Okay, so I’ve been seeing these “Once Called NYT Crossword” things floating around, and I finally decided to give it a shot. I’m not a huge crossword person, but I like a good word puzzle, and the history aspect of this sounded cool.
First, I had to find one. That was surprisingly easy. I just Googled it, and a bunch of sites popped up that archive old crosswords. I picked one that looked, I dunno, vintage enough – black and white, kind of old-fashioned font. The clues, though, were old, many of which I didn’t know.
I started by printing it out. I like to have a physical copy to scribble on. Then, I just… dove in. Some of the clues were ridiculously easy, like, “Opposite of black” (uh, white?). Others were… well, let’s just say I had to do some serious thinking (and Googling, I confess!).
- I got into some trouble.
- I tried many clues, but failed.
- There were many words I had never seen before.
I spent a good hour on this thing, maybe more. I filled in what I could, made educated guesses on others, and completely left some blank. The slang was definitely the hardest part. Words just aren’t used the same way anymore! It was like trying to decipher a code from a different era.
It was also interesting to see how the clues were worded. They were much more straightforward than modern crosswords, I think. Less wordplay, more direct definitions.
My Final Thoughts
Honestly, it was harder than I expected! I definitely didn’t finish it, not even close. But it was a fun little trip back in time. It made me appreciate how language changes and how much knowledge is tied to a specific time period. Would I do it again? Maybe! I might need to brush up on my vintage slang first, though.
