CAJinBE Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Does anyone do crossword puzzles anymore? I used to love doing them with my grandmother growing up while we were making dinner after school. I still do them from time to time. Most recently I bought an Easy Crossword book in an airport to pass the time. They really are pretty easy and I can do one in about 5 minutes or so. Today one of my dds wanted to try one so we made copies and all three of us did the same one. I don't think they have done very many before and actually really liked it. They want to do more. It took them about four times as long as me though and I was thinking that maybe this is something that my 50 something brain does better than their teenage, "digital native" brains. I did give them the answers to the cultural things that I knew they wouldn't know like MASH star is "Alda". It was good, old-fashioned fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Sometimes I do crosswords but I am not very good at them. I do like word search though. The best place to buy crossword & word search books is the Dollar Tree. They always have a wide variety and only $1. Cheap fun. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Here's the NYT "11 Remarkable Crosswords for New Solvers" They also have mini puzzles which are good when you only have a few minutes. Cruciverb.com is a good resource. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I do them a lot. The Washington Post Daily Crosswords are online. I am a subscriber though, not sure if you have to be to access them. There is also a great NY Times Crossword app. The app is free but you have to pay to get the current puzzles but they have a free mini daily one every day that is fun to try to race to see how fast you can do it. There are also a bunch of free ones you can do. We do them a lot when traveling or in the car. My oldest in particular loves them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreen Claire Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 My local newspaper has a puzzle every day, starting with an easy one on Monday and progressing through to the hard ones on Saturday and Sunday. The NYT sells books of their old crossword puzzles, bundled by day (Monday is always easiest.). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleynne Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I do them all the time. My favorites are the diagramless ones. Like this: https://www.pennydellpuzzles.com/Upload/PuzzleFiles/Sample/dgr_p0508_samplepuz.pdf I tend to get most of mine from Penny Press and Dell, but sometimes I just get whatever the stores have in stock. I'd love to do the NYT puzzles, but I just can't afford it right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Me, me, me! I love crosswords. It took them about four times as long as me though and I was thinking that maybe this is something that my 50 something brain does better than their teenage, "digital native" brains. I did give them the answers to the cultural things that I knew they wouldn't know like MASH star is "Alda". It was good, old-fashioned fun! Some of it is age and accompanying knowledge, but some of it is just crossword experience. My dh and I have always been about equal at crossword puzzles, but I have been doing a lot of them over the past year and I'm now definitely better and faster than he is. There is a certain amount of crossword knowledge that you pick up by just doing puzzles. I do the NYT and it's so good I don't bother to do any others. My subscription gives me access to their 25+ year archive, so that's thousands of puzzles. I don't spend much on myself, and the subscription is so worth it to me. I'd like to try my hand at constructing a puzzle some day, but I haven't tried it yet. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Here's a guide to solving crosswords. It says it's for solving the NYT, but I think the advice applies to most puzzles -- https://www.nytimes.com/guides/crosswords/how-to-solve-a-crossword-puzzle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I do them occasionally and have considered expanding my NYT digital subscription to include their crosswords. I do find that my lack of interest in pop culture is a definite hindrance! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I've recently started cryptic crosswords, but I am still such a beginner that I can't use puzzles made for people who know what they are doing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I do them often. I love puzzles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAJinBE Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 Thanks for all the links and tips! I haven't attempted the NYT puzzles in a long time since they are not included with my digital subscription. Maybe it will be worth upgrading. I always thought they were too hard, but I didn't realize Monday was the easiest. I've never tried diagramless either. That sounds really hard. Maybe I'll check Amazon since I can't find English puzzle books locally. I've been under some stress lately and I'm finding puzzles very relaxing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Penny Press sells value packs that are a good deal. That's what I usually buy. Way less than buying them in a store. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) I have the USA Today app and do crosswords while I am waiting for my kids at sports. I also have another free ap, that doesn't collect private info, but I don't know which one it is off the top of my head. It is the type that unlocks harder puzzles as you master the easy ones. I prefer paper books and buy one periodically, but the ap is much more portable LOL Edited January 23, 2018 by Tap 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martha in GA Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I'm the "finisher" in our house. My dh and dd's will start the daily puzzle in the newspaper, and I either help them with it, or come along afterwards and finish it. I love puzzles : ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I do them everyday. I don't read the paper regularly, but my mom does. She always saves the comics and the puzzle page for me, and I pick them up when I go visit. So, I always have a stack waiting for me. I've discovered that Monday crosswords are pretty easy, but they get harder through the week. I never realized that before. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I love Games magazine. They have crosswords, cryptic crosswords, and a variety of other puzzles. I should just give in and get a subscription! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAJinBE Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 I prefer the paper ones too. Something about pencil and paper that I like. I'll have to order some soon. The Dell's Best Easy Crosswords book I got at the airport is about half-way done already. I would like to encourage my dc to keep doing them. Maybe I can lure them off their devices a bit more. I did several today while the boards were down. What is a cryptic crossword? I used to love code books when I was young too. Is it like that or a jumble? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I love crossword puzzles and that is probably the reason why we kept getting a newspaper for so long. We don't get the physical paper anymore and I miss the crossword puzzles. Our paper had easy puzzles on Monday and they got progressively harder as the week went on. The Sunday paper had 3 puzzles of varying difficulty. I used to let dh do the easier ones and I'd take the harder ones. I'm not as much of a fan of the crossword puzzle books. Each puzzle creator has a style. I was accustomed to the style of our local paper. When I'd do one from another source, it wasn't as enjoyable for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appyonthebeach Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I'm not very good at crossword puzzles. I like word finds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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