a certain hormone treatment - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue is a fantastic example of a common crossword construction that can be tricky if you're not looking for it. It takes a seemingly straightforward phrase and twists it into a clever pun. Instead of a technical medical term, the answer is a playful combination of words derived directly from the clue's phrasing.

Clue Analysis

The clue is "Receiving a certain hormone treatment". Let's break it down into two parts:

1. "Receiving": In the context of medication or therapy, when someone is "receiving" a treatment, we often say they are on that treatment. For example, "He is on antibiotics." This is the wordplay key. "Receiving" translates to the two-letter preposition ON.
2. "a certain hormone treatment": This part points to a specific, well-known hormone. The most common hormone associated with treatments, particularly hormone replacement therapy, is estrogen.

By combining these two parts, we get ON + ESTROGEN, which forms the answer.

Thinking Approaches

When you encounter a clue like this, and a literal answer doesn't seem to fit the grid, it's time to switch to wordplay mode. Here's a good process:

• Look for Prepositional Puns: Words indicating state or action like "receiving," "inside," "with," or "supporting" are often signals for prepositions like ON, IN, WITH, or UNDER.
• Split the Clue: Mentally divide the clue into a wordplay component and a definition component. Here, "Receiving" is the wordplay, and "a certain hormone treatment" is the definition part.
• Use Crossings: If you had a few letters, like _ N E S T R _ _ _ N, you might recognize the pattern for ESTROGEN. That would make it much easier to see that the clue is asking for a two-letter prefix, and "ON" fits perfectly with the clue's meaning of "receiving."

Background Context

Estrogen is a primary female sex hormone, crucial for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system. It is also widely used in medicine. Estrogen-based medications are prescribed for various reasons, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal symptoms, hormonal birth control, and treatment for certain types of cancer. This common medical usage makes it a familiar term and fair game for a crossword puzzle.

Conclusion

This clue is a satisfying 'aha!' moment for many solvers. It's a reminder that the New York Times crossword often plays with language in delightful ways. The answer isn't found in a medical dictionary but by deconstructing the clue's language. Once you see that "Receiving" means "ON," the rest of the puzzle piece falls right into place.

Hints

1. Hint 1: The answer is a phrase constructed through wordplay, not a literal medical term.
2. Hint 2: Think about how the word 'receiving' can be represented by a short, common preposition in crossword puzzles.
3. Hint 3: The answer combines a two-letter word meaning 'taking' or 'undergoing' with the name of a well-known female hormone.
4. Hint 4: The answer starts with a word often used to describe being on a particular medication or treatment.