The Cluetrends Manifestation

With apologies to Messrs. Locke, Levine, Searles, & Weinberger, I present ... The Cluetrends Manifestation!

I admit that the grand introduction -- and especially the exclamation point -- is a bit overdone. Still, it seems significant that puzzle clues can have so much effect on Google's Hot Trends (at least in the USA).

This blog will explore the "Cluetrends" phenomenon. My first question to you -- perhaps a simple question, perhaps not -- is: Why do crossword clues appear so frequently in Google Hot Trends?