# The SDMB Crossword Tourney **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 7, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753 "2005-02-07T03:36:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/41 "2005-02-09T06:39:34Z")
Wow. You people are scarily good. So much for becoming a professional crossword puzzle worker. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/42 "2005-02-09T07:02:01Z")
Tuesday’s - 11:47. But I had 4 wrong answers. (I suck…) Do I need to do Monday’s as well? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/43 "2005-02-09T07:28:03Z")
> [@jackelope](#): > > Drat. I didn’t even see this thread until just now. Is it too late to enter? > > For what it’s worth, I did the Feb. 8 puzzle in 7:05. (Being the suspicious type, I took a screen shot showing the time.) Nope. I’m going to start a discussion thread. Don’t look at it until after you do the puzzles, and welcome to the tourney. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/44 "2005-02-09T07:30:13Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Tuesday’s - 11:47. But I had 4 wrong answers. (I suck…) > Do I need to do Monday’s as well? You don’t have to do Mondays, but it will put you in competition for the big noprize. 🙂 I’m tracking the standings, but I won’t post them until tomorrow night to allow latecomers in. So far we have eight participants, but anyone is welcome to join. Just read the instructions, and post or email me your times. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/45 "2005-02-09T14:49:07Z")
Gah! I did Tuesday’s first, and not too bad. (Not too good either, but I can live with it.) Then I went back to Monday. Maybe Wednesday will be better. Monday = 19:06 Tuesday = 13:14 ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/46 "2005-02-09T15:34:45Z")
I set the bar nice and low for everyone for today’s: 23:44 These yahoo puzzles are hard! ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/47 "2005-02-09T16:08:10Z")
9:01 for today, though I spent the last 30 seconds or so trying to find one freaking letter I’d mistyped. And I went and did Monday’s: 7:29. If **Voyager** (or someone) is keeping score, I’ve got: Monday: 7:29 Tuesday: 7:05 Wednesday: 9:01 This is a great idea; thanks, **Voyager**! ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/48 "2005-02-09T19:12:57Z")
How do you check for mistyped letters without it revealing the right answers for you? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/49 "2005-02-09T19:17:12Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > How do you check for mistyped letters without it revealing the right answers for you? Hit “Verify Answers” at the bottom of the java window. It’ll “x” out the wrong letters but not give you the right ones. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/50 "2005-02-09T20:48:22Z")
I’m seeing a bad trend in my times: Monday – 11:46 Tuesday – 15:45 Wendesday – 16:02 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8491ac/32.png) [@GorillaGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaGirl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/51 "2005-02-10T02:00:17Z")
Monday = 12:07 Tuesday = 11:24 Wednesday = 14:51 I made a lot of stupid errors on this one. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/52 "2005-02-10T02:05:15Z")
Wednesday 15:37. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/53 "2005-02-10T02:38:42Z")
I must drop out because I had to walk away from this one for a while. Again, these are hard in a different way than I’m used to. Usually the long ones are a pun or play on words. This one, for instance, with its insertion of the word “now”, was totally alien to me. Some of the clues are wicked hard. “Figurative albatross with a golden sound?” Wow. I pick up the Times on occasion, never on Sunday, although many years ago I could finish the Sunday one once out of three or four weeks, and they aren’t hard like these, during the week anyway. Does anyone know about the writers of these things? ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/54 "2005-02-10T02:43:02Z")
Oh yeah. I want to point out that using the ‘letter verify’ option should be disallowed in future tourneys. It’s way harder to finish if you have a wrong answer or two mucking up the works, like you would on a paper puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/55 "2005-02-10T04:09:05Z")
Hey, what’s going on? I did some last week puzzles and they were a snap! Is the fix in? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/56 "2005-02-10T09:04:47Z")
I have everyone’s scores entered. I tried pasting from a spreadsheet, but formatting looks so terrible I’m not going to even bother. I need to search for how to insert a table - I’ve seen them so I know it is possible. I couldn’t figure out how to print the puzzle - I suspect the applet only shows the visible clues. And yes, Wednesday was the hardest one yet. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/57 "2005-02-10T12:54:35Z")
**essvee** , I did last Thursday’s and got it under 10, no problems. Maybe we got a hard week? Curioser and curioser. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/58 "2005-02-10T21:58:32Z")
2/10 puzzle: 9:29. Is anyone else having problems with the java app? Every now and then the whole grid sort of disappears and I have to scroll the little purple cursor over the whole thing to get it to show up again. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/59 "2005-02-10T22:38:16Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > I’m seeing a bad trend in my times: > > Monday – 11:46 > Tuesday – 15:45 > Wendesday – 16:02 And it continues. Thursday: 17.13 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8491ac/32.png) [@GorillaGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaGirl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753/60 "2005-02-10T23:12:17Z")
> [@GorillaGirl](#): > > Monday = 12:07 > Tuesday = 11:24 > Wednesday = 14:51 Thursday = 11:33 **jackelope** , go to [the Java site](http://www.java.com/en/index.jsp) and make sure you’re up to date. I was having some trouble with other java apps and that solved the problem. On the other hand, considering that your _worst_ time is 2 minutes better than my _best_ time, forget I said anything. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-crossword-tourney/288753.md?page=4)