| layout | title | subtitle | tags | comments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
post |
CROSSWORD GLOSSARY |
Conquer the NYT Crosswords (2) |
|
true |
CLUE A hint that the solver must interpret to find the answer.
CONSTRUCTOR The person who devises a theme, designs a crossword grid, fills the grid and writes the clues. Sometimes called a writer, cruciverbalist, compiler or setter.
CROSSING The intersection between an Across and a Down entry. A difficult or obscure word ideally is always crossed by more "gettable" entries so that the solver doesn't get stuck on one impossible square.
CROSS-REFERENCE Sometimes two clues are linked to each other; e.g.,14- Across s clue might read [With 29-Down, iconic young actor], and 29-Down's clue would be [See 14-Across], with the answers being JAMES and DEAN.
CROSSWORDESE The definition of crosswordese is fluid. Traditionally, the word applied to obscure words like PTAH or a little-known tropical tree name. Some people use it to describe the short words and names composed of common letters that pop up far more frequently in crosswords than in daily discourse. Examples include OONA, ORT and ESNE.
Cryptic CROSSWORD puzzle Cryptic crosswords make up a small portion of American crosswords, but are the primary crossword type in the United Kingdom. Cryptics involve anagramming, hidden words, reversals, homophones, letter deletions and other forms of wordplay. The New York Times Magazine includes about six cryptic puzzles a year, printed below the regular Sunday crossword.
Diagramless CROSSWORD puzzle A diagramless crossword grid is blank, requiring the solver to deduce the location of all the black squares. General rules governing symmetry, fill and cluing apply, though diagramless puzzles typically have many more black squares. The New York Times Magazine includes one of these about nine times a year, printed beneath the regular Sunday crossword.
EDITOR The person who selects crosswords for publication, edits clues to comply with house style, accuracy and the intended level of difficulty, and polishes the fill as needed.
entry Any answer that's written in a crossword grid.
FILL The general term for the words and phrases that fill a crossword grid. Entries that are not part of a theme are referred to as fill entries.
FiLL-iN-THE-BLANK A clue that contains a blank space, for which the an- swer is the word that occupies that space (e.g., ["Many years __"] for AGO).
GIMME Any answer a solver knows instantly. An opera buff 's gimmes may differ from a basketball fan's.
GRID The diagram of black and white squares. Most daily puzzles are 15x15 squares; most Sunday puzzles, 21x21.
PARTIAL At times, two words that cannot stand alone are used in the grid. The clue for a partial may be a fill-in-the-blank (e.g., [Take __ (suffer loss)] for A HIT) or something like [Break or time follower] for OF DAY. In The New York Times, partials generally do not exceed five letters.
REBUS In New York Times crossword circles, "rebus" can mean not only a crossword square occupied by a little picture (say, a triangle or bell) or symbol (such as @ replacing the letters AT), but also any sequence of letters that fill a single square.
SOLVER A crossword consumer. Solvers may work alone or with others. Use of reference books and online resources is a matter of personal preference.
symmetry Standard crosswords have 180° rotational symmetry, though occasionally left/right symmetry is used.
theme A crossword theme consists of several longer entries that have something in common with one another.
themeless A crossword with no theme entries is called themeless. In The New York Times, most Friday and Saturday crosswords are themeless.
TRIPLE-STACK In some themeless puzzles, three 15-letter entries that span the entire grid from left to right or top to bottom are stacked together. Crosswords with triple-stacks are difficult to construct but often easier to solve than other themeless puzzles.