Crossword puzzle
A crossword puzzle is a word puzzle in which the answers to numbered clues are written into a grid of squares, running across and down so that the words cross and share letters.
The modern crossword is usually dated to 21 December 1913, when Arthur Wynne published a diamond-shaped word-cross in the New York World. The format caught on in newspapers in the 1920s and has barely changed since: a symmetrical grid, black squares to separate words, and clues of varying difficulty.
Clues come in a few styles. Straight clues are definitions or synonyms. Cryptic clues, popular in British papers, hide wordplay inside a sentence. Themed puzzles tie several long answers together with a hidden idea. Solving works from the clues you know first, and the crossing letters then help with the harder ones.
A crossword gets easier with practice, because you learn the common fill words and the conventions of clue writing. Bossfeed has a daily mini crossword and large print crosswords for easier reading.
Daily Mini Crossword - a gentle place to start, with straight clues.
Used in: Daily Crossword
See also on Final Boss Editing: Crossword