Alright, so you’re tellin’ me about this “kids cry nyt crossword” thing, huh? Sounds like a whole lotta fuss over some letters and boxes. Kids cryin’? Well, I reckon puzzles can make anyone cry, young or old, if they get too darn hard. But this New York Times crossword, that’s somethin’ else, I hear.
Folks say Monday’s the easy one. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, they say. Like, even a bumpkin like me could probably do it. But then it gets harder and harder as the week goes on. By Friday and Saturday, you’re pullin’ your hair out, they tell me. Sounds like a recipe for a headache if you ask me.
- Monday: Easy as pie.
- Tuesday: A little tougher, like chewin’ on a tough piece of jerky.
- Wednesday: Startin’ to sweat a bit.
- Thursday: Brain’s gettin’ all twisted up.
- Friday: Lord have mercy!
- Saturday: Might as well throw in the towel!
Now, some smarty-pants folks, they make these puzzles. Freelance fellas, they call ’em. And this Will Shortz fella, he’s been the boss of it all since way back in 1993. He makes sure them puzzles get harder and harder, just to mess with ya, I guess. But folks seem to like it, so who am I to judge?
I heard some people spend hours on these things. Hours! Can you believe it? They could be out milkin’ cows or plantin’ corn, but no, they’re starin’ at those little squares. One fella, they say, spent somethin’ like 343 hours on them puzzles over the years. That’s more time than it takes to walk from one end of the county to the other, I betcha.
And if you get stuck, some folks cheat. They look up the answers. Now, I ain’t sayin’ it’s right or wrong, but most folks don’t seem to mind. Only one out of eight folks I heard about thought it was cheatin’. Me? Well, I reckon if you’re gonna do a puzzle, do it right. But then again, I ain’t never been one for fancy city games.
So, if you’re new to this whole crossword puzzle thing, start on Monday. That’s what they say. Learn a few tricks, and maybe you’ll get the hang of it. They say anyone can learn, even a simpleton like me, I guess. But if you start on a Saturday, well, don’t come cryin’ to me when you can’t figure out what “esoteric” means. I ain’t got no fancy dictionary, and I sure don’t know no fancy words.
This whole puzzle thing, it’s like learnin’ to ride a horse. You start slow, get the feel of it, and then you can gallop. But if you try to gallop before you can even sit in the saddle, you’re gonna fall flat on your face. Same with these crosswords, I reckon. Start easy, and work your way up. And if you get stuck, well, there ain’t no shame in askin’ for help. Or maybe just cheatin’. I won’t tell nobody.
Anyway, that’s the gist of it, as far as I can tell. Kids cry, puzzles get hard, and folks spend way too much time on ’em. Sounds like a whole lotta hooey to me, but hey, to each their own, I always say. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go feed the chickens.
Tags: NYT Crossword, Puzzle, Kids, Monday, Difficulty, Will Shortz, Cheating, Tips, Tricks
