"___, man!"

CMON

["**Hint:** This casual exclamation is often shortened in text messages or speech—think of how you might urge someone to hurry up or show disbelief.\n\n*(This hint guides the solver toward the idea of an abbreviation or contraction without directly giving away \"CMON.\" It also ties into the emotional context of the phrase.)*"]

The clue ""___, man!"" leads to the answer **"CMON"** through a combination of common phrasing and abbreviation. 1. **Phrase Completion**: The clue is a fill-in-the-blank for a familiar exclamation, often used to express encouragement or urgency. The full phrase is **"Come on, man!"** 2. **Abbreviation**: The answer **"CMON"** is a casual, shortened form of "come on," commonly used in speech and informal writing. The comma in the clue hints at the contraction. 3. **Cultural Context**: This phrase is widely recognized in everyday conversation, especially in American English, making the abbreviation intuitive for solvers. Thus, the clue cleverly uses a truncated version of a well-known expression to lead to the answer.