Wordplay; A Puzzlemeister's View

Have you seen the publicity for that new documentary called “Wordplay?” It was supposedly this year’s sleeper hit at the Sundance Film Festival (if you think that’s a PR blurb, you’re probably right). The movie’s subject is the New York Times crossword puzzle; Will Shortz (its editor), and the passion slathered on it by a myriad of devotees, famous and not (Bill Clinton, The Indigo Girls and your run-of-the-mill idiot…with whom I identify). I’m trying to get my own thoughts around my obsession with it.

I am not passionate about any other kind of puzzle or even other crosswords; so why the Times? As you can see on this here blog I do like wordplay (and sometimes a good game of Scrabble) but the Times puzzle has become more than recreational for me and is almost a requirement for my daily ease-of-mind. So what’s up with that? Some people think the puzzle (and The Times itself) is elitist and maybe I like being in that fringe. But I don’t think that’s really it even though I think I’m the only person in my office (approx. 100 souls) that buys the Times. Most of my buds don’t read it either, much less work the puzzle and, horrors, the bums make fun of me for doing it. Like I care.

A little side note here; on Long Island where I work it is almost impossible to even buy the Times because the vendors “see no need to carry it” because it just doesn’t sell. That perplexes me somewhat but that’s a whole ‘nother subject.

I moved to NYC in the early 70’s and I was hooked on the Time’s puzzle almost immediately…so that’s 30+ years of staring at unfulfilled little squares. I got better at it as the years rolled by and can now usually finish them, but not always. That “not always” is significant because if I could finish them all, without fail, I would probably stop trying…where’s the challenge?

A little basic knowledge you should know: starting on Mondays the puzzles get more difficult as the week rolls by. With some practice you could probably do Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in pen (I don’t) but by Thursday I suggest a pencil. By Friday it’s necessary and by Saturday you’re flirting with suicide if you use a pen; I so hate those cross-outs and also your fingers become paralyzed with the fear that you’ll make a mistake. The difficulty on Saturday is not always in the answers but in the clues. On Monday the clue will be “Former Senator Bob;” on Wednesday “Brit. welfare system;” on Thursday “Pineapple clan” and Saturday “Distribute.” It all comes down to being on the Dole, but you get my drift.

The reason for the acceleration of difficulty is obvious. Monday’s are hard enough on the average working stiff without battering your brains out with a difficult puzzle. This could be part of the reason why it’s so easy to get hooked. It’s because you can finish the Monday puzzle without too much angst and as the week goes by you’re more prepared for the harder stuff.

Although Sunday’s puzzle always has a title and thus a clue to its theme; during the week you just have to wing it. Also, the Sunday puzzle can be easy or practically impossible depending on the whim of the editor. Its main feature is that it’s just physically much larger than during the week and therefore possibly more daunting, and I think it’s meant more for leisure solving (you can fiddle with it for an entire week) than in the high pressure 24-hour turn-around Monday - Saturday.

I haven’t seen “Wordplay” but I plan on filling in that blank soon. Getting down with Mission Impossible III consumes me at the moment.