I've Bitten the Apple...

Recently the Mrs. and I enjoyed our second viewing of Wordplay, an outstanding documentary based around the institution that is Will Shortz and the cruciverbalist droves that populate his annual crossword puzzle tournament (formerly in Stamford, now in NYC due to numbers). The film is fun for any fan of crossword puzzles, especially the portions that show various celebrities (Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Ken Burns, the Indigo Girls…strangest list of names ever) solving a puzzle.

 

The main scene that caught my interest this time through featured puzzle creator Merl Reagle demonstrating his creative process by entering the title of the movie into the center of a 15x15 grid and spontaneously building an intricate and punny puzzle around it.

 

Alright, I know he’s an expert, but I can totally do this. I breeze through the Metro puzzle during every commute and am a fair hand up until about Thursday in the NY Times. I know how important oleo and oreo are, not to mention the T-bars and I-beams…I’m going to do it.

 

Thus I signed onto the rules as outlined by Mr. Shortz in the film:

 

1.)   The puzzle should have two-way symmetry (it looks the same upside down).

2.)   No more than 1/6^th black squares

3.)   No secluded areas (solvers can work from one spot to all other parts of the puzzle)

4.)   Words have a minimum of three letters

5.)   No bodily functions (The Sunday breakfast table test)

6.)   Every square has a cross

 

Cut to 3:00 am, me sitting alone at the kitchen table having started and restarted at least five times and struggling to find a way to work “Alliance” into my first line (the effort failed). The trickiest parts for me were areas where I needed multiple five/six letter words to run parallel and also form words of at least three letters in the crossings.

 

After crashing in the wee hours of the morning (and feeling nerdier than ever before), I awoke and set myself back at the table. I managed to finish the puzzle with the majority of my selected clues and puzzles (Regrets to “rebel,” the aforementioned “alliance” and “it’s the clap”). The only rule I slipped on was the number of black squares, drifting a bit closer to ¼. Yet, in the end I enjoyed it and will likely try again soon.

 

My advice to others trying to do the same:

1.)   Pick a theme early and place all your long words to scaffold the puzzle.

2.)   Be open to changing/dropping words that, while fun, are not central to the theme.

3.)   Be prepared to lose sleep trying to figure out small corner areas.

4.)   The website oneacross.com, although designed for solvers, is invaluable.

5.)   Stick with what you know.

6.)   Find a good tester to double-check for errors even after you do (Thanks wife).

I’m slow to start another so soon, but hopefully I will. In the mean time, I recommend Wordplay to all, its quite fun.

Here are the puzzle clues (use the image above) e-mail for a better copy. 

Across:

1. Abraham's sacrifice

6. Complete a common operation

9. Recently flooded ND county

13. Southern US city

14. Aquatic defense

16. Marking of Buddha

17. Stormy spirit

18. Modicum

19. Shepherd's welcome

20. Puzzle star on purse handle

22. The basics

23. Might

24. Paired winter item

25. Forlorn cry

27. It should be raised

30. Honest fellow

31. Rabbit, bear and fox

32. Biblical priest

33. Wing-like

34. Star of the puzzle

37. Type of steel

38. Call at home

39. Wrestler’s goals

40. He shot first

41. Approves

42.Some organic compounds

43. Entry exam

44. Dangerous salt

45. Staple of southern cuisine

47. Puzzle star at Talladega

53. Construction material

54. Darn!

55. Swears to

57. Shakespearean plotter

58. Gutter site

59. Malformed fetus

60. College sport

61. Each

62. Consort of Bert

 

Down:

1. Give __ __ chance

2. Fashionable Indian attire

3. Only me: I __ __

4. Imitates comically

5. Fried Appetizer

6. Chief Brody's town

7. The way out

8. Hacker's goal

9. Embargo target

10. Saudi's side dishes

11. Bowling alley fixtures

12. More flippant

15. Form of dance

21. How to start a fight in the Hundred Acre Woods

25. Vehement anger

26. Integral Apollo components

27. Asteroid locations

28. In a manner similar to

29. Most wealthy

31. Presidential watering hole

33. Can do

35. October Sky rocket

36. Fee for gorillas?

37. Full of upheaval

44.Alma ___

46. What ducks are in, at times

47. One of Caesar’s last day?

48. Puzzle star's discovery

49. Keep for later

50. Assert formally

51. Ear

52. Sir Alec's river

56. Aircraft bearing