COMMENTS ON WORDLE AND OTHER PUZZLES

Because I have been doing puzzles for over 70 years, I feel qualified to talk critically about some of them. (IMHO)

Sudoku

Fun games to keep your mind active.  I used to do them until it dawned on me that there was a point, like a fork in the road, where you had to make a choice.  Sorry, I don't like to do that.

Logic Puzzles

Same comment.  How can it be logical to make a guess? 

Wordle

Addictive.  It's even caught me after avoiding it for a while.

However, I would wish that the final words would be less ambiguous.  For instance, in a recent Wordle the final word could have been 10 different words if the initial letter was different.  Again, one has to guess.

American Crosswords

Some of the hardest crosswords have clues like:

"Most improved Polo player in the U.K. in 1923."

Now, come on. Who the hell would know that?

One would hope that other connecting words would fill in the answer, or a Google search would be necessary.

But suppose the connecting clue is: 

"Bantu superintendent."

In that case we have a "NATICK" situation, one unguessable answer crossed by another unguessable answer. This word was coined by a puzzle expert who is a resident of Natick, Massachusetts.

French Crosswords (Mots Croises Choisis)

Like ours, except there might be imbedded repetition and lots of abbreviations that even people who do not know French can guess. Not much fun.

German Crosswords (Kreuzwortraetzel)

All different kinds of puzzle construction including American style, but often several answers in each line.  Fun, if you know a little German.  Not hard.

Hungarian Crosswords (Keresztrejtveny)

OMG! Don't even go there!

British Crosswords (CRYPTICS)

It takes a "mind bend" for Americans to do these wonderful puzzles, which use all kinds of wordplay.  Tough for Americans, but American crosswords are equally tough for Brits.

Acrostics

A wonderful pastime.  Clues that give answers that make up a book quotation.  I work hard to fill in the quote words and when the quote is revealed, it usually is interesting and pushes me to check the book out with my Kindle "book store."

Puzzlers Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon developed Acrostics and have had them published as long as I can remember.

Some "know-it-alls" have told us that doing puzzles is a waste of time.  They should be "tarred and feathered."

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