CROSSWORD SOLVER PUZZLE:
[ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Crossword Solver]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
Every now and then, if I’m away from a computer and Liz buys a New York Times, and it’s an early in the week puzzle, I’ll try and solve the puzzle using the Downs only. I can usually get all of Monday, and I do fairly well on Tuesdays. It’s a fun approach that, for some reason, I only attempt on paper. I’m sure there’s an easy way to set that up that Downs-only approach on one of the online solving platforms, but I don’t know it (If somebody knows how to do it, let us know in the comments.)
Downs-only hones exactly one technique in puzzle solving: “playing hangman” with the crossings. I’ve found it’s come in handy in other puzzles. Most obviously with cryptics. There are inevitably a group of clues that I have no idea WTF? is going on with either the wordplay or the definition, but darn it, it certainly looks like JIGSAW is the only entry that’s going to fit in that entry, so JIGSAW’s gotta be the right answer, right? Fill it in, and move on. Job well done, etc. etc.
I have stumbled upon a complete different approach to solving puzzles. I shall call it The Swiss Cheese method. This past Saturday, I printed out Tim Croce’s New York Times puzzle on an InkJet that is in desperate need of a new cartridge. What happened was as the puzzle printed out, the lighter the clues got, so much so that the last 1/5th of the paper was illegible-to-non-existent. It managed to get through all the Across entries, but one it got to the header DOWN, the ink cartridge said “no mas.” Downs 1- through 6- were completely gone. The first legible Down clue was 7-Down only because it appeared atop the second column. The Downs disappeared again eight clues later in the second column (and in a nice display of symmetry, eight clues were illegible). In the third column, I was missing the last four clues. So, in all told, I was devoid of 18 somewhat random clues, all going in one direction, in no particular place per se. In fact, I was missing a lot of easy foothold entries as more than a few were three-letter entries. I still managed to solve the thing despite missing these clues, all because I leaned mighty heavily on that hangman technique to mop it all up.
Anyway, if anyone has a near-dying ink cartridge who wishes to try the Swiss Cheese method to solve any of my puzzles, let me know how it goes.
Oh, I had the Times puzzle yesterday. Do it here: [PDF] [Across Lite]
Share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
I solve downs-only on Across Lite all the time. It’s just a matter of avoiding looking at the Across clues quadrant. Hard to miss seeing 1a when the puzzle launches, but if you’re not looking at the screen, a quick tap on the down arrow does the trick. (Not sure if this applies to non-desktop/laptop hardware.)
At 9-Down, it was N.W.A, no trailing period.
Oops, make that at 40-Down.
You can adjust the size of the clue panels in Across Lite to hide all of the clues there, in either the acrosses or downs. Just drag the central divider. These settings are retained on subsequent uses of the application, until they’re manually moved back.
Can I comment on the SUNNYTXWP that you constructed? Ok. I had a really difficult on the 4th seizante. The clue that led to CIA just about crucified me. You don’t normally expect the CIA to be printing anything for the public, nays-pa? As for this XWP, the clue-answer that will raise eyebrows was the one concerning Lara Logan. May I suggest that you never include any clue-answers concerning EGYPT ever again. This is one fukkedup place. Maybe CAs concerning the ancient history, yes. I gotta say, how did things get so screwed up in the first place over there?
Jon and pannonica beat me to it, but I too solve lots of easy puzzles downs-only in Across Lite. Shrink the clue bar up top, and drag the Across/Down divider all the way up.
Downs-only hones another important skill: making guesses when you don’t have any letters. And relatedly, realizing when there are multiple plausible answers and you have to be careful.
Could someone explain the answer for 24D NES? Is Contra a video game?
james, I frequently use the CIA factbook for information. Lots of comparative info there, some which won’t show on wikipedia. (I found out that Ireland is the size of West Virginia, for example.)
In Stand Alone you can opt to show crossing clues, or just the clue for the word that’s highlighted.
To solve with no clues at all:
http://www.brendanemmettquigley.com/2010/09/crossword-264.html
Thanks everybody. I’m going to adjust the AL settings anon.