Meeting family after a long time, reminded me why it’s important to subscribe to multiple copies of the newspaper. But after the initial competitive early morning scramble for the Crossword, peace prevailed, and a collaborative effort was agreed upon. In the final tally, my contribution had been minimal.
But my enthusiastic and nearly always misdirected suggestions made me feel part of a shared achievement once the Crossword was done.
A few hours later, I chose a more private online trail by fire. The games section on Yahoo has Daily Crosswords. This seemed like a good place to hone my skills. I chose regular skill level and plunged right in. The manner in which grid and clues are highlighted is a delight. No more squinting at tiny newsprint. Wrong words instantly show up in red, even into the first incorrect letter you type in. Is this sissy Crossword? I hope not. This is where I intend to train diligently in great secrecy, and then dramatically emerge a cunning Crossworder!
There is no escaping the fact that this format helps things along. When I typed ‘doe’ in response to the clue, deer with three pointed antlers, the screen helpfully displayed ‘d’ in red, which helped me promptly correct the answer to ‘roe. Thoroughly enjoyable fare!