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Crosswords
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Ed
(new)
Dec 30, 2008 09:18PM
I resolved this new year to do crosswords. I spend enough time at swim meets etc that it would be worth doing during those long waits. Anyone here enjoy them? Advice for a crossword newbie? I bought a book with 10 minute ones and a daily ny times calendar of crosswords. Any suggestions? Does it get easier with attempts/practice?
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I like crosswords, but don't do them much anymore. My husband got me an "easy" soduko(?) book for Christmas. I just don't want to take the time to learn how to do it. It doesn't look fun to me. Crosswords are fun, especially when they have good clues.
Sudoku is incredibly easy. You don't need any knowledge beforehand like in crosswords. You use logic only. It is very addictive.
I used to do crosswords, and got quite good at them, but once I stopped it was hard to get back into it. I get frustrated by crosswords because the clues never seem to trigger the correct words for me. It's like I interpret everything wrong. As BunWat said, it gets easier with time, and especially if you're doing crosswords from the same source (since they tend to reuse clues). My recommendation would be to get as far as you possibly can on a crossword, then look up the answers for the ones you didn't get. It'll train you to think the way the crossword author does and you'll get better at them quickly.
Sudoku, on the other hand, is a fun distraction. I bought a copy of the game for my Nintendo DS so I don't even have to carry around a book/pencil anymore! It also provides a time challenge and I don't have to check the answers because the software does it for me.
I love doing the pop culture crosswords - movies, books, TV, events, etc. I try the NY Times ones as well, but they can sometimes kick my butt! If it helps, Harvard medical studies have shown that doing things like crosswords can help stave off Alzheimer's and other dementia as you age. A hobby with very good side benefits!
My 93 year old grandmother does word search puzzles all the time. I want to be like her when I grow up. ;)I think I have a mental block against Soduko. I did so many different kinds of puzzles when I was younger. My least favorites were number ones because I found them boring. I liked crosswords and anagrams. I used to buy those Dell puzzle books and I would always turn to the logic puzzles first. Those were like solving mysteries.
Love logic puzzles. This thread makes me want to head out to the book store and pick some up!
I love crosswords and Dell is my favorite "brand". I may be a little weird in that I really don't like the crosswords that I can finish the whole puzzle. I like to do the hard/expert/challenger ones because I have to really work at it to get it maximally filled in--I then pass the book along to my dad and brother for them to do the easy/medium ones and try to fill in more of the tougher ones that I didn't finish.
That's a long-winded way of saying that for me it is the journey, not the destination, I guess.
I finished two today. :) Thanks for the advice and happy new year!
