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The New York Times crossword app on my iPhone is probably the best and worst investment I have ever made. I use it all of the time, which is more than I can say for some of my other apps (I meant well, Tetris, I really did), but I probably use it way too much. The problem/awesomeness of the app is that you can consult a calendar and pick any crossword you want going several years back. This means I am doing crosswords all of the time. I have become one of those people who is always completely enthralled in the iPhone and can’t be bothered to make eye contact with anyone. It’s not healthy. And no, The New York Times certainly hasn’t paid me to endorse their app, although if they would like to, I’d be happy to provide my Paypal address. It’s really all just a long-winded way of saying that I have crosswords on the brain lately, so it only seemed natural to do a little research on the American pastime.
1. Prior to 1942, the Times was kind of snobby about the wordplay game. They called it “a primitive form of mental exercise” and turned their collective noses up at people who would deign to spend their time arranging letters in little boxes. But the paper finally decided to give in to fun and games during the WWII, when it was decided that perhaps readers needed something a little bit frivolous to take their minds off of the considerably heavier events going on in the world. Photo by Flickr user StephanieB.
2. There are about 20 errors in the crosswords every year. When you consider that 417 are published annually (there are two on Sundays) and each crossword contains more than 50 clues, that’s a pretty good rate. But keep your eyes peeled anyway… it’s always fun to spot one.
3. Celebrity NYT crossword fans include Bill Clinton, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Norman Mailer, Jon Stewart and Beverly Sills. “You are never famous until you’ve had your name in a crossword puzzle,” she once said. “There is a group of people who mail the puzzle to you when your name comes up in it.”
4. Clinton is such a fan that he collaborated on an online-only crossword for the Times in 2007. He wrote the clues, but the grid was constructed for him. Shortz edited the puzzle – albeit very little, he said – and reported that Clinton’s clues and answers were “laugh out loud” funny.
5. Will Shortz doesn’t write all of the crosswords, but he does edit them. The puzzles are written by a team of freelance writers. There is apparently a pool of about 500 puzzle writers who can produce New York Times-quality clues, which is up from only 100 about 40 years ag.
6. Incidentally, Shortz’ favorite puzzle clue of all time is “It might turn into a different story.” The answer? “SPIRALSTAIRCASE.”
7. You can rotate the crossword 180 degrees and, more often than not, the position of the black and white squares will not change. If you see a puzzle that is asymmetrical, it’s probably because there is a rebus or theme that required the puzzle to break its usual shape.
8. There have only been four editors of the NYT crossword since its 1942 inception. The first, Margaret Farrar, started her career as a secretary who was hired to help Arthur Wynne, the inventor of crosswords, with his work. Her work soon became more popular than his. Will Weng was the editor from 1969 to 1977, Eugene Maleska then became the editor after years of freelancing for the famous diversion. Shortz took over when Maleska died of throat cancer in 1993 and is the only editor (the only known person in the world, actually) to hold a college degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles.
9. In 1998, a man proposed to his New York Times crossword-loving girlfriend using the puzzle. Bob Khan prepared a puzzle where answers to clues included “BILLG” (his first name and last initial”) “WILLYOUMARRYME” and “AMODESTPROPOSAL.” She said yes. What do you want to bet that completed crossword puzzle is hanging on their wall, framed?
10. A few tips to help you on your life quest to finish the Sunday Crossword (or is that just me?):
• Any time the clue uses an abbreviation instead of spelling out the word, the answer is an abbreviation.
• If the clue ends in a question mark, the puzzle author is using a play on words or is doing something else particularly clever.
• The answer will never be in the clue itself.
The Sunday puzzle, by the way, is supposed to be about the difficulty of a Thursday puzzle.
My crossword puzzle-addict friend, who is a lot better at them than I am, swears by Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle. He explains answers and is a bit condescending (“[This was] medium for me, but rebuses always befuddle a significant chunk of the audience”), but is also entertaining and kind of helps you understand the reason behind the clues and answers so you’ll “get” the writers better in the future.
Any other NYT crossword junkies out there? Maybe we can start a group. Leave a comment and let us know how far in the week you can get, and then we’ll divide into small therapy sessions from there… And yes, I have seen the documentary Word Play, and it makes me feel bad about my intellect.
Have a Q10 request? I’m on Twitter and I’m all ears! Err… all keys. Something.
Comments (27)
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I used crosswords, the “easy” kind, hah, as a distraction when things weren’t going so well in my life a couple years ago.
They were mindless and generally easy to do but I still learned some new words and new meanings of words I already knew.
I love puzzles and used to get Games Magazines in jr high and high school. I should think about getting it again.
posted by Sarah in CA on 8-20-2009 at 6:14 pm
I have been doing crosswords since age 12 or so – but not the NYT ones. Dell publishes crossword magazines and I buy two or three a month. Eugene Maleska was my favorite editor/creator at Dell. Loved his sense of humor.
posted by Mama Ilana on 8-20-2009 at 6:23 pm
By coincidence, Today I am watching the film of Will Shortz’ championship crossword puzzle tournament
posted by Dennis M on 8-20-2009 at 6:24 pm
@Sarah: I too had a subscription to Games…but if you want more word puzzles, Games make a mag called “World of Puzzles” which is sold right next to it’s older sibling.
posted by Stephen on 8-20-2009 at 6:42 pm
I dislike the NYT puzzle, cuz the clues seem to be on a different wavelength. I hate when the answer is 2 words or more, but the clue doesn’t indicate it, or the length of the boxes.
but I will try to check out the link in an effort to “get” the writers a little better.
posted by Jonny on 8-20-2009 at 7:59 pm
I absolutely LOVED the Wordplay documentary. I now think of “unkind donuts” every time I see a Dunkin Donuts….
posted by Meri on 8-20-2009 at 9:33 pm
I’ve been a crossword fiend for about 6-7 years now, and it’s sad how little I’ve progressed after the first couple of years. However, if you do get a group together, count me in! I’m hoping to to to the ACPT in 2010 so if anyone else is, it’d be cool to meet up and have some sort of mental floss contingent.
posted by Debbie on 8-21-2009 at 12:31 am
When I take a bath I generally get in, open a book of Sunday-length crossword puzzles and soak until I finish one. Only then will I soap up and finish the bath.
I’ll also clip crosswords out of the newspapers and keep them in my purse for odd moments of waiting…in one instance, between pairings at a drag race.
And Sarah, I too have found crosswords therapeutic; when my mother had her stroke and I was staying with her in the hospital for the first week, I did one after the other after the other — at least there was something that I could have the satisfaction of solving.
posted by VM on 8-21-2009 at 1:33 am
I like the NYT puzzles from Thursday through Sunday; MTW are usually too simple to be fun. This does not mean I zip through ThFS, but it’s more interesting to be challenged. And I do learn new words, even at my advanced age… (I have upbraided Rex Parker for being a bit of an Agist..)
posted by Elaine on 8-21-2009 at 10:46 am
I love NYT crosswords so much my husband got me a subscription for Christmas. I too look up Rex Parker’s blog when I need to cheat. He’s the 47th greatest solver in the universe! I would love to learn what great solvers think about the crosswords in The London Times. I have solved many Sunday’s NYT, but never once came close to solving a Sunday Times. Cheerios!
posted by K8 on 8-21-2009 at 11:28 am
One interesting thing I noticed about Google’s auto-completion of search queries is sometimes it would suggest long phrases that seemed statistically unlikely, and changed from day to day. It wasn’t until I started doing our local newspaper’s crosswords that I realized they matched up with that days clues!
posted by Jim on 8-21-2009 at 11:43 am
It’s sad, that I can’t do crossword puzzles. I have difficulties with them, and for some reason, intimidate me. I can kill a word search like the letters I need are bold and underlined, and I have sudoku mastered. I just can’t do crosswords.
posted by Steven on 8-21-2009 at 11:48 am
My mom loves crosswords. I like wordsearches. How about a Q10 0n wordsearches?
posted by Sara in AL on 8-21-2009 at 12:55 pm
My partner and I work on the NYT crosswords daily. We can usually finish Wednesdays and most of Thursday, but that is it.
I start it before I go to work, and he works on it during the day, and at dinner we bounce clues off of each other to finish up. It has opend a new line of communication and strengthened our relationship.
posted by Jeffrey on 8-21-2009 at 1:49 pm
I’ve heard that British puzzles are exceptionally clever.
For instance:
Clue: City in Czechoslovakia
Answer: Oslo
posted by Justin on 8-21-2009 at 2:32 pm
I do our local papers cross words and have finally figured out those editors so I can complete or come close pretty much all the time now.
I do find it really hard to switch between crossword puzzle creators especialy with the way they give the clues. I find that the cross word in USA Today is awful – I get maybe 3 or 4 words when I try that one.
My paper has a cryptoquip which is basically a coded sentance that they give you 1 of the code letters and then you have to deduct the rest. I always start with those as typically the resulting sentance is a play on words and makes you groan.
posted by Beth on 8-21-2009 at 3:29 pm
Although I’ll probably never be a speed solver, I can finish @ 75% of the Friday and Saturday puzzles. I read the blogs mostly to understand obscure (to me, at least) themes/clues.
IMHO, Rex Parker and his regulars are very superior but Matt Gaffney, esp. his weekly Friday puzzle is friendly and open. I love the challenge of a clever puzzle.
posted by Mary Kay on 8-21-2009 at 3:35 pm
I used to do them every Tuesday and Thursday during my college Chemistry class. And I still got a B!
posted by taylor on 8-21-2009 at 4:06 pm
There are some additional xword puzzles and blogs you might enjoy Stacy:
Word Play blog of NYT puzzle by Jim Horne
Blogosphere compilation of xword blogs
An Englishman Solves American Crosswords blog
LA Times Crossword puzzle
LA Times Crossword Corner blog
They are addicting!
posted by lou on 8-21-2009 at 4:06 pm
I live for the Friday and Saturday NYT puzzles. If I feel slightly beaten up by the time I finish, I consider it a good one.
As for the blogs, I like Rex Parker’s even though he can get kind of snippy from time to time. I prefer Amy Reynaldo’s comments and analysis.
posted by Rick on 8-21-2009 at 4:36 pm
i’ve never found anywhere else online i could say this to an audience who might care, but i can’t stand liz gorski puzzles. they are often on the wrong side of precious and she there are noticeable errors from time to time. (using “Like Vietnamese cuisine” for EASTASIAN. that should be southeast asian…)
posted by giles on 8-21-2009 at 6:42 pm
Games magazine is not quite what it was when Will Shortz was editor. Just sayin.
posted by treedweller on 8-21-2009 at 9:01 pm
My grandfather and his cousin meet for lunch every Thursday. I joined them a few times, and learned they both get the paper and work on the Sunday NYT puzzle and compare their results when they meet. I tried it out when I knew I would be seeing them, and now it’s become habit. Even if I’m not going to make it for lunch, I do it.
posted by jenbe on 8-21-2009 at 10:45 pm
I got very good at them in college and went over the top right after I got married. My wife and I would go for breakfast on Sunday morning, and I would work the puzzle upside down from across the table so she could read it!
15 years later, it’s unusual not to finish the Sunday puzzle. My goal is no mistakes, in ink, which I can do about 40-50% of the time.
posted by seeingeye on 8-22-2009 at 1:01 am
I do about three to five crosswords a day, including the NYT, and blog about them all. I live for the Saturday puzzles.
I still subscribe to both Games and World of Puzzles, but they’re hit-or-miss. It took me years to realize I could skip all the puzzle types I don’t like. The variety crosswords and cryptics buy my loyalty.
One correction: It’s Bob Klahn who crafted the famous marriage proposal puzzle, which ran in the NYT 1/7/98 (http://www.xwordinfo.com/ShowPuzzle.aspx?date=1/7/1998).
posted by Amy Reynaldo on 8-22-2009 at 1:37 am
Hey Stacy, Amy’s right, it is Bob Klahn, not Bob Khan. When I googled \Bob Khan\ and \crosswords,\ all I found was your article and the Phoenix, Arizona fire chief.
But when I replaced \Khan\ with \Klahn,\ I found a number of pages about the proposal puzzle, and a good bit more. In particular, I found that a book of 72 tough, mostly themeless crosswords by Bob Klahn, \The Wrath of Klahn Crosswords,\ playing on the \The Wrath of Khan\ of \Star Trek II\ fame, will be published within the next few months under Sterling Publishing’s Puzzlewright Press imprint.
I propose … to pick up a copy!
posted by puzzlenut on 8-22-2009 at 8:17 pm
Amy, I get World of Puzzles and I don’t do every one either. In fact there are about 4 different puzzles I do faithfully and then usually skip the rest :).
Jon Stewart proposed to his wife via crossword puzzle too, right? I guess it wasn’t published though, but it was edited by Will Shortz.
I have the NYT crossword game for DS and both my husband and I love it :)
posted by Fruppi on 8-25-2009 at 9:49 pm