On Crosswords

In this season of turmoil (as we move into a home), routine has gone out the window and we've oscillated between periods of waiting/inactivity and frenetic action. It can be hard to read in such an environment, with the potential for frequent distractions. To fill the time in these past few months, I've enjoyed a hobby new to me: crossword puzzles.

As I suspect you already know, crosswords are blank grids with numbered rows & columns, where each number has a corresponding clue. All you know, based on the puzzle, is how many letters the answer contains. Solve the clue (with a word or phrase) and place one letter of the answer in each box in the appropriate row/column. Solving one row, for example, will give you letters for the columns the row intersects, helping you solve those clues in turn. Continue in like fashion until the entire puzzle is solved.

example completed crossword, from here

Crossword clues generally fall into 3 categories:

• Trivia: a fact. Examples:
• "The capital of New Jersey."
• "Ruffalo from the Marvel films."
• "Hospital in German."
• Synonyms: a word or expression that means the same thing as the clue. Examples:
• "Fix" [one answer: repair]
• "Follow closely" [one answer: dog]
• Riddles: a statement or question with double or veiled meaning [paraphrased from Wikipedia]. In crosswords, I see two types of riddles:
• 'normal' riddles. Example:
• "Ubiquitous label." [answer: made in China]
• "It may be held at arm's length." [answer: selfie stick]
• 'twisted' riddles, which are often indicated by a question mark. Examples:
• "Spots to hide?" [answer: acne]
• "Summer job?" [answer: adding]

I favor the New York Times crossword puzzles, which are released daily and increase in difficulty from Monday through Sunday. I suspect you can do those online with a subscription, though I prefer the newspaper version (NYT crosswords are published in many papers). They offer a 'mini' puzzle for free on weekdays. You can also buy books collecting said puzzles; I grab them when I find them on clearance.

I enjoy crosswords for a few reasons:

• They exercise the mind.
• They can be done in a distracting environment.
• They give insights into the depth and complexity of language. Puzzles require good vocabulary and fluency. It's hard enough to tackle some NYT puzzles being fluent in English; I have no idea how you'd approach them if you weren't. So many words have multiple meanings, so you have to be aware of them all and play with different clues accordingly. And pay close attention to wording; many crossword clues could be read multiple ways.
• They're fun to solve with others. In my house, we'd leave a puzzle on the table and a few of us would take cracks at it throughout the day. It's fun to see how differently our minds work.

I suspect my 'crosswording' will wane as we get into a routine and unpack our things. But it's something I hope to do routinely for the aforementioned reasons.