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Crossword puzzle dorks

deadshank

By deadshank
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G650

G650 14229

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3 hours ago, deadshank said:

COVID-19 has brought me back to crossword puzzles.   I don't take a daily fish wrap so I work mostly NYT crossword compilations I've collected over the years. 

Who else is into these?

I do the NYT every Sunday as a ritual. Just finished today's as a matter of fact

 

Edit: My daily paper at the office is the WaPo, so that's what I do when I'm taking my daily dump.

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Knoxtnhorn

Knoxtnhorn 5971

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I used to buy the Sunday paper just for the NYT crossword.  Now, I use the gift cards I get for book stores to buy the omnibus editions.  I'm usually pretty good at finishing them; however, I have some from the 60's and 70's which are far more difficult due to the cultural references of the time.  

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Asithappens

Asithappens 974

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On 5/11/2020 at 4:32 PM, Knoxtnhorn said:

I used to buy the Sunday paper just for the NYT crossword.  Now, I use the gift cards I get for book stores to buy the omnibus editions.  I'm usually pretty good at finishing them; however, I have some from the 60's and 70's which are far more difficult due to the cultural references of the time.  

Cool.

The Sunday puzzle is good, but it's just big. It can be engaging at times but sometimes I find it's just bulky. 

The fun really starts for the NYT puzzle on Thursday through Saturday. Especially Thursday, because that's when the tricky stuff appears (like today). 

And yeah, I agree, the puzzle has changed a lot with Will Shortz taking over as editor. I think it's for the better. The older puzzles (usually Eugene T. Maleska, if I spelled that correctly) was full of seven letter words of African antelopes and shit like that. Stuff for which you kinda needed a crossword puzzle dictionary. Shortz is much, much more into wordplay. I'm not a rap "music" fan so the clues about that area I usually don't get, but hey, can't have everything. 

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strangulation!

strangulation! 1711

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2 hours ago, Asithappens said:

Another fun NYT puzzle today (October 1, 2020).

Not "perfect", but pretty darn good. A better-than-average Thursday, imo. 

 

they throw me off 100% of the time there is a rebus or really anything other than 1 letter in a square. are there ever any hints as to when those are present?

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hornbri

hornbri 1391

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3 hours ago, Asithappens said:

Another fun NYT puzzle today (October 1, 2020).

Not "perfect", but pretty darn good. A better-than-average Thursday, imo. 

 

I hate these, I end up getting them but don't get how you are even supposed to start there. 

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Asithappens

Asithappens 974

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On 10/1/2020 at 2:33 PM, strangulation! said:

they throw me off 100% of the time there is a rebus or really anything other than 1 letter in a square. are there ever any hints as to when those are present?

No hints, at least I don't see them. But Thursdays often have them. 

What clued me in to this puzzle was the answer "Three Dog Night" and realizing that the "Three" had to be the rebus. But then that didn't work, either (too long of an answer), so other clues (film noir/sixers) finally got me to see the telephone connection.

But to answer your question, if there is a rebus it's on a Thursday, and if there's a clue that I am very sure of the answer but it doesn't fit, then I scratch my head for a possible rebus-type answer. 

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Asithappens

Asithappens 974

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On 10/3/2020 at 10:08 AM, hornbri said:

Thanks - even knowing they are Thursday's helps. Three Dog nights is the one that helped me as well. 8track sealed it. 

Yeah, usually I go into a Thursday assuming that there will be a rebus going on. Then it's just a matter of finding where it is and what the theme is. 

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deadshank

deadshank 24652

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On 11/8/2021 at 8:44 AM, Jimbaround said:

I constructed a puzzle for some friends but need someone to edit it and make sure my clues/answers work.  Anyone have suggestions on where to get that done?  Anyone here want to take a stab?

That’s awesome.  I did that once for my wife when she retired.  It was quite difficult to make a real CW puzzle that actually made sense.  

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hornbri

hornbri 1391

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On 11/8/2021 at 8:44 AM, Jimbaround said:

I constructed a puzzle for some friends but need someone to edit it and make sure my clues/answers work.  Anyone have suggestions on where to get that done?  Anyone here want to take a stab?

Well clearly you need to put it on one of those online “create your own” crossword sites and post the link. 

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Knoxtnhorn

Knoxtnhorn 5971

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On 6/11/2020 at 10:21 AM, Asithappens said:

Cool.

The Sunday puzzle is good, but it's just big. It can be engaging at times but sometimes I find it's just bulky. 

The fun really starts for the NYT puzzle on Thursday through Saturday. Especially Thursday, because that's when the tricky stuff appears (like today). 

And yeah, I agree, the puzzle has changed a lot with Will Shortz taking over as editor. I think it's for the better. The older puzzles (usually Eugene T. Maleska, if I spelled that correctly) was full of seven letter words of African antelopes and shit like that. Stuff for which you kinda needed a crossword puzzle dictionary. Shortz is much, much more into wordplay. I'm not a rap "music" fan so the clues about that area I usually don't get, but hey, can't have everything. 

Completely agree.  I never, ever look up clues.  I'd rather leave spaces blank than try to look up the past tense form of jog in Greek.

Agree w/ the Shortz take.  My favorite puzzles are the "gimmicks"... For example, I'm doing one now in which the clues beside some of the numbers are blank.  The title of the puzzle is, "Do It Yourself".  The answers end up being things like, "withoutaclue" and "drawingablank".  Other examples I've come across are: symbols for words or computational answers.  One of my favorites was one I came across a few years ago that drove me absolutely crazy.  Turned out the ends of some of the clues actually ended up out of the grid.  Genius.

I'm looking forward to a road trip this weekend in which I'll be "stuck" in the back of an SUV for several hours with nothing but my NY Times Crossword book.  Time Enough at Last.  /Twilight Zone reference

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ztejas

ztejas 43411

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Bump.

Just started doing NYT like a week ago. For the most part I enjoy it but there's been a couple puzzles I just couldn't get into. 

I try to cheat as little as possible but there's also only so long I'm going to blankly stare at the screen. Especially towards the end when I'm like a square or two short and I don't know either clue. 

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MoJames

MoJames 8244

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3 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Bump.

Just started doing NYT like a week ago. For the most part I enjoy it but there's been a couple puzzles I just couldn't get into. 

I try to cheat as little as possible but there's also only so long I'm going to blankly stare at the screen. Especially towards the end when I'm like a square or two short and I don't know either clue. 

Yeah. I'll give it a go, but if not I'm going to poke around a clue with google and see if I can figure it out.

Most of the time Mon-Thurs I can get them. Fri/Sat I often find myself looking up a name I don't know. Sunday is hit or miss. Sometimes they flow, other times google is handy.

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G650

G650 14229

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I actually find Sunday much easier than Friday or Saturday. There are so many clues you can usually work your way around the puzzle. Saturday can be a real bitch.

 

 

The biggest key to doing NYT or LA is just repetition. A ton of the same fill gets recycled, so once you know what 's common, it becomes much easier.

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ztejas

ztejas 43411

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17 hours ago, Teebox said:

Today's NYT was unlike anything I've seen before, it took a while to understand the theme.  

Yeah I haven't gone back to it but it was bizarre. 

3 minutes ago, G650 said:

I actually find Sunday much easier than Friday or Saturday. There are so many clues you can usually work your way around the puzzle. Saturday can be a real bitch.

 

 

The biggest key to doing NYT or LA is just repetition. A ton of the same fill gets recycled, so once you know what 's common, it becomes much easier.

Sunday is for sure usually easier in my admittedly limited experience. It's still takes me an hour at least just because of the amount of clues and how many long clues there are. 

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animaltobacco11

animaltobacco11 107

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Not sure how I missed this thread, but love crosswords.

I don't do the NYT, but guessing I should try it.

I do The New Yorker crossword, as it goes from hard to easy, M-F. Mondays and Tuesdays I'll usually get a couple answers and just shut it down. Wednesdays (moderately hard) if I can complete the puzzle which has happened once or twice, it's a huge win for me. Thursdays are very easy and beginner friendly so I always finish those. Fridays are a theme.

And I never google. It's either I know it or I don't and it's an honor code with the man in the mirror.

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