As a former semi-professional constructor, I can tell you this: it’s almost impossible to go more than a few puzzles in a row without using certain words.
ANY 3 or 4 letter word/name in which vowels alternate with consonants will be used frequently- especially if it uses some of the more common consonants.
ADAM
ALIT
EDEN
EDIT
LIRA
NENE
UNIT
ADE
ADO
EGO
ENO
IRA
IRE
ITO
ODE
ORE
UMA
astorian’s right. There’s a double handful of convenient words that pop up in crosswords all the time. For years, Charlie Chaplin’s wife Oona was in a puzzle every week or two. Uta Hagen would have been long forgotten if not for crosswords.
Right now, I’m fighting my way through an eight-year book of New York Times Sunday crosswords. I’m on number 69 of 400. My usual crossword rule is that I never look up any answer (it’s not sporting.) However, for the NYT Sundays I make a few exceptions. I consult a world map and a Spanish-English dictionary. While I’m struggling with this book, I consign the daily Indianapolis Star puzzle to Mrs. Nott.
How else are you supposed to know what a Hawaiian goose is?
Doing crossword puzzles fairly regularly, I find certain words appearing over and over again. That’s why the more you do, the better you get. After a while, you know just about all the common words, especially the short ones (like the very useful “eft”). And it can get kind of unchallenging. The puzzles I particularly enjoy are the ones with a lot of word play.
I tend to be sporting, as well, but occasionally I seek help. You (and other solvers) may also get it here.
It’s my main “cheat” and Google is my other.
I don’t consult maps for those damned New York-to-Boston (ENE) directional clues. If I can’t work them out by nailing the intersecting answers, I don’t bother. They stink.
Of course there are common words, (where else do you find adit, tor, ern, if not in a crossword puzzle?) But even **twickster’s ** posts seem to bear out the possibility that there are sometimes intentionally duplicate words, between puzzles, on any given day. Crossword constructors are crafty and cruel folk, you really doubt they’d be up for planting little “easter eggs”?
OneAcross is a great site. Here’s another site I hit for quick links to various wordplay sources.
And Sternvogel – I’m not saying you’re close or anything, but look over here…
throws gunnysack over Sternvogel’s head and gestures to Merl and Will
Meet one. There was a nene running around the top of the Hawaiian volcano whose name I’m not even going to try to spell, when I visited Maui. It was very cool to see one.
And I eat oreos all the time.
With a big enough store of crossword words, I never have to look anything up any more.
Maybe we should have an SDMB crossword tournament, where we time ourselves doing the NY Times puzzle for a week. I think looking things up should be okay, since that will ruin one’s time anyway. What about it? I’ll start a thread Sunday if people are interested.
For more of a challenge, go cryptic! Here’s a page with links to a few, and one to a general guide (“YAGCC”), and here is a set (in Java) to get started on.
Sunday, February 6th is Super Bowl Sunday.
Maybe some dopers wouldn’t be too inclined to participate on such a momentous occasion.
But deal me in. I win.
You see, I get my NYT Sunday Magazine on Saturday, and will complete the puzzle on that day. Then, on Sunday, I’ll “start” at 24:00:00 am and will finish at 00:00:30am. Please send the prize as soon as possible.
On second thought send my prize to Twickster.
The only way to get her to tell us the inside scoop about the subrosa messaging among the Constructors is to bribe her.
She’ll then be putty in our hands.
I would like to register a complaint against all the evil-doers here who a) started this thread and b) those of you who put the ebola germ inside my brain to go do a crossword puzzle over at yahoo. c) Bah.
Apparently, my neurons are not up to code and I am dumber than a box of 3 day old herrings sitting in the tropical sun as I cannot get more than oh…4 or five words total.
And none of them are Fnord.
What twisted fiendish fartblower develops such a Machevellian Mindfuck as Xword puzzles? It is a conspiracy to drive people to eat prociferous amounts of soul comforting chocolate when defeated by " Marlin Perkin’s croc hunter."
God. I will probably be up all night trying to solve one puzzle honestly rather than cheat.
You.all.suck.
That is all.
You’re welcome!
AIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
hint: Ho Ho
Letters have: CREAMF _ _ _ _ _ _ AKE.
Bukake does not fit. 
cream filled cake. bukake. same thing.
;j
You know, we really need an emoticon with a little japanese guy. Just sayin’…
Hey, since I am a frustrated virgin at this, is there a way for me to build/construct my own crossword puzzle on-line for others to try?
Being that I think I am so smert.
I even knew that. What I meant was that we had a real tournament, not just a one puzzle one, starting with the Monday puzzle and going to next Sunday. (Smooths out who gets a certain trick faster.) I’ll start the thread on Sunday, since, being in California, I get up later than anyone else.
You don’t have to do all of them to compete: I’ll sort average times by number completed.
I do my Sunday times in a lot less than 30 minutes.
If i can remember and there is a linky-poo, I am up for this.
So that I can bask in the pure genius that resides here and help anyone here raise their self esteem.
Last year, I read a crossword mystery novel by Nero Blanc (whose name is a crossword joke, translating to Black White.) I gathered there are some more, but I haven’t seen them.
Well, hell, the rest of us don’t stand a chance. 
I think you should keep the Nero Blanc Trophy on your mantle. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve won it by default. Nevertheless, I’m still game. (Must be a mild case of masochism.)
But we’ll need more participants than just the two of us. Coming in second in a field of two is coming in last.