I like doing crosswords. It gives me the chance to show off my vocabulary. Lately, though, the words that come to mind when I do the one I'm used to -- in the Washington Post -- aren't actually in the puzzle, and indeed aren't in any crossword puzzle I've ever seen. That's because WaPo (as the cognoscienti refer to it) has switched from the New York Times crossword to something called the Crossynergy Crossword, and I don't think these guys are using real words. Well, I suppose thats a bit harsh -- they're all real -- its just that they're not words I tend to hear all that often.
For example: Front Wheel Alignment (5 letters). Now, to a mechanic, this'd be obvious -- but I had to get four of the five letters -- and then run through the alphabet, trying each one for the missing one -- until I got it: TOEIN. Or this: Window Alternative (5 letters). I thought Door, Shade, Curtains...um, no. AISLE. Oh, yeah. Of course, they DO have some classics -- Star Trek Communications Officer (5 letters) - - and some erudite ones -- One Of Chaucers Pilgrims (12 letters) -- that last one balanced nicely by "____ Men -- (Who Let The Dogs Out Band)" -- which, as it turned out, is not BAJA, but BAHA. But overall -- man! Where are they getting these things from?
And why don't I know them?
2 comments:
I like word searches better then cross words mostly for the very reason you mentioned.
There can be a certain pleasure about getting to the end, though. Its got to be just hard enough -- hard enough to make me work at it, not so hard that I think 'what, are they aiming at, Rhodes scholars?'
And no tricky puns or really obscure references, either!
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