Last night I saw a really fantastic documentary, Wordplay, about the New York Times crossword puzzle and its editor, Will Shortz. It sounds like a potentially dry subject, but the film is a complete blast, and it includes some really great and tense competition from the National Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut. It’s everything a good documentary should be – funny, illuminating, and even a little inspiring.
So I’m happy to take part in an internet crossword challenge. If you go to www.wordplaythemovie.com you’ll see “The Challenge” – it’s a crossword puzzle, but not all the clues are there. It’s because sites like CHUD are hosting some of the clues. And we’re doing something else – we’re giving away copies of the Wordplay companion book, which I haven’t seen but should be fun. If you want to enter to win a copy of the book, simply send me your name and address and the answers to the clues that CHUD is hosting. Easy as that!
(Note: the internet "scavenger hunt puzzle" that these clues are for will not be up until midnight. In the meantime, keep your eyes open for other sites with clues and send your answers in to me!)
Note: The answers to the asterisked clues are related to crossword solving.
*1 Michael Douglas film,
“Falling ___”
2 Hugh Grant film, “About
___”
3 “She ___ a Yellow
Ribbon”
4 “Waking ___ Devine”
5 Berle’s nickname,
Uncle ___