Okay, so today I wanted to knock out the New York Times crossword. I’ve been doing these for a while now, and it’s become a fun little routine. So, let’s dive right in!
First off, I grabbed my phone and opened up the NYT Games app. Gotta say, it’s pretty handy having all these puzzles in one place. Today’s crossword was waiting for me, and as usual, I started with a quick scan. You know, just to get a feel for what I was dealing with. Some days are trickier than others, and I like to be prepared.
I noticed right away that Mondays are always the easiest, and they get tougher as the week goes on. Since today was a Thursday, I knew it wouldn’t be a total cakewalk. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
- Started with the fill-in-the-blanks. These are usually the easiest clues, kind of like freebies. You can usually guess them without much thought.
- Moved on to clues with quotation marks. These aren’t about completing a sentence. Instead, you’re looking for a word that means the same thing as the clue. So, like, if the clue is “Your point is…?”, you might answer “And…?”
- Tackled the short words next. It’s always satisfying to fill in those little three or four-letter words. Plus, they can give you hints for the longer words.
There were a few clues that had me stumped for a bit. I found myself staring at the screen, trying to think of the right word. Sometimes, I went back and forth between a couple of different answers, not quite sure which one fit best. And you know what? That’s okay. It happens. Sometimes I just moved on to another part of the puzzle, and when I came back with a fresh mind, things got easier.
I kept plugging away, filling in a word here and there. Some answers came to me right away, while others took a bit more thought. But slowly but surely, the grid started to fill up. It’s always a great feeling to see those empty squares turn into letters, forming words and phrases.
After a while, I finally cracked the last clue. Typed in the final letter, and bam! Puzzle solved. It’s such a satisfying feeling to complete one of these, especially when it’s a bit of a challenge. I think it took me longer than the average of around nine minutes, but hey, who’s counting? This is my free time activity, so I can take as long as I want.
What I did:
- Opened the NYT Games app.
- Scanned the puzzle.
- Started with easy clues.
- Worked through the tougher ones.
- Finished the puzzle!
Honestly, I think anyone can learn to do these crosswords. It just takes a bit of practice and learning a few tricks. And the more you do them, the easier they get. Plus, it’s a great way to keep your mind sharp. I remember reading somewhere that the NYT started these Mini Crosswords back in 2014, and now they’ve got all sorts of other word games too. It’s pretty cool how popular they’ve become.
So yeah, that’s how I cleared out today’s New York Times crossword. It was a fun challenge, and I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s puzzle. Maybe I’ll even try a Saturday one soon, just to really test myself. We’ll see! If you’ve never tried one before, I highly recommend giving it a shot. You might just surprise yourself!
