How to Do a Real Crossword Puzzle Or What’s a Four-letter ...

How to Do a Real Crossword Puzzle

Or What¡¯s a Four-letter Word for

¡°East Indian Betel Nut¡± and Who Cares?

By Stephen Sondheim

There are crossword puzzles and crossword puzzles. The kind familiar to most

New Yorkers is a mechanical test of tirelessly esoteric knowledge: ¡°Brazilian potter¡¯s wheel,¡± ¡°East Indian betel nut¡± and

the like are typical definitions, sending

you either to Webster¡¯s New International

or to sleep. The other kind, prevalent in

Great Britain but inexplicably nonexistent

in the United States apart from The Nation and an occasional Sunday edition of

The New York Times, is a test of wits.

This kind of puzzle offers cryptic clues

instead of bald definitions, and the pleasures involved in solving it are the deeply

satisfactory ones of following and matching a devious mind (that of the puzzle¡¯s

author) rather than the transitory ones of

an encyclopedic memory.

To call the composer of a crossword an

author may seem to be dignifying a gnat,

but clues in a ¡°British¡± crossword have

many characteristics of a literary manner: cleverness, humor, even a pseudoaphoristic grace. In the best puzzles, styles

of clue-writing are distinctive, revealing

special pockets of interest and small mannerisms, as in any prose style. The clues

of the author who calls himself ¡°Ximenes¡±

in the London Sunday Observer are, to

the eye of a puzzle fan, as different from

those in, say, The Manchester Guardian as

Wilde is from Maugham. But a ¡°Bantu

hartebeest¡± remains a ¡°Bantu hartebeest¡±

whether it¡¯s in The New York Times or

The Daily News.

Railway coaches, undergrounds, lunch

counters and offices in England hum with

the self-satisfied chuckles of solvers who

suddenly get the point of a clue after

having stared at it for several baffled

minutes. Bafflement, not information, is

the keystone of a British puzzle. A good

clue can give you all the pleasures of

being duped that a mystery story can. It

has surface innocence, surprise, the revelation of a concealed meaning, and the

catharsis of solution. Solving a British

puzzle is far more rewarding than dredging up arcane trivia and is not annoyingly

difficult once you¡¯ve been initiated into

the methods of solution. It¡¯s a matter of

mental exercise, not academic clerk-work,

and all it takes is inexhaustible patience,

limitless time and a warped mind.

On the following pages are two puzzles

of this sort. One is a reprint from the

London Times and one is an American

adaptation of a puzzle from The Listener,

a weekly publication of the BBC. For

crossword fans who, out of fright, have

never attempted solving cryptic clues and

for those who have, but with limited success, this article will serve as an initiation

ceremony, with some ground rules.

In a British puzzle, definitions are called

¡°clues.¡± This is not a pedantic distinction.

Each clue, in actuality, is in two parts¡ªa

definition (i.e., a synonym) and an elliptical indication of the answer. In a scrupulously written clue these two parts are

separate and distinct but blended in such

a way as to cause maximum confusion.

(The clues in the London Times, incidentally, are not always scrupulous.) Theoretically, therefore, this kind of clue is

easier than the usual straightforward definition because you get two indications of

the answer for the price of one. But a

good clue is a deceptive clue and may

fool you.

The problem for the solver is that the

words in a clue may, if taken literally,

mean something quite different from their

apparent meaning. Here¡¯s a clue, for example: ¡°Stares at torn pages (5).¡± (Numbers in parentheses following a clue are a

conventional notation in British puzzles

and indicate the number of letters in the

answer, saving you the bother of counting

squares in the diagram.) ¡°Stares at torn

pages¡± may suggest at first glance some

obscure term in bibliophilia, but what

the phrase really means is ¡°A word meaning ¡®stares at¡¯ whose letters are those of

¡®pages¡¯ out of their normal order.¡± In

however veiled a way, that is literally what

it says. ¡°Stares at¡± is a synonym for

GAPES; ¡°torn,¡± in this context, means

¡°separated with violence so that the parts

are out of their normal order.¡± So there

are two separate and distinct references

to GAPES, one a definition and one an

elliptical description of the way the word

is formed. Your problem is merely to

punctuate the clue in an odd way: ¡°Stares

at torn ¡®pages¡¯.¡±

Mental repunctuation is the essence of

solving cryptic clues. Punctuation in ordinary writing is a guide telling the reader

where and how long to pause. But the

clue-writer, instead of trying to make the

true meaning clear, is trying to hide it.

There are seven basic kinds of clues,

Originally printed in New York Magazine, April 8, 1968

according to Ximenes, the current Dean

of British puzzles:

1. Anagrams. These are indicated by

some word or phrase such as ¡°bad,¡± ¡°torn,¡±

¡°confused,¡± ¡°erratically,¡± ¡°naughty,¡±

etc., words which imply that a mixture of

letters is to take place. The anagram is of

the word or words actually printed, not

of synonyms. E.g., in ¡°Wed a silly admirer (7),¡± ¡°silly¡± is the operative word.

A ¡°silly¡± treatment of the letters in ¡°admirer¡± would lead to MARRIED, which

is defined by ¡°wed.¡± Simple? Yes. Tricky?

Yes. Fair? Yes. Try this one: ¡°American

confused by wide-screen movie (8).¡± (Solutions to these examples are at the end

of the article). And don¡¯t forget, an anagram can be of more than one word. Like

¡°A snit is the most foolish basis for disagreement (10).¡±

2. Multiple meanings. This form of clue

combines two or more definitions (and not

always the primary or most obvious definitions) of the answer in a misleading

way. E.g., ¡°Fight enclosure in the theater

(3)¡± may look baffling but is simply two

meanings of a single word strung together

to make a peculiar set of associations. The

answer, as you¡¯ve guessed, is BOX. In this

type of clue, watch out for words that

look like one part of speech but turn out

to be another. ¡°Deliver from bar (4)¡±

leads to SAVE in two senses: ¡°deliver

from¡± and ¡°bar¡± (as a preposition meaning ¡°except¡±).

3. Reversals. These clues lead to words

which, when read backwards, form other

words. Indications like ¡°reflex,¡± ¡°looking

back,¡± ¡°from East to West¡± (in the case

of Across words), and ¡°upwards,¡± ¡°doing

a headstand,¡± ¡°rising¡± (in the case of

Down words), are what you should be on

the alert for. E.g., ¡°Emphasized trifles¡ª in

a roundabout way (8).¡± Here there is

a small extra deception in that ¡°trifles¡±

doesn¡¯t refer to trivia but to desserts,

which, when looked at ¡°in a roundabout

way¡± are STRESSED, which means ¡°emphasized.¡± Two or more words may be

reversed, too, of course. As in ¡°Push

through the District Attorney¡ª otherwise

he lies back (8).¡± Get it? Well, first try to

decide which is the definition part of the

clue. Still don¡¯t get it? Look at the answer

at the end of the column.

4. Charades. These lead to words which

fall into convenient complete parts.

1

Here¡¯s an example from Ximenes: ¡°Remains precisely how he is (5).¡± You probably wouldn¡¯t think of ¡°remains¡± as a noun

in this context, but that¡¯s the definition.

And the answer is ASHES. ¡°How he is¡±

becomes ¡°As he¡¯s¡±¡ª the whole word is a

phrase in itself. Here¡¯s another: ¡°One in

flames made a landing (4).¡± ¡°One¡± = a, ¡°in

flames¡± = lit, ¡°made a landing¡±= ALIT.

Here¡¯s one: ¡°Sinister purpose of an auction? (10).¡± (Question marks and exclamation points at the ends of clues usually

indicate some form of pun or outrageous

misuse of meaning).

5. Container and contents. This type of

clue resembles the Charades type in having wholes and parts, but the parts are

outside and inside instead of side by side.

Words in the clue like ¡°in,¡± ¡°around,¡±

¡°holding,¡± and ¡°embraces¡± are signs of

Containers. E.g., ¡°Crooner takes clarinet

inside¡ª good manners (8).¡± What crooner?

Bing, of course. A clarinet is a what? A

reed. Let BING take a REED ¡°inside¡±

and you get BREEDING. Good manners.

Both Containers and their Contents

often employ symbols and abbreviations,

as in fact do all sorts of clues. But only

well-known symbols and abbreviations

are used and, in the Americanized puzzles

on these pages, only those known to the

American reader. There are dozens which

pop up continually. When you see North,

East, West or South or ¡°point¡± (meaning

compass-point) in a clue, think of N, E,

W, or S. For ¡°nothing¡± or ¡°no¡± or ¡°love¡±

(as in a tennis score), think of O. For

¡°about,¡± keep in mind ¡°re¡± (meaning

¡°concerning¡±) or ¡°c¡± (abbreviation for

¡°circa¡±). ¡°Note¡± often refers to notes of

the scale¡ª ¡°do,¡± ¡°re,¡± ¡°mi,¡± etc. ¡°One¡±

may mean ¡°a,¡± ¡°an,¡± or ¡°I.¡± Other Roman numerals, too: V, X, L, C, D and M

might be indicated by their arabic equivalents. ¡°Steamship¡± for SS, ¡°saint¡± or

¡°street¡± for ST, ¡°glamor¡± for IT or SA

(abbreviation of Sex Appeal), ¡°acceptable¡± or ¡°high-class¡± for U (as opposed

to non-U), ¡°first-rate¡± for AI (A1), ¡°soft¡±

or ¡°loud¡± for P or F (musical dynamics)¡ª

these are a few of the devices to watch for.

Unusual abbreviations will always be

hinted at by ¡°briefly¡± or ¡°in short.¡±

¡°General, in short¡± could indicate GEN

as part of a word.

Here are some Container clues that use

these devices: ¡°When Peg holds a note,

it comes out clear (5).¡± Look for a word

meaning ¡°peg¡± that holds a word meaning

¡°note¡± that will make a word meaning

¡°clear.¡± How about ¡°High priest seen in

the morning in Los Angeles (4)¡±?

6. Puns. Some clues deal with homonyms¡ª words of different meaning which

have the same sound. Indications of them

usually consist of phrases like ¡°we hear¡±

and ¡°sounds like,¡± as in ¡°We hear the

new musical is German (4).¡± The new

musical is ¡°Hair¡± and we hear it as HERR

(German as a noun). Two-word puns are

even lower and more frequent, as in

2

¡°Ethyl alcohol is one way to kill a fish if

you listen closely (6).¡± Ethyl alcohol is

SPIRIT (yes, ¡°spirits¡± can be singular)¡ª

listen to it closely.

7. Hidden. These clues are both the

easiest to solve and the most deceptive.

They involve burying the answer in the

letters of the clue¡ª either within a word

or as a bridge between words. In point

of fact the answer stares you so innocently

in the face that you often don¡¯t see it.

Watch out for indications like ¡°seen

in,¡± ¡°within,¡± ¡°containing,¡± ¡°found in,¡±

¡°some of.¡± E.g., ¡°This girl appears in

black at every party (4).¡± Can you see

KATE there staring out of ¡°black at

every¡±? Or ¡°Beg for a piece of an apple

a day (5).¡± Which piece? The core ¡ª that

is, the core of ¡°apple a day,¡± which is

PLEAD.

Those are the basic types of cryptic

clues in their simplest forms, but you will

encounter many which are combinations

of two or more types: clues, for example,

which contain anagrams and reversals

within the container, like ¡°Return to look

around the dilapidated tavern for tires

(9).¡± This is a characteristically complex

clue. In attacking it, you should first off

suspect the word ¡°return¡± and connect it

with ¡°to look.¡± ¡°To look¡± is to see, so

¡°return¡± it: EES. ¡°Around¡± suggests that

EES is ¡°around¡± another word: E . . . . . .

ES. What word? A ¡°dilapidated tavern,¡±

of course ¡ª and your now-warped mind

should tell you that ¡°dilapidated¡± indicates an anagram. There are six letters

missing still in the answer and ¡°tavern¡±

has six letters, so your hunch is confirmed.

EntreavES? Check the dictionary to see

if it¡¯s an obscure word for rubber wheels

(¡°tires¡±). No¡ª I told you there would be

very few obscure words. Ah¡ª EnervatES!

¡°Tires¡± as a verb, meaning ¡°weakens.¡±

One more complex example should suffice before you plunge in or throw your

pencil down in disgust. ¡°The Last of the

Mohicans is my composition paper (6).¡±

Looks like a needless piece of information instead of a clue, but take it apart.

Literally. Suppose that the answer, the

word itself, is speaking. Then you could

repunctuate the sentence something like

this: ¡°The, last of the Mohicans, is¡ª my

composition; paper.¡± The first part is

what composes ¡°me¡±: i.e., THE, S (last

of the Mohicans in the sense of the last

letter of ¡°the Mohicans¡±), IS. THESIS.

And what does it mean? Paper (in the

sense of a doctorate or term paper). Note

two further devices used in this clue: first,

that ¡°I¡± or some other form of the first

person may refer to the word itself. ¡°I

run,¡± for example, might be the definition

part of a clue to MILER or RIVER or

even POLITICIAN. Second, part-words

are often trickily spliced into a clue. Just

as ¡°The Last of the Mohicans¡± indicated

S, so a ¡°tailless bird¡± might be BIR, ¡°half

a sixpence¡± might be ENCE or SIXP, and

a ¡°beheaded King¡± might be ING. Al-

ways look for the possible literal meaning

of a clue.

Well, if you¡¯ve slogged through the undergrowth of all this logodaedaly (a word

worth going to the dictionary for) and are

still unruffled, it should give you a start

(pun meaning both ¡°beginning¡± and ¡°unpleasant surprise¡±). In the Listener-type

puzzles which will appear on these pages,

the solving of clues is only part of the

task. Each of the puzzles has a gimmick

of some sort which is fully explained in

the Instructions accompanying the diagram. Be prepared for odd shapes, sizes

and problems. Sometimes, for example,

the words you enter into the diagram (or

¡°lights,¡± as the British call them) are not

the same as the answers to the clues. The

light may be a word associated with the

answer (e.g., the answer may be ABERCROMBIE but the light may be FITCH)

or it may be the answer in code or the

answer with all vowels omitted or whatever the composer of the puzzle has in

mind to torture you with. Most often,

however, the light and the answer are one

and the same, and always there are Instructions if some device is involved, so

don¡¯t worry. Not this week, anyway.

The puzzles will employ as few East

Indian betel nuts as possible and they will

hopefully be more challenging and rewarding than those which do. The rewards, by the way, will be material as

well as intellectual: each week copies of

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary (published by Hawthorn Books, Inc. and

available at bookstores at $5.50) will be

awarded to the senders of the first three

correct solutions opened (we will open

submissions not in order of receipt but all

at once on the day of deadline¡ª some

contestants would otherwise suffer from

living in outlying postal districts, such as

The Bronx). If no solutions are received,

the prizes will be held over, accumulating

as in a sanitation strike, and the offices of

New York will eventually open a gift shop.

Send completed diagram with name

and address to Puzzle Editor, New York

Magazine, 207 East 32nd Street, New

York, New York 10016. Entries must be

received by Wednesday, April l4, at

which time they will be opened.

If you haven¡¯t ripped these pages up by

now, clip them out and keep them as a

guide for future weeks. And as for ¡°Bantu

hartebeest,¡± I say it¡¯s ¡°lebbek¡±¡ª and I

say the hell with it.

Answers to clues unsolved in the text

above:

1. Anagrams: CINERAMA

(American)

ANTITHESIS

(A snit is the . . .)

3. Reversals: RAILROAD

(D.A. / or / liar)

4. Charades: FORBIDDING

5. Containers: PLAIN (p-la-in)

LAMA (L.-A.M.-A.)

Originally printed in New York Magazine, April 8, 1968

New York Magazine Puzzle

By Stephen Sondheim

Clues

ACROSS

1 T h e m e - w o rd A

(8). Variations: 13

(4) and 36 (4)

11 E n t e r t a i n a n d

wind again? (6)

14 ¡°Foremen

Do¡±

¡ªpoem in Old

English (7)

18 Is it unnecessary

to want fewer

things? (8)

19 The straight prefix bit¡ªha! (5)

21 What¡¯s gone by

sounds like it

went by (4)

22 ¡°Tramp, tramp,

tramp¡±¡ªa catchphrase (6)

24 T h e m e - w o rd B

(6). Variations:

28 (5) and 8 Ac. (4)

1

2

3

26 Heavy wig they

messed up (7)

27 Uproot the house

plant at the station? (5)

29 This Unit is still

part of the Resistance (3)

31 T h e m e - w o rd C

(9). Variations:

31 Dn. (5) and

17 (4)

34 State

housing

South American

Men¡¯s Club (3)

37 Hydrogen weapon can cause injury . . . (4)

39 . . . or about the

opposite (5)

41 Take back the

bet¡ªI may explode (4)

4

5

11

6

15

DOWN

1 T h e m e - w o rd E

(5). Variations:

7

8

9

16

21

6

7

8

10

10

17

22

24

25

27

28

31

23

26

29

32

38

33

39

40

42

47

4

19

20

45

3

30 (5) and 12

Ac. (3)

Concerning the

district income

(7)

Oh, gosh, the

moulding¡¯s like

an S (4)

Water propeller

sounds like the

alternative (3)

Drinks all around

might cause song

(4)

Negative printed

in brown-orange

(3)

One with a lot of

gossip (3)

Is unable to talk

hypocritically (4)

Carol is to sing

just as Morris is

13

18

37

2

9

12

14

30

42 All ten ruined

with anger (6)

43 To carve with

hesitation is

more dainty (5)

45 Purge from the

East¡ªso be it,

from the East (5)

46 T h e m e - w o rd D

(8). Variations:

16 (5) and 5 (3)

47 What goes from

the center to the

edge in the Strad

I use (6)

48 Considers an affront almost all

the gifts (7)

34

35

36

to dance (7)

12 The last letter is

in French relish

(4)

15 Lean out of a

gas-lantern (5)

19 Members of the

ruling class use

rash logic, being

spoiled (9)

20 Left the role in

the middle of the

Act (8)

21 L a b o r e r w i t h

nothing in prison

(4)

22 This is a prison

term. This is another. (8)

23 Write for someone else with

spirit (5)

25 Ice gliders from

26

32

33

35

38

40

44

Sark, set in motion (7)

Half this is an

idiot¡ªall this is

quite the reverse

(3)

Dance from ¡°The

Spanish Hour¡±

(4)

Hesitation in

French-born musician¡¯s note (5)

Concerning part

of a permanent

wave (5)

Does she stick on

one note in ¡°La

Boheme¡±? (4)

Successor to

¡°The Sound of

Music¡± (4)

Heavy

French

fashion (3)

Instructions. The heavy bars in the diagram indicate

the beginnings and ends of words, just as black

squares do in the usual crossword puzzle. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each clue denote the

number of letters in the ¡°light¡± (the answer to be

filled in).

In this puzzle, fifteen of the lights have no written

clues: there are five Theme-words, ?, ?, ?, ?, and

?, which form a familiar group with something in

common. Each Theme-word has its own pair of

¡°variations¡± with a certain relationship to it. The relationship is somewhat different in each case.

E.g., if Theme-word ? were ???? , its variations

might be ?????? and ???; and if Theme-word ?

were ?????? , its variations might, be ??? and

??????? (pep = vim, per = through).

Ignore punctuation, which is designed to confuse.

41

43

44

46

48

Originally printed in New York Magazine, April 8, 1968

3

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R

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X

Q

D

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E

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4

R

E

V

E

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E

M

A

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N

A

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G

E

E

D

E

P

A

R

T

E

D

O

A

R

D

P

E

O

N

M

I

M

I

K

L

S

L

A

N

T

H

O

R

A

U

L

E

E

E

S

S

K

A

T

E

R

S

Y

Z

E

S

T

W

I

T

H

E

I

R

N

O

G

S

S

E

N

T

E

N

C

E

N

O

R

O

L

I

G

A

R

C

H

S

A

N

A

R

O

G

S

N

E

U

M

E

C

A

N

T

G

H

O

S

T

T

O

N

E

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T

H

A

T

H

A

N

E

N

T

S

Y

N

O

N

Y

M

Y

A

R

D

S

Solution to April 8 Puzzle

Theme-words: Five boroughs of New York

Variations: Brooklyn Navy Yard; Queens, kings, aces; Manhattan, manna, that (anagrams);

Richmond, Lee, Grant (Civil War); Bronx, cheer, zoo (associated phrases)

Across:

11. re-gale

14. O.(verse)E.

18. need less

19. ort-ho

21. passed

22. slog-an

26. wig they (anag.)

27. de-pot (pun)

34. S.A.-Y(MCA)

37. H.-arm

39. o(the)r

41. ante (rev.)

42. ten(anag.)-ire

43. cut-er

45. E.-amen (rev.)

47. hidden

48. (p)resents

Down:

2. re-venue

3. O,gee

4. or

6. song (anag.)

7. hidden

8. an-a

9. pun

12. Z-est

15. hidden

19. rash logic (anag.)

20. de(part)ed

21. pe(O)n

23. 2 meanings

25. Sark set (anag.)

32. pun

33. ne(um)e

35. hidden

38. mi,mi

40. air

44. 2 meanings

Originally printed in New York Magazine, April 8, 1968

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