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wordplay, the crossword column
Freddie Cheng admits that there are some things he simply does not know.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
THURSDAY PUZZLE — There are solvers who enjoy the unique aspects of a Thursday New York Times Crossword, and there are those who don’t. I fall resolutely into the first category.
The solvers who fall into the second category — those who are frustrated with Thursday puzzles — can be split into two more categories: people who want the puzzle to be a grid where they simply cross words as they do the rest of the week, and those who need help understanding the theme but feel as if their chains are being yanked because the answers are not what they expected.
I’d like to speak to that last group — the solvers who feel as if they’ve been taken advantage of because the type of puzzle theme was one they had never seen before.
The good news is that the puzzle editors want you to be able to solve the puzzle. A lot of work goes into making each puzzle fair, if not easy to solve. (Seriously. I’ve seen them actually break a sweat.)
From what readers have told me over the years, the real issue is that they don’t know when to expect a tricky theme, and wish the puzzle contained some sort of a warning or tip-off. The problem is that this would defeat the whole purpose of solving a puzzle, which is to enjoy the satisfaction of figuring things out on your own. And it would spoil the fun for those with more experience.
The key to enjoying the trickier puzzles is to learn to expect anything and everything from constructors. Almost nothing outside the laws of physics is off the table. (And even then. Talk about breaking the fourth wall. The answers are here.)
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NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 31, 2023 – The New York Times
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