CROSSWORDS: Practice

Description | Quotes | Process |
Puzzle Sources: Intro | Easier | More Diff. | Even More Diff. | Most Diff. | Shortz's Favorites

Course Description: Crosswords: Practicum

• Skip this initial subsection if part of a longer Crossword course.
• Improve your solving skills, have fun and possibly benefit memory, according to recent studies.
• All levels of ability and previous students are welcome.
• We'll select crosswords that vary by difficulty, size & type, theme and source.
• While solving, we'll discuss unusual clues and interesting themes,
  with resources provided for further practice.
• *Practicum: [prak-ti-kuhm] n."the part of a [university] course consisting of practical work in a particular field";
  related to "praxis": exercise or practice of an art, science, or skill; practical application of a theory

Quotes

• "Don't just do your crossword OVER a cup of coffee,... do it ON your cup of coffee!" ~crosswordmug.com
• "He keeps his brain sharp 'by eating... a crossword puzzle every day' per Garfield: ODIE;
  WaPo; 8/30/2020; .puz
• “Do more puzzles... The more you solve, the better you’ll get. It’s also useful to read Wordplay
  and other puzzle blogs, which helped me internalize the tricks and tropes of crossword
  clues while I was learning the ropes." ~Dan Feyer,
  seven-time champion of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
• "In theory there is no difference between... theory and practice.
  In practice there is." ~Yogi Berra
• "For the things we have to learn... before we can do them, we learn by doing them." ~Aristotle
• "Knowledge is of no value unless... you put it into practice." ~Anton Chekhov
• "I get up, go and get a coffee,... and go do the crossword --
  I'm loyal to one particular paper, the 'Guardian'
  -- and that's my idea of a perfect morning." ~Laura Marling
• "Sometimes I'll work... through the crossword sections of three separate papers." ~Samantha Bond

Process

• We will solve and discuss one or more puzzles
  together (on screen) during each session.
• These puzzles will be appropriate in difficulty
  for class ability & interest -- Examples below
• The instructor will use a crossword solving application like:
• Crosswords for iPad, Android, macOS, Win; [slideshow] [above right: iPad]
• Across Lite free; for macOS, Win, iPad; [slideshow] [below right: Mac]
• -- and open downloaded .puz files
• Web-based puzzle solving apps are available in your browser
  -- if you don't mind viewing ads
  and using different user interfaces on different sites.
• Another option is to share a printed puzzle,
  e.g., NYT Spiral puzzle, and annotate in a PDF-viewing app
  -- this works with any puzzle, but can be slower to fill in
• Clues can be followed in any order.
  However, to minimize jumping around and group confusion,
  we'll generally work together on the same area of the puzzle,
  take advantage of filled-in crossing letters,
  focus on the same clues, and fill-in a consensus answer
  -- or skip to nearby clues if we seem stuck.
• The solving emphasis will be on learning and fun -- rather than on perfection and speed.
• The more experienced among us should refrain from answering
  for a few seconds to give others a chance to consider the clues.
• I'll highlight interesting clues and themes.
  We might refer to blogs for further explanations, e.g., NYT WordPlay;
  in non-Practicum courses: we'll more systematically cover
  specific techniques and tips under Solving Strategies later.
• If there's interest, I can distribute (.pdf, .puz) for any finished or in-progress puzzles via email.
• I may provide blog links to annotated solutions with commentaries about theme/clues -- if available.
• Redo/review previous crosswords for "homeplay" -- not homework!

Puzzle Sources

• Two sites that provide convenient direct links to many
  of the current puzzles listed in sections below
  -- grouped by my rough estimate of difficulty;
  all are free except newer/variety NYT
• Crossword Fiend .puz (for app), .pdf, web browser [far right]
• Cruciverb: .puz;, .pdf, web [right]
• Many other sites: CROSSWORDS: Sources: Web Sites
• Steve's puzzles

"Easier"

• Some 'more difficult' as week progresses, i.e., NYT, WSJ
• Los Angeles Times (LAT): Mon-Thu
• New York Times (NYT): Mini; Mon-Tue
• NYT 'Learning Network': Themed: American History; Civics; Economics;
  Fine Arts; Geography; Global History; Health; Journalism; Language Arts;
  Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Technology; Miscellaneous
• Newsday Mon-Fri
• Universal: Mon-Sat, e.g., Mail Tribune
• Wall Street Journal (WSJ): Mon-Fri

"More Difficult"

• Brendan Emmett Quigley (BEQ): Thu
• Jonesin: Tue
• LAT: Fri-Sun
• NYT: Wed-Thu, Sun
• Newsday: Sun
• Reagle: Sun
• Washington Post (WaPo): Sun
• WSJ: Sat
• NYT Variety: "Puns & Anagrams" (American grid, cryptic-style clues)
• Cru Cryptics (British grid), e.g., 'beginner-friendly'
• CodeWords
• rebuses, ...

"Even More Difficult"

• BEQ: Mon (themeless)
• NYT: Fri, Sat (themeless)
• Newsday: Sat (Saturday Stumper)
• NYT Variety (archives): Cryptic, Missing Links, Split Decisions, Vowelless
• most cryptics...

"Most Difficult"

• "The New York Times reports that Chinese hackers broke into its computer system,...
  a security breach resulting in what observers describe as 'the hardest crossword puzzle ever.'"
  ~Dave Barry’s Year in Review: 2013
• How Advocates And Editors Used A Word Game To Reach 50 Million People About Alzheimer's Disease
  'Hardest Crossword': "Only one person knows all the answers, but she doesn’t remember them anymore"
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Types: Sizes: Supermega (53 x 53) & world's records for largest crosswords
• "The World's Worst" crossword; .pdf; all Roman numerals
• "The World's Hardest" Cryptic Crossword; download

Shortz's Favorites

• 11 Remarkable Crosswords for New Solvers ready to conquer The New York Times Crossword?
  Here's a sampling -- hand-picked by Will Shortz -- to get you started; 2/14/2017
• 5 examples from Will Shortz's Favorite Crossword Puzzles from The New York Times
  St. Martin's Griffin, 2002
• Jan. 28, 2002 (Mon) by Sarah Keller; [.puz]; Will Shortz says:
  "Here's proof that a crossword doesn't have to be hard to be exceptional. Besides the four basic theme
  answers in the longest spaces in the grid, look for four 'bonus' theme-related entries in shorter spots."
• Oct. 31, 2000 (Tue) by Bill Zais; [.puz]; Will Shortz says:
  "This puzzle's clever theme is signaled by the highlighted letters in the middle of the grid.
  For the constructor to get all these multi-checked letters to work could not have been easy."
• May 23, 2001 (Wed) by Alan Arbesfeld; [.puz]; Will Shortz says:
  "The secret of this puzzle's theme is revealed at 62- and 16-Across. The theme itself appears
  in the six longest Across answers. That's a lot of theme material, with a crackerjack construction besides."
• May 8, 1997 (Thu) by David J. Kahn; [.puz]; Will Shortz says:
  "David Kahn never makes an ordinary puzzle, but this one is truly exceptional. Every theme answer
  (four horizontal and two vertical) interlocks with at least one other, and the answer at 7-Down
  gives a playful explanation of what these six have in common."
• Sept. 29, 2000 (Fri) by Bob Klahn; [.puz]; Will Shortz says:
  "This themeless 68-word puzzle contains ten 15-letter answers spanning the grid, with 8-Down
  intersecting the nine going across. As typical with Bob Klahn, he spices up the puzzle with lively vocabulary,
  and the grid doesn't have a single unnecessary black square."