Are people gaming the NYT crossword app?
December 20, 2011 9:07 AM Subscribe
After a lifetime of being indifferent toward crossword puzzles, I've been on a real puzzle bender lately. I used the New York Times iPad crossword app today. One thing that stumps me: How do people get times in the two-minute range?
This morning I did a puzzle on that app with my boyfriend. We're still starting out, so I didn't expect to land at the top of the high score pile. But the high scores were between two and three minutes!
Is it just a matter of (a) knowing all the answers instantly and (b) being a really fast iPad typist? Or is there something else going on?
We're prepared to accept our inadequacy, but not without a little investigation.
This morning I did a puzzle on that app with my boyfriend. We're still starting out, so I didn't expect to land at the top of the high score pile. But the high scores were between two and three minutes!
Is it just a matter of (a) knowing all the answers instantly and (b) being a really fast iPad typist? Or is there something else going on?
We're prepared to accept our inadequacy, but not without a little investigation.
You might be interested to see the documentary Wordplay for some truly astonishing displays of crossword skills.
posted by El_Marto at 9:15 AM on December 20, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by El_Marto at 9:15 AM on December 20, 2011 [4 favorites]
What day was the crossword from? I generally do the Monday NYTimes Crosswords on an iPhone in about 4 or 5 minutes, and I don't consider myself that good (I can usually finish the Sunday ones, but not with any sort of speed), if you just know all the across clues, it's just a matter of a little bit of typing and you're done, and if you're a really good crossword puzzle person, knowing all the across clues on a Monday or a Tuesday puzzle is not unexpected.
posted by brainmouse at 9:22 AM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by brainmouse at 9:22 AM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
Does it get timed from when the puzzle is released to the public, or when you start it? If it's the latter, it's conceivable that the person does the puzzle on another device/account, then fills in the answers on a different one. Ridiculous, but people will do silly things to see their names at the top of the leaderboard.
posted by supercres at 9:23 AM on December 20, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by supercres at 9:23 AM on December 20, 2011 [5 favorites]
These are speed solvers, the elite types who win crossword tournaments, like you see in the movie Wordplay. To get that fast you train, either by years of practice, or Tyler Hinman type youngsters by doing manymanymnay puzzles a day. You have to memorize all the four letter river names, know your ewers from you ollas and olios. Personally it seems like a bit less fun than a leisurely 5 minute pen and ink fill in, with time to appreciate any cleverness of the construction, but to each their own.
You should check out the various crossword blogs, including Rex Parker. Some of the blogs he links might lead you to a speedsolving blog.
I linked to yesterday's puzzle, just in case you haven't done today's yet.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 9:26 AM on December 20, 2011
You should check out the various crossword blogs, including Rex Parker. Some of the blogs he links might lead you to a speedsolving blog.
I linked to yesterday's puzzle, just in case you haven't done today's yet.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 9:26 AM on December 20, 2011
As a test, I just did a Monday puzzle on a PC in 4:08, and I'm not that facile with Across Lite. I'm pretty good for a regular person but nothing compared to real crossword pros. Having a real keyboard helps, but I don't know if the high score list combines people doing it with phones and iPads with people on a computer.
posted by dfan at 9:27 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by dfan at 9:27 AM on December 20, 2011
I have wondered exactly the same thing. Even if I have all the answers written out on paper it takes me about 5 minutes to do a Monday puzzle on the iPhone or iPad. I have no idea how people do it in two minutes thirty seconds.
For all those people referencing Wordplay, that's a different beast. We're not talking pencil and paper, we're talking awkward iOS interface.
posted by alms at 9:33 AM on December 20, 2011
For all those people referencing Wordplay, that's a different beast. We're not talking pencil and paper, we're talking awkward iOS interface.
posted by alms at 9:33 AM on December 20, 2011
Nthing Wordplay. Some people are just born with this really weird ability to do these things fast.
Also, my friend who was in Wordplay tells me that the clues in puzzles are often used over and over again--filler words that have a critical letter, such as "axe", often show up and so the more puzzles you do, the faster you'll be.
posted by Melismata at 9:35 AM on December 20, 2011
Also, my friend who was in Wordplay tells me that the clues in puzzles are often used over and over again--filler words that have a critical letter, such as "axe", often show up and so the more puzzles you do, the faster you'll be.
posted by Melismata at 9:35 AM on December 20, 2011
My Monday NYT record is 3 minutes and 31 seconds on the iPhone. It's a lot faster if you don't use the puzzle layout and instead look at the individual clues (click the button next to the Menu button on the top left).
posted by elsietheeel at 9:37 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by elsietheeel at 9:37 AM on December 20, 2011
For all those people referencing Wordplay, that's a different beast. We're not talking pencil and paper, we're talking awkward iOS interface.
I believe the official NYT crossword app uses the same leaderboard as the Java applet on the website, which is how the ~2 minute times are achieved. I'm pretty fast with an iPhone keyboard and the best I can ever do is around 2:50.
posted by theodolite at 9:37 AM on December 20, 2011
I believe the official NYT crossword app uses the same leaderboard as the Java applet on the website, which is how the ~2 minute times are achieved. I'm pretty fast with an iPhone keyboard and the best I can ever do is around 2:50.
posted by theodolite at 9:37 AM on December 20, 2011
the clues in puzzles are often used over and over again--filler words that have a critical letter, such as "axe", often show up and so the more puzzles you do, the faster you'll be.
This is definitely true. There is a "language" of crosswords and once you get familiar with the commonly used words you'll get a lot faster.
posted by something something at 9:37 AM on December 20, 2011
This is definitely true. There is a "language" of crosswords and once you get familiar with the commonly used words you'll get a lot faster.
posted by something something at 9:37 AM on December 20, 2011
I've done Monday crosswords in two minutes, and under three is routine for me. Basically because I have too much practice.
posted by madcaptenor at 9:38 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by madcaptenor at 9:38 AM on December 20, 2011
Riding the Metro North, I have seen people regularly complete the NYTimes puzzle in 2 or 3 minutes with PEN. They simply know the answers and fill them in. If you know all the answers, you only really need to do the across ones or the down ones and the opposite way are all filled in for you.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:38 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:38 AM on December 20, 2011
Although, as people have mentioned, the keyboard makes a difference; I do it at a full-sized keyboard.
posted by madcaptenor at 9:39 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by madcaptenor at 9:39 AM on December 20, 2011
Yeah, there are clues and words that appear almost every week. For instance, there's a 99% chance that a three-letter question about a snake is going to be "asp."
posted by griphus at 9:47 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by griphus at 9:47 AM on December 20, 2011
The iPad interface is pretty fast... if you know all the answers. All you do is type letters, and it moves to the next clue, and you type some more.
posted by smackfu at 9:52 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by smackfu at 9:52 AM on December 20, 2011
Any short word with a lot of vowels or Rs and Ts will be used frequently. For example.
posted by Wretch729 at 9:52 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by Wretch729 at 9:52 AM on December 20, 2011
Serious crossworders on the Metro North only ever start when the train pulls out of Harlem-125, i.e., they have 10 minutes max before the train stops at Grand Central. Only when you get to Thursday or Friday do you see people pop a sweat.
posted by MattD at 11:01 AM on December 20, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by MattD at 11:01 AM on December 20, 2011 [3 favorites]
Teri Garr and Arte Johnson rule xwds, along with other 4 letter people for fill in.
posted by Cranberry at 12:06 PM on December 20, 2011
posted by Cranberry at 12:06 PM on December 20, 2011
As you do more puzzles on a regular basis, like anything else you practice at you'll get faster. As others say above, the NYT puzzle starts out relatively easy on Mondays, and gets progressively harder as the week goes along.
Another thing that will affect your finishing time is who wrote/edited the puzzle; for instance, Will Shortz has famously been in charge of NYT puzzle for many years. As with any other creative endeavor, different crossword puzzle designers have personal styles and preferences: if you do the NYT puzzle exclusively for awhile, then you'd definately notice a differance if you switched to another newspaper's puzzles --- if you're used to one puzzle writer, you'd notice different finishing times with another puzzle writer.
posted by easily confused at 2:55 PM on December 20, 2011
Another thing that will affect your finishing time is who wrote/edited the puzzle; for instance, Will Shortz has famously been in charge of NYT puzzle for many years. As with any other creative endeavor, different crossword puzzle designers have personal styles and preferences: if you do the NYT puzzle exclusively for awhile, then you'd definately notice a differance if you switched to another newspaper's puzzles --- if you're used to one puzzle writer, you'd notice different finishing times with another puzzle writer.
posted by easily confused at 2:55 PM on December 20, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Remember also the NYC puzzle gets harder as the week goes on, so Monday and Tuesday are pretty simple by the standards of people who do it every day.
posted by Wretch729 at 9:12 AM on December 20, 2011