I’m not a major crossword player, and I’ve started playing the puzzle that The Week magazine has recently added. But in the last issue’s puzzle, I was stumped by two clues and am still puzzled (har!) now that I’ve seen the answers.
They are:
Down 32: Shower (5 letters)
Down 36: Solvent (6 letters)
The answers, AIRER and AFLOAT, respectively.
I’m 53 years old, a professional writer and editor, and have never heard the word “airer” before. I see that M-W Dictionary online defines it as “British : a frame on which clothes are aired or dried.” I.e., virtually the opposite of “shower.”
While writing this post, I realized the connection between “solvent” and “afloat.” My mistake was thinking in terms of hydrocarbons instead of finances. So I guess that one is a just a tricky clue.
Solvent/Afloat was immediately obvious to me, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an airer either. In addition to being something you dry clothes on, is it possibly also something that you would perhaps show clothes on?
The OED defines “airer” using example sentences about how one can be, for instance, an airer of opinions. So airing something can be expressing an idea. This means that an airer can be someone who expresses (and hence publicly shows) their ideas.
Yes, this type of thing is often used in crosswords. Another popular word for clues is flower, which often means not what you might expect but something that flows, eg a river.
This is a style of certain kinds of contemporary crosswords. Some really tricky ones will have dozens of these “second sense” clues. They are deliberately designed - often by the editor, not the compositor - to make the puzzle more difficult.
If you get into crosswords you’ll need to always keep in mind that words can be both nouns and verbs, or have a variety of meanings, or be puns. Some editors go for these clues more than others so you can hunt around for the ones that are to your liking. You’ll also find that after the few first hundred it becomes automatic to start parsing all the possible meanings in your head.
And some words show up more frequently because these have lots of needed letters. Airer is a frequent flier because of the double vowel at the beginning. (Any hint of broadcasting or television will be either airer or rerun.) Also eerie and aerie and early and oeno and iodine. Crosswords become easier with practice, just like any other skill.
Thanks, all, for the info and advice. I’ll get the hang of this if I keep doing the puzzles, I guess. After having done only three or so, I’m already getting better and faster.
I really enjoy The Week because it keeps me up to date on a wide range of news. When they added the puzzle, I didn’t expect I’d get into it, mainly because I didn’t think I’d have time.
Warning: possibly TMI to follow.
See, I keep the magazine in the bathroom and read it while on the toilet. I generally have almost exactly enough throne time in a week to read each issue before the next one comes on Friday. That was before the puzzles. I only got a third or half way through the first puzzle the first week. But I’ve done better since then. So maybe I’ll be able to make it a new part of my routine.
I have a rule for myself: I won’t look up an answer. It has to come to me without any direct outside help. This make most sports and many pop culture clues nearly impossible. But I’m surprised how often I can finally figure out the answer just by letting it go for a while and coming back to it.
What are your crossword dos and don’ts, tricks, tips, etc.?
