The Clue
Emergency-related (4 letter answer)
The Answer
DIRE
Tags
Notes
The answer DIRE is seen frequently, appearing about once every 110 puzzles.
Related Clues
Acute
Apocalyptic
Awful
Calamitous
Catastrophic
Desperate
Disastrous
Dismal
Dreadful
Fatal
Fearful
Grave
Ominous
Pressing
In ___ straits
Terrible
Tragic
Urgent
Foreboding trouble
Ill-boding
Kind of straits
Potentially disastrous
Presaging disaster
Straits modifier
___ Straits of rock
Very urgent
More than serious
Not just serious
Not looking good
"___ Straits," rock group
___ Straits, rock group
Word with need or consequences
Definition
DIRE as an adjective:
1. (desperate, dire) = fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless; "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency"
2. (awful, dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible) = causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse"