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The Yiddish words "Gantser k'nacker" mean" Big shot!" It also describes someone who does a crossword puzzle with a pen. Bill Clinton, for example, does his crossword puzzles with a felt-tip pen; most other solvers prefer to use a "blayer" (pencil) in case of errors. Jon Stewart is also a pen man.
I once had the pleasure of working for a high school principal, Randolph Ross, who also was a cruciverbalist--a person who CREATES crossword puzzles. (His mother must be "shepen naches"--drawing pleasure). A principal AND a cruciverbalist!
"Wordplay" is a new documentary featuring Will Shortz, Editor of The New York Times Crossword, as well as Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, Bob Dole, and Mike Mussina. Jon S tewart calls Will Shortz, "The Error Flynn of crossword puzzling." At Indiana University, Shortz created his own major, Enigmatology.
Is there a pattern to New York Times puzzles' difficulty? The puzzles grow in difficulty later in the week. for the most part, Monday (the "easy" one) through Thursday are themed puzzles, with the Thursday puzzle having an unusual twist to it. Friday and Saturday are themeless with interesting grids and tough clueing. According to Russell A. James, the Sunday crossword puzzle at the Washington Post is also the most difficult of the week.
Do people keep track of how quickly they solve the Times puzzle?
Daniel Okrent, the former New York Times public editor, admits that he has kept track of how "shnel" (fast) he solves the puzzle; he's been competing against himself and in many ways, against time itself.
Have any TV epi sodes dealt with the theme of crossword puzzles?
Yes, Paul Stynsberg reminded the writer that an old MASH episode titled, "38 Across," had the whole camp working to solve a crossword puzzle. They were stumped on a "finf" (5) letter word for" Yiddish bedbug." Befuddled by the crossword puzzle, Hawkeye persuades Potter to get his old friend Tippy Brooke (Oliver Clark) a whiz at puzzles, brought to camp. Tippy arrives from his aircraft carrier with his CO, Dick O'Neill, amidst many casualties, and provides the needed solution to the puzzle.
A Yiddish bedbug is a "vants."
Are there many errors in the Times' crossword puzzles?
With 32,000+ clues and answers in the Times' crossword puzzles each "yor" (year), occasional errors are bound to occur. Have " rachmones"--compassion! Who can be " perfekt" (Yiddish for "perfect ")? Cathy Millhauser, one of the best New York Times puzzle constructors, said, "People love the idea of trying to catch the New York Times editor in a mistake."
In Eugene T. Maleska's book, "Crosstalk - Letters to America's Foremost Crossword Puzzle Authority," a New Yorker wrote,
In yesterday's Xword (27 across) the definition is "chutzpah" and turns out to be MOXIE, which is as gross an error as I have ever seen in any of your puzzles (and you have had some exotic beauts on your editorship).
CHUTZPAH is the Yiddish word for "nervy" and implies very bad manners. Moxie has always meant strength or courage. Where in heaven's name is the alleged connection? (In this case, the fan is probably right.)
Maleska [in 1993] explains that "H ebrew and Yiddish can also cause many a dispute in the realm of orthography." He cites the various spellings for the Jewish months, as listed in Webster's Third:
1. Tishri, Tizri
2. Heshvan, Hesvan, Chesbvan, Chesvan
3. Kislev, Chislev
4. Tebet, Tebeth, Tevet, Teveth
5. Shebat, Sebat, Shevat
6. Adar
7. Nisan, Nissan
8. Iyar, Iyyar
9. Sivan, Siwan
10. Tammuz, Tamuz
11. Ab, Av
12. Elul, Ellul
According to Maleska, "the one that gives transliterators the least trouble is a crossword puzzle favorite--ADAR. But whenever I define it as 'the sixth month of the Jewish year,' someone is bound to send me a letter stating that it's the twelfth month. The problem is that Adar is No. 6 in the civil year, wherera s it's No. 12 in the ecclesiastical year."
What about the use of curse words in crossword puzzles?
Will shortz wrote, "When I accepted the word DRECK in Wednesday's crossword, yes, I knew its original Yiddish meaning. But in the sense of "worthless stuff" or " junk," no dictionary I've checked labels it vulgar or in bad taste, so to me it's an acceptable crossword entry. I'd even call it lively." [Columnist's note: In Galvin and Tamarkin's book, "The Yiddish Dictionary Sourcebook," human dung is spelled " drek."]
Shortz continues, "As for PUTZ, which someone asked about, I would accept this, too, in the sense of 'to putz around.' And maybe SCHMUCK as well, meaning 'an obnoxious person.' Why not? These everyday words are not vulgar. They're simply slang. As long as the clues indicate they're slang, they're fine."
Put on your thinking cap, and see if you can solve the following crossword listings:
1. Nice to nosh (5 letters)
2. Baptism or bris (4 letters)
3. Chutzpah (4 letters)
4. Observe Yom Kippur (5 letters)
5. Ruth_____Ginsburg (5 letters)
6. Schlep (3 letters)
7. Non-Jews (8 letters)
8. Bagel topper (3 letters)
9. Halvah ingredient (6 letters)
10. Bar Mitzvah highlight (4 letters)
11. Noodge (4 letters)
12. Charlotte (sponge cake desserts)
(7 letters)
13. Borscht belt locale (5 letters)
14. "What ____, chopped liver? (3 letters)
15. Day in Jerusalem (3 letters)
16. Yom Kippur horn (6 letters)
17. Tel _____, Israel (4 letters)
18. Author Wiesel (4 letters)
19. Old Jewish scholars (5 letters)
20. A meddling onlooker (8 letters)
21. Scro ll in an ark (5 letters)
22. Bar Mitzvah, e.g. (4 letters)
23. Israeli money (6 letters)
24. Airline to Israel (4 letters)
ANSWERS:
1. snack
2. rite
3. gall
4. atone
5. Bader
6. lug
7. gentiles
8. lox
9. sesame
10. hora
11. pest
12. Rousses
13. hotel
14. amI
15. "Yom"
16. shofar
17. Aviv
18. Elie
19. Abbas
20. kibitzer
21. Torah
22. rite
23. shekel
24. ElAl
_____
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe agrees with Kipling, who said, "It matters not
who won or lost but that we played the game."
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