Coral reefs may be home to a spectacular array of life, but they are also teeming with mystery and meaning. Even the word coral invites curiosity: it stems from the ancient Greek korallion, itself a borrowing from older Semitic languages. Originally, it referred not just to living organisms, but to the precious, hardened skeletons that people would shape into beads and amulets.

The creatures that inhabit reefs are quite the catch. Polyp, the name for coral’s tiny architects, comes from the Greek polupous, meaning ‘many-footed’ – a nod to the waving tentacles that grasp at passing morsels. The vivid parrotfish, munching on the algae that would otherwise smother a reef, draws its name from the parrot’s bright feathers and beak-like mouth. These symbiotic relationships play an important role in the survival and sustainability of the ecosystem.

Expressions we use every day carry hints of reef life, too. Sailors learned to ‘reef’ their sails – shortening them – when approaching dangerous waters, especially near coral beds. The phrase ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’ hints at the treacherous decisions sailors must make when navigating reef-strewn shores: risk a shipwreck or face the open ocean’s fury.

For puzzle lovers like us, trying to understand coral reefs may bring to mind the experience of untangling clues. Just as each branch or crevice could hide something new, connecting words can lead you to the trickiest solutions on the grid.

So next time you’re solving one of our crosswords or pondering a particularly tricky clue, remember: the act of puzzling is a kind of reef-diving. Language, like coral, grows richer the deeper you explore.

Happy Puzzling!