There’s a unique thrill that comes with the morning ritual of a fresh crossword puzzle. That satisfying click as you pencil in the first few answers, the way the grid slowly begins to reveal its secrets, line by line, letter by letter. It’s a quiet triumph, a mental workout that sharpens the mind and offers a perfect start to the day. Or, for some, a well-deserved break in the afternoon, or a challenging wind-down in the evening. We chase that ‘aha!’ moment, the feeling of unlocking a particularly clever crossword clue, or seeing a theme beautifully unfold.
But let’s be honest, fellow solvers. Even in our most cherished pursuits, there are moments that make us pause, scrunch our brows not in concentration, but in exasperation. Times when that quiet triumph turns into a quiet groan, or perhaps a not-so-quiet grumble directed at the innocent page, screen, or even the cryptic constructor themselves. We love crosswords, fiercely, passionately, almost obsessively. Yet, precisely
because
we love them so much, we also hold them to a certain standard. And when that standard isn’t met, well, let’s just say our inner critic, armed with a sharpened pencil and a furrowed brow, isn’t afraid to make itself known.
We’ve all been there. Staring blankly at a single, isolated square, the rest of the puzzle a testament to our deductive prowess, but this one… this one utterly defying all logic. Or perhaps it’s an entire section, a block of interwoven entries that seem to be speaking a language known only to the constructor’s eccentric aunt. It’s in these moments that our affection for the elegant dance of language and logic can momentarily waver, replaced by a fleeting desire to simply walk away. But we don’t, do we? Because the allure of solving that one stubborn crossword clue, of conquering the final frontier of the grid, is too strong to resist.
This isn’t about complaining for the sake of it. Far from it. This is about acknowledging the shared experiences that bind us as a community of solvers. The unspoken solidarity found in a collective eye-roll over a truly baffling bit of fill, or a theme that stretches the boundaries of believability to breaking point. It’s about the subtle nuances that elevate a good puzzle to a great one, and the pitfalls that can make even an experienced solver question their very sanity. Every single crossword clue is designed to test us, but sometimes, they test our patience more than our vocabulary.
In the spirit of healthy discussion (and perhaps a little cathartic commiseration), we’re going to delve into the nitty-gritty of what sometimes grates on our crossword-loving souls. This isn’t a bash-the-constructors session; rather, it’s an exploration of common frustrations, pet peeves, and the sometimes-peculiar choices that can turn a delightful solving session into a head-scratching, expletive-muttering ordeal. We’ll discuss those obscure bits of trivia that seem pulled from an antique encyclopedia, the overused abbreviations that populate grids like invasive species, and the themed entries that require a quantum leap of logic to connect.
We’re talking about the cryptic crosswords that are
too
cryptic, the quick crosswords that are anything but, and the various ways a perfectly good solving streak can be derailed by one seemingly innocuous crossword clue. Prepare to nod in agreement, perhaps even sigh in shared understanding, as we unpack the various issues that, despite our unwavering devotion, occasionally make us want to throw our pencils across the room. We love crosswords, yes, but sometimes, love hurts. And sometimes, that hurt comes from a particularly unfair or frustrating crossword clue. Let’s explore these gripes together, and perhaps, by bringing them into the light, we can appreciate the good ones even more. Stay tuned as we begin to unravel the threads of our collective crossword annoyances.
Available Answers:
BEEFS.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Washington Post Crossword -Tuesday’s Daily By Ben Zimmer / Ed. Patti Varol