Clues and Answers
I prefer to fill out my crossword puzzles with a pen. The permanence of the ink makes the pastime seem more like a craft than a simple diversion. In wood working they say it's best to measure twice and cut but once. Likewise, a beautiful crossword grid will contain no smudges, erasures, deletions or cross outs. Each square will beautifully connect with all the others until its answers and themes lie revealed. Well crafted crossword puzzles hide layers of connectivity that do not resolve until the grid is finished. The New York Times publishes perhaps the best puzzles that demand high standards of creativity and elegant execution.
I appreciate the systematic publication decision by the Times to make the Monday puzzle relatively simple and increase the difficulty level each day. It was the Monday offering that persuaded me to use the pen. After brief practice, most people can complete the basic puzzles that are offered on the first day of the week. Many Monday clues come from a list of repeat offender answers and soon some of the seemingly eclectic responses form the basic repertoire of the persistent puzzler. The sheer repetition leads to easy fills of usually uncomplicated puzzles. With the confidence that Monday brings, most puzzlers will continue on. Regular practice allows the dedicated to complete most puzzles through Wednesday but more effort is required to master the rest of the week, especially the Sunday challenge.
Today's Wednesday puzzle was not the most complicated and I actually answered all of the theme clues -- seven-letter Scrabble words jujitsu, tsktsks, xeroxed and spazzes -- with the corresponding clue that each of those answers in the game would require a blank tile. What made this experience different is that it is rare for me to answer all of the theme answers and still have blanks in the grid. But today I did. Turns out that my problem stemmed from the use of the pen and my difficulty in changing an answer already written. Today's error began when I didn't know the meaning of the initials M.Y.O.B., but I had the letters Y and R already in the grid. So I figured that the answer must be YEAR and inked it into the puzzle.
Later when I answered a clue as Xandadu, I neglected to change the A in YEAR to the appropriate U. That misstep assured that what could have been a fantastic Wednesday effort became I chagrined, "I almost did it." Because I inked the answers, I didn't review my responses to discover the errors that I had made and subsequently compounded. If I had, I would have finished the puzzle. But needing to go to work, I turned to the source of all knowledge.
"Mind Your Own Business," said my wife.
"Of course," I replied. And then I continued, "I mind my own business don't I."
With a raised eyebrow and a sneaky grin, "Apparently not."
As I laughed and laughed she said, "There's your blog."
I appreciate the systematic publication decision by the Times to make the Monday puzzle relatively simple and increase the difficulty level each day. It was the Monday offering that persuaded me to use the pen. After brief practice, most people can complete the basic puzzles that are offered on the first day of the week. Many Monday clues come from a list of repeat offender answers and soon some of the seemingly eclectic responses form the basic repertoire of the persistent puzzler. The sheer repetition leads to easy fills of usually uncomplicated puzzles. With the confidence that Monday brings, most puzzlers will continue on. Regular practice allows the dedicated to complete most puzzles through Wednesday but more effort is required to master the rest of the week, especially the Sunday challenge.
Today's Wednesday puzzle was not the most complicated and I actually answered all of the theme clues -- seven-letter Scrabble words jujitsu, tsktsks, xeroxed and spazzes -- with the corresponding clue that each of those answers in the game would require a blank tile. What made this experience different is that it is rare for me to answer all of the theme answers and still have blanks in the grid. But today I did. Turns out that my problem stemmed from the use of the pen and my difficulty in changing an answer already written. Today's error began when I didn't know the meaning of the initials M.Y.O.B., but I had the letters Y and R already in the grid. So I figured that the answer must be YEAR and inked it into the puzzle.
Later when I answered a clue as Xandadu, I neglected to change the A in YEAR to the appropriate U. That misstep assured that what could have been a fantastic Wednesday effort became I chagrined, "I almost did it." Because I inked the answers, I didn't review my responses to discover the errors that I had made and subsequently compounded. If I had, I would have finished the puzzle. But needing to go to work, I turned to the source of all knowledge.
"Mind Your Own Business," said my wife.
"Of course," I replied. And then I continued, "I mind my own business don't I."
With a raised eyebrow and a sneaky grin, "Apparently not."
As I laughed and laughed she said, "There's your blog."
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