"We received a distress signal. Any injuries?," as [circled letters] might say

AREYOUHURT

["Here’s a helpful hint for the clue:\n\n*\"This phrase might be spoken after hearing a cry for help—think of a concerned question, all run together.\"*\n\nThis hint guides the solver toward the idea of a common response to a distress signal while keeping the answer itself obscured. It suggests the phrasing is a natural question and hints at the format (no spaces) without giving it away."]

This clue is a playful example of a crossword puzzle where the answer is derived from interpreting the clue in a non-literal way, often involving wordplay or a pun. 1. **Distress Signal Context**: The phrase "We received a distress signal" sets up the scenario where someone might ask about injuries. The question "Any injuries?" is a natural follow-up in such a situation. 2. **Circled Letters Hint**: The phrase "as [circled letters] might say" suggests that the answer is formed by taking the circled letters from the clue itself. In this case, the circled letters are the first letters of each word in the clue: - **W**e - **r**eceived - **a** (from "a") - **d**istress - **s**ignal - **A**ny - **i**njuries However, this doesn't directly yield "AREYOUHURT." Instead, the clue is likely structured so that the answer is a direct representation of the question "Any injuries?" in a more casual or phonetic form: "Are you hurt?" 3. **Wordplay**: The clue cleverly disguises the answer by framing it as something the "circled letters" might say, implying that the answer is a spoken or written response to the distress signal scenario. "Are you hurt?" is a common and natural question in such a context, and the answer is simply that phrase written without spaces or punctuation: "AREYOUHURT." In summary, the clue leads to the answer by presenting a scenario where the answer is the expected response to a distress signal inquiry, with the additional hint that the answer is derived from the circled letters or the phrasing of the question itself.