NYT's Crossword: Is Will Shortz trying to humiliate me?

I'm with you on this, Noddy. I can still always zip through the Mon-Wed puzzles, but Thur- Sun puzzles have been inconsistently difficult for me. Any of the four can prove to be the most difficult for the week for me. Some of it certainly has to do with the type of question, whether or not they are or are not concerning an area of my expertise (modern musical artists as an example of a major problem for me).

Noddy, I lost interest in the NYT's Sunday puzzle. (the only newspaper that I buy locally) when the thing became simply difficult without being challenging.

I gave up a long time ago doing newspaper crosswords. Either I'm too stupid or they're all just too hard.

The only crosswords I do now are ones from books and I'm not embarrassed to say I don't hesitate to check out the answers if I get stuck on one. Then, I just carry on.

In my opinion, it's no fun if you just get frusterated.

There was a time I could do the Sunday puzzle in pen, and often finish it, of course with no dictionary use. Messy pen, cross out, new darker letter, cross out.. my finished puzzles had three dimensional texture. Sometimes it took a few days to solve some sticky part. This was a high point, in that even then I didn't always finish them.

Alas, I don't get the times except online anymore and don't pay for the puzzles. Hmmm, I should check how much that is again.

Thing is, one gets out of practice. Also, one doesn't catch the cultural references in some puzzles (thinking LA Times. I don't see their puzzles anymore either).

Noddy, I bet if you have trouble with some of the puzzles, other millions will be having more trouble.

Flyboy--

Some Puzzle Makers specialize in my areas of ignorance: sports, movie stars, Asian heads-of-state....

Letty--

I like your distinction between "difficult" and "challenging". You and I deserve armchair challenges, not armchair problems.

Reyn--

A number of puzzles--particularly in smaller newspapers--are composed by computer these days. I don't like them at all.

Osso--

I fill in my first layer of answers in red ink and then shift to lavender, then green or blue. I have to work in ink--my eyes aren't good enough to read sweaty pencil marks.

I take comfort in the notion that the universe is full of people who don't do puzzles at all--let alone finish puzzles.

Don't you just love that section of the world, usually non-crossword people--who insist loudly and prissily that using a reference book is "cheating"?

I don't think it is cheating - I think it is a great way to learn, with dictionary at hand, or, say, Google. Sometimes I would go over an old puzzle and look up the bits that stumped me. I did find it fun to fill it in 'senza dizionario' if I could.

You're colored pen thing is marvelous, much more artistic than my way.

Stopped getting the paper. Miss dem puzzles. Loved the crosswords. Most loved the cryptics.

I used erasable ink. Black or blue.

Sigh.

I do the NY Times (by the way, the Globe & Mail has a great puzzle in their Saturday Review) and know what you mean - you really have to be on their wavelength.

I freely cheat because I don't know most of the US clues, any of the movie or movie star ones, and none of the US geography ones.

Mame -- have you found the Globe & Mail's Saturday crossword is getting easier? I doubt I'm getting smarter They don't seem to take me as long as they used to.

I've always found it fairly easy, once you get their mindset. I don't know if they're easier because I haven't bought one in the last month, but if you're talking longer than that, then yes...

I only do the Saturday NYT crossword and I always have to cheat

Naw, I don't really think it's "cheating", as only yourself is involved. It's not like it's a contest with others after all.

The end result is that you've learned something, too, and that can't be bad, right?

Of course, Reyn! Esp since we can possibly be expected to know and Illinois senator in 1958...

It was crossword puzzles which first gave me a sense of my own mortality, when I realized I couldn't read the clues any longer and very reluctantly bought my first pair of 1.25 reading glasses. Am now up to 2.50, and the light has to be REALLY bright. 2.75 is looming on the horizon. Damn you, Will Weng.

NYT puzzles are OK, but I prefer the Boston Sunday Globe ones, probably available online, which aren't quite as challenging (they say the Sun. NYT ones are only about Thursday-level, not that difficult, just longer), but considerably punnier, which I like--giggle while you solve.

And the Brattle Bookstore, America's oldest antiquarian bookstore and a wonderful place to browse thru if you come to Boston, recently came up with a treasure, a giant book of 500 Saturday NYT puzzles for just $5.00. Whoever bought it originally tried two or three (only in pencil, four or five words if that in each) and gave up and sold it to the Brattle. Figure this'll keep me going for a couple years at least.

Mame, it's probably Estes Kefauver. Whenever you're stumped it's ALWAYS Estes Kefauver, gods only know why.

Ahem, I meant 'your'.



That was my primitive brain pan at work....

If it was Kefauver, it was whatsisname.

no, not Taft...








Stevenson, there we go.

how many letters?