January 9, 2008 at 11:11 am

What’s a nine-letter word for a grid-patterned game?

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Photo by Listen Missy!
You see them everywhere: on the bus, waiting for a plane, in a restaurant. Some of them work in pencil, some dare to use ink, but what they have in common is a love of words—or at least a love of words used in crossword puzzles. If you (like me) are a member of this hopeless band, you have your own methods and tricks. Some folks fill things in as they come to them; I like to work all the across clues, then the downs, and then go back. Puzzlemaster Will Shortz—editor of the New York Times puzzle—asked puzzlers for their tips (as if he needs them). The usual ideas applied—look for a theme, work on sections rather than the whole thing at once. But as far as Shortz was concerned, Best Answerer endpov was able to fill in most of the blanks. Will added his own tips, too:

  • Start with what you know for sure and build from there. Short answers are usually easier to get than longer ones, because the English language doesn’t have many three- and four-letter words, and the same ones tend to appear often in crosswords. This is especially so for words with lots of vowels, like ALE, ARIA, and OLEO
  • Remember that a clue and its answer will always be in the same part of speech and generally can be used interchangeably in a sentence with the same meaning.
  • If you get stuck, don’t be afraid to guess. But also don’t be afraid to erase an answer that isn’t working out from the crossings.
  • If you really get stuck, put the puzzle aside and come back later. It’s amazing how often this trick works. Thinking of one new answer the next time around may be enough to get you off and running again.

Finally, to answer a question I’m asked all the time: No, it’s not “cheating” to use a reference book or the Internet to get an answer you don’t know. It’s your puzzle. Solve it any way you like!

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Dave S.

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