Editing Crossword (section)

==American-style crosswords==
{{One source|section|date=March 2018}}
[[File:A person works on a crossword puzzle in the subway 2008.tif|thumb|A person works on a Russian-language crossword puzzle in the [[New York City Subway]], 2008.]]

Crossword grids such as those appearing in most North American newspapers and [[magazine]]s consist mainly of solid regions of uninterrupted white squares, separated more sparsely by shaded squares. Every letter is "checked" (i.e., is part of both an "across" word and a "down" word) and usually each answer must contain at least three letters. In such puzzles shaded squares are typically limited to about one-sixth of the total. Crossword grids elsewhere, such as in Britain, [[South Africa]], [[India]] and Australia, have a [[Latticework|lattice]]-like structure, with a higher percentage of shaded squares (around 25%), leaving about half the letters in an answer unchecked. For example, if the top row has an answer running all the way across, there will often be no across answers in the second row.

Another tradition in puzzle design (in North America, India, and Britain particularly) is that the grid should have 180-degree [[rotational symmetry]], so that its pattern appears the same if the paper is turned upside down. Most puzzle designs also require that all white cells be orthogonally contiguous (that is, connected in one mass through shared sides, to form a single [[polyomino]]).

Substantial variants from the usual forms exist. Two of the common ones are barred crosswords, which use bold lines between squares (instead of shaded squares) to separate answers, and circular designs, with answers entered either radially or in concentric circles. "Free form" crosswords ("criss-cross" puzzles), which have simple, asymmetric designs, are often seen on school worksheets, children's menus, and other entertainment for children. Grids forming shapes other than squares are also occasionally used.

[[Puzzle]]s are often one of several standard sizes. For example, many weekday newspaper puzzles (such as the American [[New York Times crossword puzzle|''New York Times'' crossword puzzle]]) are 15×15 squares, while weekend puzzles may be 21×21, 23×23, or 25×25. The ''[[New York Times]]'' puzzles also set a common pattern for American crosswords by increasing in difficulty throughout the week: their Monday puzzles are the easiest and the puzzles get harder each day until Saturday. Their larger Sunday puzzle is about the same level of difficulty as a weekday-size Thursday puzzle.<ref>Shortz, Will (April 8, 2001). [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/magazine/08PUZZLE.html?ex=1236830400&en=5e6b94bdf1884b70&ei=5070 "Endpaper: How to; Solve The New York Times Crossword Puzzle"]. ''The New York Times''.</ref> This has led U.S. solvers to use the day of the week as a shorthand when describing how hard a puzzle is: e.g. an easy puzzle may be referred to as a "Monday" or a "Tuesday", a medium-difficulty puzzle as a "Wednesday", and a truly difficult puzzle as a "Saturday".

Typically clues appear outside the grid, divided into an across list and a down list; the first cell of each entry contains a number referenced by the clue lists. For example, the answer to a clue labeled "17 Down" is entered with the first letter in the cell numbered "17", proceeding down from there. Numbers are almost never repeated; numbered cells are numbered consecutively, usually from left to right across each row, starting with the top row and proceeding downward. Some Japanese crosswords are numbered from top to bottom down each column, starting with the leftmost column and proceeding right.

=== Clues: conventions and types ===

American-style crossword clues, called ''straight'' or ''quick clues'' by those more familiar with cryptic puzzles, are often simple definitions of the answers. Often, a straight clue is not in itself sufficient to distinguish between several possible answers, either because multiple synonymous answers may fit or because the clue itself is a homonym (e.g., "Lead" as in to be ahead in a contest or "Lead" as in the element), so the solver must make use of ''checks'' to establish the correct answer with certainty. For example, the answer to the clue "PC key" for a three-letter answer could be ''ESC'', ''ALT'', ''TAB'', ''DEL'', or ''INS'', so until a ''check'' is filled in, giving at least one of the letters, the correct answer cannot be determined.

In most American-style crosswords,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/series/american-style/|title= American-style crosswords|publisher=Theguardian}}</ref> the majority of the clues in the puzzle are straight clues,<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://aframegames.com/store/?download=21|title=Crossword Constructor's Handbook|last=Berry|first=Patrick|year=2015|pages=62–80}}</ref> with the remainder being one of the other types described below.

Crossword clues are generally consistent with the solutions. For instance, clues and their solutions should always agree in tense, number, and degree.<ref>D. S. MacNutt with A. Robins, ''Ximenes on the art of the crossword'', Methuen & Co Ltd, London (1966) p. 49.</ref> If a clue is in the past tense, so is the answer: thus "Traveled on horseback" would be a valid clue for the solution ''RODE'', but not for ''RIDE''. Similarly, "Family members" would be a valid clue for ''AUNTS'' but not ''UNCLE'', while "More joyful" could clue ''HAPPIER'' but not ''HAPPIEST''.

==== Capitalization ====
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2020}}
Capitalization of answer letters is conventionally ignored; crossword puzzles are typically filled in, and their answer sheets published, in [[all caps]]. This ensures a [[proper name]] can have its initial [[capitalization|capital]] letter checked with a non-capitalizable letter in the intersecting clue.

Some clue examples:
* Fill-in-the-blank clues are often the easiest in a puzzle and a good place to start solving, e.g., "_____ [[Anne Boleyn|Boleyn]]" = ''ANNE''.
* A question mark at the end of clue usually signals that the clue/answer combination involves some sort of pun or wordplay, e.g., "Grateful?" = ''ASHES'', since a grate might be full of them.
* Most widely distributed American crosswords today (e.g., ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', ''[[USA Today]]'', etc.) also contain colloquial answers, i.e., entries in the puzzle grid that try to replicate everyday colloquial language. In such a puzzle one might see phrases such as ''WHATS UP'', ''AS IF'', or ''WHADDYA WANT''.

====Abbreviations====
{{Main|Crossword abbreviations}}
The constraints of the American-style grid (in which every letter is checked) often require a fair number of answers not to be dictionary words. As a result, the following ways to clue abbreviations and other non-words, although they can be found in "straight" British crosswords, are much more common in American ones:
* Abbreviations, the use of a foreign language, variant spellings, or other unusual word tricks are indicated in the clue. A crossword creator might choose to clue the answer ''SEN'' (as in the abbreviation for "senator") as "Washington bigwig: Abbr." or "Member of Cong.", with the abbreviation in the clue indicating that the answer is to be similarly abbreviated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crosswordhobbyist.com/how-to-make-a-crossword-puzzle|title=How to Make a Crossword Puzzle|website=crosswordhobbyist.com}}</ref> The use of "Var." indicates the answer is a variant spelling (e.g., ''EMEER'' instead of ''EMIR''), while the use of foreign language or a foreign place name within the clue indicates that the answer is also in a foreign language. For example, ''ETE'' (''[[wikt:été|été]]'', French for "summer") might be clued as "Summer, in the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]]". ''[[Rome|ROMA]]'' could be clued as "Italia's capital", whereas the clue "[[Italy]]'s capital" would indicate the English spelling ''[[Rome]]''.
* The eight possible abbreviations for a [[points of the compass|position on a compass]], e.g., ''NNW'' (north-northwest) or ''ESE'' (east-southeast), occur with some frequency. They can be clued as simply "Compass point", where the desired answer is determined by a combination of [[logic]]—since the third letter can be only E or W, and the second letter can be only N or S—and a process of elimination using checks. Alternatively, compass point answers are more frequently clued as "XXX to YYY direction", where XXX and YYY are two place names. For example, ''SSW'' might be clued as "New York to Washington DC dir.". Similarly, a clue such as "Right on the map" means ''EAST''. A clue could also consist of objects that point a direction, e.g., "[[weather vane|vane]] dir." or "[[windsock]] dir.".
* [[Roman numerals]], and arithmetic involving them, frequently appear as well; the clue "IV times III" (4×3) would yield ''XII'' (12).
* In addition, partial answers are allowed in American-style crosswords, where the answer represents part of a longer phrase. For example, the clue "Mind your _____ Qs" gives the answer ''PSAND'' (Ps and).
* Non-dictionary phrases are also allowed in answers. Thus, the clue "Mocked" could result in the grid entry ''LAUGHED AT''.

==== Themes ====
Many American crossword puzzles feature a "theme" consisting of a number of long entries (generally three to five in a standard 15×15-square "weekday-size" puzzle) that share some relationship, type of pun, or other element in common. As an example, the ''New York Times'' crossword of April 26, 2005 by Sarah Keller, edited by [[Will Shortz]], featured five themed entries ending in the different parts of a tree: ''SQUARE ROOT'', ''TABLE LEAF'', ''WARDROBE TRUNK'', ''BRAIN STEM'', and ''BANK BRANCH''.

The above is an example of a category theme, where the theme elements are all members of the same set. Other types of themes include:
* Quote themes, featuring a famous quote broken up into parts to fit in the grid (and usually clued as "Quote, part 1", "Quote, part 2", etc.)
* Rebus themes, where multiple letters or even symbols occupy a single square in the puzzle (e.g., ''BERMUDA''Δ)
* Addition themes, where theme entries are created by adding a letter, letters, or word(s) to an existing word or phrase. For example, "Crucial pool shot?" = ''CRITICAL MASSE'' (formed by taking the phrase "[[critical mass]]" and adding an "e" on the end. All the theme entries in a given puzzle must be formed by the same process (so another entry might be "Greco-Roman buddy?" = ''WRESTLING MATE''—"wrestling mat" with an "e" added on). An example of a multiple-letter addition (and one that does not occur at the end of the entry) might be "Crazy about kitchen storage?" = ''CABINET FEVER'' (derived from "[[cabin fever]]").<ref name=Themes>{{cite web|title=Identified theme. types|url=http://www.cruciverb.com/index.php?action=ezportal;sa=page;p=70|publisher=Cruciverb.com|access-date=5 March 2013}}</ref>
* Subtraction themes, the reverse of the above, where letters are removed to make a new word or phrase.<ref name=Themes />
* Compound themes, where the starts or ends of the theme entries can all precede or follow another word, which is given elsewhere in the puzzle. For example, a puzzle with theme entries that begin with ''PAPER'', ''BALL'', and ''WATER'' and elsewhere in the puzzle, the word ''BOY'' clued as "Word that can follow the start of [theme entries]".<ref name=Themes />
* Anniversary or tribute themes, commemorating a specific person, place, or event. For example, on October 7, 2011 ''The New York Times'' crossword commemorated the life of Apple CEO [[Steve Jobs]] who had died on October 5. Theme entries related to Jobs' life included ''[[Macintosh|MACINTOSH]]'', ''[[Pixar|PIXAR]]'', ''[[Think Different|THINK DIFFERENT]]'', ''CREATIVE GENIUS'', ''STEVE JOBS'', and ''[[Apple Inc.|APPLE]]''.<ref name=Themes /><ref>{{cite web|last=Der|first=Kevin G|title=New York Times crossword of October 7, 2011|url=http://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/7/2011|publisher=XWordInfo.com|access-date=5 March 2013}}</ref>
* Synonym themes, where the theme entries all contain synonyms, e.g., a ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' puzzle featuring a set of theme entries that contain the words ''RAVEN'', ''[[wikt:jet|JET]]'', ''[[wikt:ebony|EBONY]]'', and ''[[wikt:sable|SABLE]]'', all synonyms for "black".<ref name=Themes />
* Numerous other types have been identified, including [[spoonerism]]s, poems, shifted letters, rhyming phrases, puns, homophones, and combinations of two or more of other types of themes.<ref name=Themes />

The themed crossword puzzle was invented in 1958 by [[Harold T. Bers]], an advertising executive and frequent contributor to ''The New York Times'' crossword.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Worley |first1=Sam |title=The Puzzler and the Puzzled |url=https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/the-puzzler-and-the-puzzled/ |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=Chicago Reader |date=28 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Flexner |first1=Stuart Berg |title=FUN (2 WORDS) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/08/books/fun-2-words.html |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=8 July 1984}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=HAROLD BERS, 47, AD WRITER, DEAD; AIDE OF BATTEN, BARTON WAS CROSSWORD PUZZLE EXPERT |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/10/15/archives/harold-bers-47-ad-writer-dead-aide-of-batten-barton-was-crossword.html |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=15 October 1961}}</ref><ref name=gnu>{{cite book |last1=Arnot |first1=Michelle |title=What's Gnu? A History of the Crossword Puzzle |date=1981 |publisher=Vintage Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-394-74408-7 |page=114 |url=https://archive.org/details/whatsgnuhistoryo0000arno/page/114/mode/1up?q=%22harold+t.+bers%22 |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref>

The [[Simon & Schuster]] Crossword Puzzle Series has published many unusually themed crosswords. "Rosetta Stone", by Sam Bellotto Jr., incorporates a [[Caesar cipher]] cryptogram as the theme; the key to breaking the cipher is the answer to 1Across. Another unusual theme requires the solver to use the answer to a clue as another clue. The answer to ''that'' clue is the real solution.

==== Indirect clues ====
{{original research section|date=March 2021}}
Many puzzles feature clues involving wordplay which are to be taken metaphorically or in some sense other than their literal meaning, requiring some form of [[lateral thinking]]. Depending on the puzzle creator or the editor, this might be represented either with a question mark at the end of the clue or with a modifier such as "maybe" or "perhaps". In more difficult puzzles, the indicator may be omitted, increasing ambiguity between a literal meaning and a wordplay meaning. Examples:
* "Half a dance" could clue ''CAN'' (half of ''CANCAN'') or ''CHA'' (half of ''CHACHA'').
* If taken literally, "Start of spring" could clue ''MAR'' (for March), but it could also clue ''ESS'', the spelled-out form of the starting letter ''S''.
* "Nice summer?" clues ''ETE'', summer in [[Nice, France]] (''[[wikt:été|été]]'' being French for "summer"), rather than a nice (pleasant) summer. This clue also takes advantage of the fact that in American-style crosswords, the initial letter of a clue is always capitalized, whether or not it is a proper noun. In this clue, the initial capitalization further obscures whether the clue is referring to "nice" as in "pleasant" or "Nice" as in the French city.
* "Pay addition", taken literally, clues ''BONUS''. When taken as an indirect clue, however, it could also clue ''OLA'' (the ''addition'' of ''-ola'' to ''pay-'' results in ''PAYOLA'').

==== Other clue variations ====
Any type of puzzle may contain ''cross-references'', where the answer to one clue forms part of another clue, in which it is referred to by number and direction. E.g., a puzzle might have 1-across clued as "Central character in The Lord of the Rings" = ''FRODO'', with 17-down clued as "Precious object for 1-Across" = ''RING''.

When an answer is composed of multiple or hyphenated words, some crosswords (especially in Britain) indicate the structure of the answer. For example, "(3,5)" after a clue indicates that the answer is composed of a three-letter word followed by a five-letter word. Most American-style crosswords do not provide this information.

=== Metapuzzles ===
Some crossword designers have started including a metapuzzle, or "meta" for short, a second puzzle within the completed puzzle.<ref>{{cite web|title=Matt Gaffney's Weekly Crossword Contest Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://xwordcontest.com/faq|last=Gaffney|first=Matt|access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> After the player has correctly solved the crossword puzzle in the usual fashion, the solution forms the basis of a second puzzle. The designer usually includes a hint to the metapuzzle. For instance, the puzzle ''Eight Isn't Enough'' by Matt Gaffney gives the clue "This week's contest answer is a three-word phrase whose second word is 'or'."<ref>{{cite web |title=Eight Isn't Enough |url=http://xwordcontest.com/2015/08/mgwcc-376-friday-august-14th-2015-eight-isnt-enough.html |first=Matt |last=Gaffney |date=14 August 2015 |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> The crossword solution includes the entries "BROUGHT TO NAUGHT", "MIGHT MAKES RIGHT", "CAUGHT A STRAIGHT", and "HEIGHT AND WEIGHT", which are all three-word phrases with two words ending in -ght. The solution to the meta is a similar phrase in which the middle word is "or": "FIGHT OR FLIGHT".

Since September 2015, the [[Wall Street Journal]] Friday crossword has featured a crossword contest metapuzzle, with the prize of a WSJ mug going to a reader randomly chosen from among those submitting the correct answer.<ref name="WSJContestCrosswords101">{{cite web |last1=Gaffney |first1=Matt |title=Contest Crosswords 101 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/contest-crosswords-101-how-to-solve-puzzles-11625757841 |website=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc. |access-date=18 Feb 2024}}</ref><ref name="XWordMugglesForum_Past">{{cite web |last1=PastWSJCCsolutions |title=Past WSJ Crossword Contests & Solutions |url=https://www.xword-muggles.com/viewtopic.php?t=277 |website=XWord Muggles Forum |access-date=18 Feb 2024}}</ref>

=== Schrödinger or quantum puzzles ===
Some puzzle grids contain more than one correct answer for the same set of clues. These are called Schrödinger or quantum puzzles, alluding to the [[Schrödinger's Cat]] [[thought experiment]] in [[quantum physics]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://crosswordfiend.com/2012/05/09/thursday-51012/#comment-147469|title=Comment, Thursday, May 9, 2012|last=Pahk|first=Joon|date=2012-05-09|website=Diary of a Crossword Fiend|access-date=2019-11-25}}</ref> Schrödinger puzzles have frequently been published in venues including ''Fireball Crosswords'' and ''The American Values Club Crosswords'', and at least ten have appeared in ''The New York Times'' since the late 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Quantum|url=http://www.xwordinfo.com/Quantum|website=xwordinfo.com}}</ref> [[File:The New York Times crossword Clinton-Bob Dole puzzle 1996.gif|thumb|right|550px|Clinton/Bob Dole puzzle from 1996]] The daily ''New York Times'' puzzle for November 5, 1996, by [[Jeremiah Farrell]], had a clue for 39 across that read "Lead story in tomorrow's newspaper, with 43 Across (!)."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Farrell|first1=Jeremiah|title=New York Times puzzle of Tuesday, November 5, 1996|url=http://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=11/5/1996|website=xwordinfo.com|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> The answer for 43 across was ELECTED; depending on the outcome of that day's [[1996 United States presidential election|Presidential Election]], the answer for 39 across would have been correct with either [[Bill Clinton|CLINTON]] or [[Bob Dole|BOBDOLE]], as would each of the corresponding down answers.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Amende|first1=Coral|title=The Crossword Obsession|url=https://archive.org/details/crosswordobsessi00amen|url-access=registration|date=2001|publisher=Berkley Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0756790868}}</ref> On September 1, 2016, the daily ''New York Times'' puzzle by Ben Tausig had four squares which led to correct answers reading both across and down if solvers entered either "M" or "F".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tausig|first1=Ben|title=New York Times puzzle of Thursday, September 1, 2016|url=http://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/1/2016|website=xwordinfo.com|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> The puzzle's theme, [[Gender fluid|GENDERFLUID]], was revealed at 37 across in the center of the puzzle: "Having a variable identity, as suggested by four squares in this puzzle."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Roeder|first1=Oliver|title=One of the Most Important Crosswords in New York Times History|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/gaming/2016/09/ben_tausig_s_new_york_times_puzzle_is_one_of_history_s_most_important_crosswords.html|website=Slate|date=September 2016 |access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref>