A luggage holder crossword clue

RACK is the most common short entry for a support that carries baggage; use it when enumeration is (4) and the hint references an overhead shelf, station compartment or hotel room fixture. If crossings produce R_A_, enter RACK immediately. Clues that read like “bag support (4)” or “suitcase shelf” almost always point to this option.

Alternate fills depend on precise wording and letter count: HOOK (4) for a single hanging point; PEG (3) for a small fastener; TRAY (4) for a flat platform; CART (4) or TROLLEY (7) for wheeled carriers; PORTER (6) or BELLHOP (7) when the hint indicates a person who moves bags. If the hint includes “hotel,” “station” or an agent, favor the person-based entries; references to “shelf,” “overhead” or “rack” favor object-based answers.

Solving strategy: confirm enumeration, parse the part of speech in the hint, check crossing letters before locking in a short common word like RACK or HOOK. When longer thematic entries are possible (e.g., CAROUSEL or TROLLEY), rely on crosses to resolve ambiguity. Prioritize the most literal reading of the hint and the shortest entry that fits both pattern and surface sense.

Distinguish person vs object answers: porter, rack, strap

Choose PORTER (6) when the definition names a person or job; choose RACK (4) for a fixed frame or shelving; choose STRAP (5) when the entry describes a band or fastening–confirm with crossings and enumeration.

Person signals

Look for indicators that signal an agent: endings like “-er,” words such as “attendant,” “bellhop,” “one who carries,” “works as,” or a direct reference to a job. Example clue patterns: “One who carries trunks (6)” → PORTER; “Station attendant who moves bags (6)” → PORTER. If crossings give P _ R _ E R or pattern _ O R T E R, prioritize the occupational answer.

Object signals

RACK appears when the definition points to a fixture, frame, shelf or rail: clue stems include “frame for cases,” “suit stand,” “shelves,” or “coat ___ (4).” STRAP fits when the definition mentions a band, tie, fastening, buckle or tie‑down: look for words like “fasten,” “secure,” “band” or “belt.” Example patterns: _ A C K → RACK; S T R A P → STRAP. If crossings conflict, prefer the object whose letters match the part of speech in the clue. For related accessory examples and storage comparisons, see best compact umbrella wont flip.

Match expected letter count: common 3–6 letter solutions and examples

Confirm enumeration and crossings first; pick entries that fit singular vs plural signals and any abbreviation markers.

• 3 letters – quick fills

  • PEG – fits prompts like “small hanger on a wall” or “wooden knob for hanging”. Use when pattern _E_ or P_G and crossings include consonants.
  • ARM – for a projecting support (e.g., part of a chair or frame). Matches patterns A_R or _RM.
  • BAR – simple straight support; common when grid has B _ R or ends with R.

• 4 letters – very common

  • HOOK – appears with verbs like “hang” or nouns such as “coat”. Strong candidate when pattern H O O K or _ O O K.
  • BELT – used as a secures-with-band answer; often clued with “fasten” or “strap (verb)”. Choose if crossings give B _ L T.
  • CART – wheeled conveyance; fits service-oriented prompts (“hotel service”). Useful for patterns _ A R T.
  • TRAY – flat platform; look for trial letters T R A Y or A _ A Y patterns.

• 5 letters – mid-length options

  • SHELF – flat horizontal support; clued with “board” or “storage unit”. Prefer when pattern S _ E L F or _ H E L F.
  • STAND – upright support or platform; matches many prompts ending in “stand”. Look for S _ A N D.
  • TRUNK – chest or vehicle compartment; appears in travel- or storage-related prompts. Good for patterns _ R U N K.
  • BRACE – reinforcing support; often used when prompt mentions reinforcement or steadiness.

• 6 letters – longer, specific fills

  • HANDLE – grip attached to a case or container; favored when prompt uses “grip” or “hold”. Pattern H A N D L E or _ A N D L E.
  • PALLET – flat base for cargo; appears in freight-related prompts. Use if crossings suggest PL _ L E T or similar.
  • TETHER – tie-down or fastening line; choose when prompt implies securing an object.

Practical checks

1. Match known letters from across/down entries to the shortlist for the target length; discard answers conflicting with crossings.
2. Scan the prompt for plural markers (s, “many”) or abbreviation signals (abbr., init.) that change singular forms to plural/abbr variants–adjust candidates accordingly.
3. If an entry could be a person or an object, prefer the object form when the prompt uses verbs like “supports,” “hangs” or nouns like “rack,” “shelf” (look for direct object language).
4. When two candidates share length, test short shared sequences (e.g., _AN_ or _EL_) against crossing answers before committing.

Use wording and punctuation to infer singular/plural and verb/noun

Treat an initial article (“a”, “an”, “the”) as signalling a singular noun answer; change to a plural only if the prompt explicitly uses a plural article or quantifier.

Interpret explicit counts and quantifiers (“two”, “three”, “several”, “many”, “both”) as instructions to supply a plural form; digits or ranges (2–4) mean multiple entries must be plural or multiple words.

If the prompt begins with “to” or an infinitive (“to secure”, “to carry”), expect a verb in base form; if it begins with “for” + -ing (“for carrying”, “for securing”) expect a noun naming an instrument or purpose (e.g., “for carrying” → carrier/device).

Presence of “who”, “whom”, “man”, “woman”, “person” points to an animate answer; “which”, “that”, “item”, “object” points to an inanimate answer. Rephrase the prompt into a question (“Who does X?” vs “What does X?”) to test person vs thing.

If the entry ends with a part‑of‑speech marker in parentheses, follow it: “(v.)” → verb form, “(n.)” → noun form. If a punctuation mark such as a question mark appears, treat the wording as likely playful or figurative and try both noun and verb senses.

Gerunds and present participles: when the prompt uses “-ing” after prepositions (“used for fastening”, “for holding”), favour nouns that denote tools or devices; when the prompt uses a bare “-ing” verb phrase without “for” (“Holding up?”) test verb readings first.

Commas and appositives often define role vs object: “An airport worker, often uniformed” → person; “A metal frame, often foldable” → object. Convert the appositive into “who” or “which” to reveal expected part of speech.

Quotation marks or italics around a word signal literal use or slang; supply the same grammatical category as the quoted term. Parentheses giving register or region (“(informal)”, “(US)”) can change expected form – slang usually fits shorter, colloquial answers.

Hyphens and slashes indicate compound forms or alternatives: “pick-up/collection” implies a hyphenated or two-word answer; “man/woman” implies a role-based singular. Use these punctuation signals to decide whether to supply one word, a hyphenated term or a plural phrase.

Prefer regional vocabulary when crossings suggest US or UK usage

If intersecting entries force British spellings, use UK variants (e.g., colour, centre, theatre, traveller); if crossings force American forms, use US variants (color, center, theater, traveler).

Orthographic signals

Look for specific letter patterns in intersecting words: -our vs -or (colour/color), -re vs -er (centre/center), -ogue vs -og (catalogue/catalog), double L vs single L in verb forms (travelling/traveling), ae/oe vs e (paediatric/pediatric), and s vs z in verbs (realise/realize). A single crossing that fits only one pattern determines the variant; multiple matching crossings reinforce the choice.

Practical steps

1) Scan adjacent entries for region-specific vocabulary (e.g., flat/apartment, holiday/vacation, boot/trunk, torch/flashlight). 2) Note proper names and abbreviations in the grid: US postal codes, state names or UK counties, and place-name spellings usually point to that variety. 3) If crossings are mixed, pick the variant that yields valid words for all affected entries or the one matching the puzzle’s known origin (publication or constructor). 4) Use reference sources: Merriam-Webster and American dictionaries for US forms; Chambers, Collins or Oxford resources for UK forms. 5) If ambiguity remains, prefer the form that maximizes common-word fills and minimizes obscure regionalisms.

Confirm choice with crossing letters, pattern fills and puzzle abbreviations

Require at least two confirmed crossings before finalizing any multi-letter entry; for entries of six letters or more seek three independent confirmations from short intersecting entries.

Create a pattern template with blanks and known letters (example: _A_E_ for a five-letter entry). Generate all candidates that match the enumeration and the part of speech implied by the prompt punctuation, then eliminate any candidate that contradicts a confirmed intersecting letter.

Use short words as anchors: fill all 3- and 4-letter across/down entries first, because their letters are most likely to be correct or quickly verifiable. Treat those letters as fixed when testing longer pattern fills.

Interpret abbreviation indicators literally: words such as “abbr.”, “init.”, “trunc.”, “fig.”, “colloq.”, and language markers like “Fr.”, “Sp.”, “It.” signal shortened forms, initials, or foreign terms. Accept nonstandard capitalization, punctuation, or single-letter segments when an indicator is present.

Resolve conflicts with temporary fills: if two crosses disagree, pencil in the probabilistic candidate (or mark it digitally) and continue filling easy entries; return when additional crossings will decide between alternatives.

Favor pattern+cross agreement over dictionary frequency: an uncommon entry that matches every crossing is usually correct; a common entry that conflicts with one crossing should be rechecked unless the prompt forces an abbreviation or language variant.

Practical aids: use a quick pattern search or anagram tool for long templates, but do not accept a result without checking intersecting letters. For on-the-move sessions keep reference items in a best camera waist pack for hiking.

Energy and focus tip: manage snacks and macronutrients during long solving periods – see which is a difference between proteins and carbohydrates and fats 2 for a quick reference.