OVERVIEW OF THE NY TIMES PUZZLE
The New York Times crossword puzzles are widely held to be the gold standard in American crosswords. They increase in difficulty from Mon- day to Saturday, with Sunday generally falling at about the same level as a Thursday crossword. You may have heard someone boast, “She does the Sunday New York Times crossword—in ink!” While that’s a worthy feat, the Saturday puzzle actually offers a sterner degree of challenge—but the Sunday puzzle takes longer owing to its larger size.
Many people don’t solve the crossword in a single sitting. They’ll put it down for a few hours or overnight, and keep returning to the puzzle until they’ve finished it. Among those who solve the New York Times crossword online (available by subscription at http://nytimes.com/pages/crosswords/index.html), one sees a wide range of solving times from mere minutes to days.
There are a handful of ace solvers who often finish the weekday puz- zles in five minutes or less and the Sunday crossword in ten minutes, but they are the exception. Crossword solving can be likened to running: Only a few can win a marathon in just over two hours. Many others can finish a marathon in six hours if they walk much of the way. Still more enjoy a leisurely jog for fitness, but won’t ever sign up for a marathon. And perhaps a majority of people would run only if they needed to catch a bus. Similarly, crossword solvers may aim for speed, for accu- racy, for a mental workout or for a recreational diversion. Bear in mind that any crossword puzzle is your entertainment to do with as you please. Solve it whatever way you find most enjoyable alone or with a friend; using references to finish or working without a net; in pencil, in pen or online; luxuriating in the solving process or speeding through as fast as you can; at home with a mug of coffee, on the train, as a work break or in bed. Don t let anyone tell you your way is wrong. Will Shortz likes to quote one of his predecessors, New York Times crossword editor Will Weng, “It’s your puzzle. Solve it any way you want.” Weng was preceded by Margaret Farrar, who served as the Times’s first crossword editor from 1942 to 1969. He was succeeded by Eugene T. Maleska, and Will Shortz took over in 1993 after Maleska’s death. Since the start of Shortz s tenure, the crosswords have included more va rieties of word play, contemporary pop culture in addition to classical references, and brand names, and eliminated the most obscure sorts of words.