# A Crosswords Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 24, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245 "2020-07-24T19:42:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/61 "2020-10-31T10:19:34Z")
My method is a simple one, I think: I focus on the shorter words to start with. There are 4 two-letter words here, and they’re all googleable: 1. Are you = R U 2. An elevated railway, especially that in Chicago is EL, which we already know from my previous square. 3. Junior to an admiral is a vice-admiral = V A 4. The abbreviation of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is A N. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/ZGGzfQy.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/ZGGzfQy) Does it seem easier now, or is it still problematic? ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/62 "2020-10-31T15:22:29Z")
Okay, I’ll provide two more words. To me, these two seemed to be the easiest to guess. NUMBER THREE. Userpic is highly googleable: "In computing, an **avatar** (also known as a profile picture or **userpic** ) is a graphical representation of a user or the user’s character or persona. NUMBER TEN. Of zero help - when googled, this phrase can be found in the second result: “of zero help, Crossword Clue.” The page shows the solution “useless.” Our square includes a synonym of “useless” - “futile.” [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/UOBHQjx.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/UOBHQjx) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/63 "2020-10-31T16:22:05Z")
I had AVATAR and EL. I’ll see how I do with FUTILE. I have one more, so that might be enough. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/64 "2020-10-31T16:40:19Z")
Okay, done. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/65 "2020-10-31T16:42:12Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Okay, done. May we see the solution then? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/66 "2020-10-31T16:52:42Z")
Here you go: 1.COFFEE (although who drinks it pale brown, I have no idea!) 3.AVATAR 4.FAMINE 6.SIRENS 7.CHAFF (a definition of the word I’ve never before encountered) 9.FRAMER (took awhile before I realized you weren’t referring to a name) 10.FUTILE 12.EGRESS ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/67 "2020-10-31T17:17:06Z")
Thank you. Coffee is a particular shade of brown too: [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/8a/66/f88a669dc806e465e48c9d44657b1b0e.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/8a/66/f88a669dc806e465e48c9d44657b1b0e.jpg) Now, chaff is generally used in the singular, but it does have a plural form according to [wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chaff). I wonder how I could make this better or more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/68 "2020-10-31T17:19:22Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > Coffee is a particular shade of brown too: I know, that’s why I wrote “although who drinks it pale brown, I have no idea!” ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/69 "2020-11-01T17:07:19Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > that’s why I wrote “although who drinks it pale brown, I have no idea!” Correct. I should have paid better attention. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/70 "2020-11-01T17:13:40Z")
Okay, here is my attempt to make a better crossword puzzle: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/bcHJxKe.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/bcHJxKe) **ACROSS** [**1**] Jazzy. [10 letters] [**2**] A beast of burden. [2 letters] [**3**] It can express surprise. [2 letters] [**4**] Rocky. [6 letters] [**5**] An evening person. [3 letters] [**6**] Bill Clinton’s home state (abbr.). [2 letters] [**7**] A university. [3 letters] [**8**] Determined. [6 letters] [**9**] A jerk. [6 letters] [**10**] Whisky variety. [3 letters] [**11**] Not at all. [2 letters] [**12**] A certain egg (plural). [3 letters] [**13**] An alternative for later. [6 letters] [**14**] A mother. [2 letters] [**15**] See you (abbr.). [2 letters] [**16**] An affair. [10 letters] **DOWN** [**1**] A black and white picture. [10 letters] [**17**] User experience (abbr.). [2 letters] [**18**] A cost cutting measure. [2 letters] [**4**] Purple Amaranth (plural). [6 letters] [**19**] A British meal. [3 letters] [**20**] No worries (abbr.). [2 letters] [**21**] A praising poem. [3 letters] [**22**] A person of color that can be any color. [6 letters] [**23**] Indicating a casual striped top. [6 letters] [**24**] The land of Adventure Time. [3 letters] [**25**] James K. Polk’s home state (abbr.). [2 letters] [**26**] An executable computer file (abbr.). [3 letters] [**27**] A person of letters. [6 letters] [**28**] It can express disappointment. [2 letters] [**15**] To send a copy of an email. [2 letters] [**29**] Non-transparent in the x-ray room. [10 letters] * * * Please post your solutions, questions, or reactions of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245/71 "2020-11-02T00:06:30Z")
I don’t think I could do this without working on it for many days, and even then, there doesn’t seem to be a way to determine if some of the answers are right without googling. There aren’t enough ways to cross-check the answers with so many black spaces. For example: #7 across, “a university”. Even if I had the first and last letter, I’m not sure I’d be able to determine the middle one (assuming the answer is a particular university; maybe it isn’t?). English puzzles are generally done without googling, unless we’ve given up. But I’m not the best puzzle person. Others might do better. I’ll keep at it for awhile and see how it goes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-crosswords-thread/916245.md?page=3)