Cross Words: Dare to Contest with Me?

Cross Words: Dare to Contest with Me?

The crossword 1 puzzle was an early 20th century invention. A 1)craze like the 2)Charleston that quickly invaded the popular culture. But even newspaper editors thought it a passing 3)fad 2, which would end long before the film career of comedian 3 4)Harold Lloyd. They were wrong.

Today Lloyd is a five letter answer for silent screen star and crosswords 4 an addiction 5 as strong as morning coffee for millions of Americans. Their chief 5)enabler and daily 6)adversary 6, a faceless 7)foe 7 named Will Shortz.

For nearly a decade, Shortz has used his position to revolutionize the 8)genre 8, turning what used to be a straight forward educational exercise in synonyms 9 into a mind-bending entertainment employing pop culture, history, geography and especially verbal trickery. A Will Shorts puzzle can be a push up for the mind or an intellectually challenging way to waste time.

Interviewer: Why do people do crossword puzzles?

Will Shortz: I think people do crosswords, first of all, to test themselves. We know once we leave school, it’s difficult for us to know how sharp our brains are. Crosswords are a way to take this stuff that we know and apply it in a completely different way, and that’s satisfying.

He’s only the fourth crossword puzzle editor The Times has ever had. Inheriting the 9)mantle 10 nine years ago from Eugene Maleska, a former classic’s teacher and school 10)superintendent 11 whose puzzles favor the obscure. Like a six letter word for a three-11)toed African tree frog. With the readership of one of its most popular features aging, they worried that the crossword puzzle would go the way of 12)Canasta, a seven letter card game that your parents used to play. They wanted someone who knew as much about 13)James Taylor as 14)James Madison.

Shortz: I keep up with rock, I watch TV, I go to a lot of movies, I travel a lot, I read voraciously 12. So I think I’m up on what’s happening.

He likes to use words and phrases from popular culture and brand names, be they products or performers. But his trademark 13 is cleverness, originality 14 and humor. Using common words in an uncommon 15 way.

Shortz: Take the clue: stick in the fridge in four letters. And you are thinking what could that possibly be? Four-letter word for put something in the refrigerator? But the answer is oleo. ‘Cause it is a stick that is in the fridge. A mind that can pick up on a 15)pun like that is going to be good at solving crosswords.

Interviewer: You like words that are spelled the same way but have different pronunciations and different meanings.

Shortz:  I use every misleading opportunity I can.

Interviewer: Can you give me an example?

Shortz:  Well, one that jumps to mind... the clue appeared to say, notable tower, in three letters. The answer was AAA, which is a notable tower, or a group that tows cars. I actually got letters from people after that puzzle appeared wondering, you know, “Where’s this AAA tower?” I had to break it to them gently that it was a different sort of t-o-w-e-r.

Interviewer: Give me an idea of how many people read your crossword every day, or do it.

Shortz:  Oh, the daily puzzle appears in about 150 papers around the country, and the Sunday puzzle in about 300 papers. So I’m sure it must be millions and millions of people.

填字游戏——敢和我斗智吗？

填字游戏发明于二十世纪早期。它类似于“查尔斯顿快步舞”，飞快地风靡了西方社会。但在当时，即使报刊编辑也认为这只是一时热潮，生命期甚至比喜剧演员哈罗德·劳埃德的从影生涯还要短。但他们错了。

如今，劳埃德只不过是一个由五个字母组成的名字，代表过气的无声电影明星，但填字游戏却像早餐咖啡一样让无数美国人大上其瘾。他们每天斗智的对象，是一个只闻其名、不见其人的人，他叫威尔·肖兹。

肖兹花了近十年的时间来力导填字风尚，将它从过去一种纯粹的同义词教学练习转变为令人入迷的智力游戏，其中蕴涵着流行文化、历史、地理知识，尤其是口语技巧。肖兹的填字游戏有助于智力发展，也是打发时间的智力挑战游戏。

记者：为什么大家会喜欢玩填字游戏？

威尔·肖兹∶我认为，大家玩填字游戏首先是为了测试自己。我们一旦离开校园，就难以了解自己的智力水平。填字游戏正是这样一种游戏，让我们以一种彻底不同的方式来运用我们所了解的知识，让人获得满足感。

肖兹是《时代》杂志历来第四位负责填字游戏的编辑，继承了九年前尤今·莫莱斯卡的衣钵。尤今·莫莱斯卡原来是位古典文学教师及学校负责人，他的字谜偏向于晦涩不清。例如打一由六个字母组成的单词，意指某种非洲三趾树蛙。随着主要读者群的逐渐老龄化，人们开始担心填字游戏将沦为类同于凯纳斯特桥牌游戏--父辈们过去常玩的一种由七个字母组成的纸牌游戏。他们希望大家了解歌星詹姆斯·泰勒就和了解总统詹姆斯·麦迪逊一样多，能知晓全方位知识。

肖兹：我不断地听摇滚、看电视、看电影、去旅游、多阅读。所以说，我更喜欢流行事物。

肖兹喜欢采用流行文化和品牌名的单词、短语，不管是产品还是表演者。但他的风格非常巧妙，富有原创性和幽默性。都是寻常词汇的不寻常使用。

肖兹：猜猜这个：打一放在家用冰箱里的物品，四个字母。你想这会是什么呢？四个字母的单词，放在冰箱里的东西？答案却是“oleo（人造奶酪）”。因为它既表现出“stick”这个词，也是“放在冰箱里”的。能注意到这种双关语的人，解起题来会得心应手。

记者：你喜欢用那些拼写一样、但发音和含义不同的词汇。

肖兹：我为了误导大家真是绞尽脑汁。

记者：你能举个例吗？

肖兹：这是我刚想到的……有提示说：是个著名的塔，由三个字母组成。答案是“AAA”--这是个很有名的塔，或者一个拖车团。字谜登出去后，我确实收到过不少人来信询问：“AAA塔在哪里？”我只好心平气和地给他们破谜，说这是一种不同的塔。

记者：告诉我，每天有多少人在看或者在玩这些填字游戏？

肖兹：全美国每天约有一百五十家报纸登载填字游戏，在周日登载的报纸约达三百家。因此，我敢肯定玩的人数一定数以百万计。

注释:

1) craze [kreiz] n. 短暂的时尚，流行一时的狂热

2) Charleston [5tFB:lstEn] n. 查尔斯顿快步舞

3) fad [fAd] n. 时尚，一时流行的狂热

4) Harold Lloyd: 哈罗德·劳埃德，于十九世纪末期出生美国，曾在短期内出演无声电影喜剧，后出任家族企业的副总裁

5) enabler [i5neiblE] n. 授权者，批准人

6) adversary [5AdvEsEri] n. 敌手，对手

7) foe [fEu] n. 反对者，敌人

8) genre [VB:Nr] n. 风格，流派

9) mantle [5mAntl] n. 披风；斗篷

10) superintendent [7sju:pErin5tendEnt] n. 主管，负责人

11) toe [tEu] n. 脚趾，趾

12) Canasta [kE5nAstE] n. 凯纳斯特纸牌游戏（用两套牌玩的一种纸牌戏）

13) James Taylor: 詹姆斯·泰勒，二十世纪七十年代早期美国著名歌星，曾多次获得格莱美最佳流行男歌手奖

14) James Madison: 詹姆斯·麦迪逊（1751-1836），美国第四任总统

15) pun [pQn] n. 双关语