Another level of crossword enjoyment

I’ve been very conscious in this blog to not make it esoteric — with in-jokes or trivia for only the truly addicted crossword crazies. I am well aware that most people don’t have a clue who constructs or edits the puzzles they solve, and most don’t solve more than 5 or 6 puzzles a week, if that.

But I’ve also noticed that there is a level of appreciation and enjoyment in solving a puzzle if you “know” the constructor and/or the editor. The process of filling in the squares with letters becomes more like a conversation with a familar friend. You start to know who uses a lot of puns, or who gives a lot of misdirection (i.e., “tricky clues,” usually with a question mark after them), or who is into trivia, music or pop culture, etc.

I’ve even developed a short list of “favorite constructors” who represent an extra incentive to attack the puzzle when their names are at the bottom.

If you haven’t paused to notice the constructor and the editor of the puzzles you solve, let me suggest you start making a mental note. After a while you’ll probably find, as I have, that you begin to recognize their individual syles — much as you would with a favorite author, singer, or composer — and enjoy crossword puzzles even more than you do now.