Inside the Minds of Crossword-Puzzle Creators | The New Yorker
TLDRThe transcript features a conversation with Eric, a cruciverblist, who shares his passion for crossword puzzles and the sense of community it brings. Despite facing stereotypes in the industry, he strives to make crosswords more inclusive by expanding the word list and challenging traditional norms. The discussion touches on the history of crosswords, their cultural impact, and the personal experiences of those involved in the crossword world, highlighting the creativity and problem-solving skills required to excel in this unique form of wordplay.
Takeaways
- 🧩 The speaker enjoys observing others solve crossword puzzles, especially on the subway, and feels a sense of connection when they are working on a puzzle that the speaker has written.
- 🎥 The documentary 'Word Play' had a significant impact on the speaker, making them feel identified with the word nerds featured in it.
- 🏫 The speaker's interest in crosswords was also influenced by a high school statistics teacher who was a crossword enthusiast.
- 📰 The speaker is a cruciverbalist, a professional crossword puzzle constructor, and is trying to make the crossword community more inclusive by expanding the word list.
- 🎭 The speaker has constructed puzzles for celebrities and is looking forward to creating more puzzles for well-known personalities.
- 🌐 Crossword puzzles are seen as a way to document the evolution of language and share commonalities among speakers.
- 📈 The speaker acknowledges the dominance of older white men in various industries, including crossword puzzle construction.
- 💡 The speaker enjoys the challenge and creativity involved in crossword puzzle construction, and the strict rules and conventions of the format.
- 🎭 The speaker's first New Yorker puzzle featured a clue involving actress Natasha Lyonne and the word 'perfection'.
- 🤓 The speaker's talent for crossword puzzles has led to interesting dating experiences, as people are drawn to their nerdy hobby.
Q & A
What does the speaker enjoy observing on the subway?
-The speaker enjoys watching people solve crossword puzzles, especially if they have written the puzzle themselves that day.
How did the speaker first become interested in crossword puzzles?
-The speaker's interest in crossword puzzles began after watching the documentary 'Word Play' with their mother, which led to a moment of cinematic identification with the word nerds featured in the film.
What was the speaker's high school experience like in relation to crossword puzzles?
-In high school, the speaker was a word nerd and wanted to be a writer. They found a connection with a statistics teacher who was also a big crossword enthusiast, which provided them a sense of belonging in a math-science focused magnet program.
How does the speaker approach making crossword puzzles more inclusive?
-The speaker tries to add new words to the word list that others might not have thought to include and remove words that are less familiar or relevant, aiming to broaden the appeal and inclusivity of crossword puzzles.
What is the speaker's opinion on the current state of the crossword puzzle industry?
-The speaker acknowledges that the crossword puzzle industry, like many others, is dominated by older white men but does not seem deterred by this fact.
What historical event is associated with the rise in popularity of crossword puzzles?
-The First World War marked the beginning of the crossword craze, with a surge in crossword-related ephemera during the 1910s and 1920s.
Who was the first editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle and what was their contribution?
-Margaret Farrar was the first editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, and she worked to standardize the rules and constraints that are now commonly associated with crossword puzzles.
How does the speaker describe their approach to creating clues for crossword puzzles?
-The speaker uses a combination of word maps and their own frame of reference to craft clues that are both challenging and engaging, sometimes incorporating contemporary culture and personal experiences.
What is the speaker's strategy for creating a hard clue?
-For a hard clue, the speaker attempts to create an unexpected word map around the central theme, pushing the boundaries of the traditional crossword structure.
How does the speaker feel about the cultural significance of crossword puzzles?
-The speaker views crossword puzzles as a way of documenting the language we share and appreciates the peculiar evolution of language that puzzles can reflect.
What is the speaker's perspective on the challenge and creativity involved in crossword puzzles?
-The speaker finds inspiration in the strict rules and conventions of crossword puzzles, enjoying the challenge of pushing these boundaries to create innovative and boundary-pushing puzzles.
Outlines
🚇 Crossword Enthusiasm on Public Transport
The speaker expresses their love for watching people solve crossword puzzles, especially on the subway, and the unique feeling of connection when witnessing others engage with a puzzle they've created. Despite being seen as a 'weirdo' by family for their crossword interest, the speaker found a sense of belonging after watching the documentary 'Word Play'. They share their experiences with crossword puzzles in social settings and their attempts to make the crossword community more inclusive by expanding the word list to include diverse references.
📰 History and Evolution of Crosswords
This paragraph delves into the history of crossword puzzles, mentioning the First World War as a high point in their popularity and the role of Margaret Farrar in standardizing the New York Times crossword. The speaker discusses the challenge of defining 'millennial' in a crossword clue and shares their approach to creating clues for words like 'thirsty' and 'Shakespeare'. They also reflect on the creative process of crossword construction and the joy of pushing boundaries within the strict rules of the puzzle format.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Crossword Solvers
💡Word Play Documentary
💡Cruciverbalist
💡Inclusivity in Crosswords
💡Crossword Puzzle Tournament
💡Sapiosexual
💡Cross Swords
💡Margaret Farrar
💡Millennials
💡Creative Inspiration
💡Symmetry in Crosswords
Highlights
The speaker enjoys watching people solve crossword puzzles on the subway, especially when they've written the puzzle themselves.
The speaker identifies as a cruciverbalist, a person who creates crossword puzzles, and feels like an outsider in their family due to this interest.
The documentary 'Word Play' inspired the speaker to feel a sense of belonging with word nerds and crossword enthusiasts.
The speaker's high school statistics teacher, who was a crossword enthusiast, provided a supportive environment for their interest in crosswords.
The speaker participates in trivia games where they are known as the 'crossword girl', showcasing their expertise in word puzzles.
The speaker acknowledges the challenge of being young and female in a crossword industry dominated by older white men.
Inclusivity in crosswords is addressed by the speaker, who tries to add diverse words to the word list when constructing puzzles.
Crossword puzzles are seen as a way of documenting the evolution of language and its peculiarities.
The speaker mentions their first New Yorker puzzle and the excitement of having a clue in it.
The Times has done celebrity collaborations for crossword puzzles, and the speaker is waiting for a collaboration with Beyoncé or Kim Kardashian.
The speaker discusses the cultural significance of crossword puzzles and how they can be used as a signifier of nerd culture and intelligence.
The origin story of crossword puzzles is briefly touched upon, mentioning the First World War and the crossword craze of the 1920s.
Margaret Farrar, the first editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, is credited with standardizing the rules and constraints of crossword puzzles.
The speaker finds it challenging to create clues for words like 'millennial' due to the complexity and variety of meanings associated with the term.
An example of a creative clue for 'Shakespeare' is given, showcasing the speaker's approach to constructing crossword puzzles.
The speaker's approach to creating crossword puzzles involves playing with word maps and finding unexpected combinations.
The speaker's love for the strict rules and conventions of crossword puzzles is expressed, and they liken themselves to the Jackson Pollock of browser puzzles.
Transcripts
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