Welcome to a new week of Waffling! It is Monday, 22 December, and Waffle Game #1431 is here to wake up your brain. We are getting tantalisingly close to Christmas, and today’s grid features a suitably wintry tree and a cooking method you might be using heavily later this week.
If your morning coffee hasn’t kicked in yet and the letters just aren’t clicking, here is our daily breakdown to help you solve the puzzle and keep your streak green.
Table of Contents
📊 Today’s Letter Analysis
Today’s grid is remarkably diverse, with very few repeated letters compared to recent days. However, the letter R is pulling a triple shift.
- R: There are 3 of them.
- L: There are 2.
- I: There are 2.
- Unique Consonants: B, C, H, D, W, G, S, N, T.
- Unique Vowels: A, E, O, U, Y.
Top Tip: The Rs are the anchors of this puzzle. One is in the top row, one is in the middle row, and one is in the bottom row. Placing them correctly will likely reveal the vertical words “ROAST” and “ENTRY” (wait, check the grid below!).
🧩 Spoiler-Free Hints for Waffle #1431
Need a nudge without spoiling the whole game? Here are the definition-based clues for today’s solution.
Horizontal Word Hints:
- Row 1: A type of tree with distinct silvery-white bark (often associated with colder climates).
- Row 3: To speak in a slow, lazy way, elongating the vowels.
- Row 5: A doorway or portal that lets you into a building.
Vertical Word Hints:
- Col 1: To move slightly or shift from a fixed position (often used in the negative: “it wouldn’t ___”).
- Col 3: To cook food in an oven (or to ruthlessly make fun of someone).
- Col 5: An adjective describing a landscape with lots of ups and downs.
⚠️ Waffle 1431 Solution (Spoilers Below)
Stuck on your last few swaps? Here is the complete answer key for today’s game.
| Position | Word |
| Horizontal 1 | BIRCH |
| Horizontal 2 | DRAWL |
| Horizontal 3 | ENTRY |
| Vertical 1 | BUDGE |
| Vertical 2 | ROAST |
| Vertical 3 | HILLY |
🧠 Word Origins & Definitions
Here is the context behind today’s vocabulary, featuring the Waffle team’s daily dose of wit.
- BIRCH(Noun): A tree of the genus Betula.
- Example: “I’ve been trying to think of a joke about birch trees, but I’m stumped.”
- DRAWL(Verb): To speak with a slow, spiritless utterance.
- Example: “He sang it with such a slow drawl that I fell asleep halfway through.”
- ENTRY(Noun): A doorway providing a means of entering.
- Example: “She was guaranteed entry based on her deely bobbers alone.”
- BUDGE(Verb): To move; to be shifted.
- Origin: Borrowed from the Middle French bouger, meaning to stir or bubble.
- ROAST(Verb): To cook by heating (or to admonish vigorously).
- Example: “I asked the barista for her mildest roast; she told me that my hair looks a little scruffy today.”
- HILLY(Adjective): Abundant in hills.
- Example: “My new neighbourhood is far too hilly for roller skates, hence the camel.”
🔙 Missed Yesterday’s Puzzle?
Did you miss Sunday’s game? If you are catching up or want to see what you missed before the new week started, you can view the full hints and solution for Waffle 1430 (21 December) here.
🧇 Play the Game
Ready to apply these hints? Head over to the official site to play today’s puzzle: Play Waffle Game
Good luck, and see you tomorrow for Waffle #1432!