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wordplay, the crossword column
Solving Vasu Seralathan’s puzzle, as with many Thursday crosswords, requires a different way of thinking.
By Deb Amlen
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
THURSDAY PUZZLE — Let’s talk about lateral thinking.
According to Collins English Dictionary, it is “a method of solving problems by using your imagination to help you think of solutions that are not obvious at first.” Flexible thinking is another way to describe it, and it’s useful in many aspects of life.
If you came here after solving Vasu Seralathan’s puzzle, his second for The New York Times, you can probably see why I am bringing this up. Lateral thinking is an important tool when it comes to solving crosswords, and that goes double for tricky Thursday grids. Maybe triple. So this column is dedicated to those who are just dipping their toes into the turbulent waters of late-week puzzles.
You can develop these skills, but, as with everything worthwhile, it takes time and practice. Most people are used to thinking literally, but that does not always serve solvers of late-week puzzles. If I were to ask you for a three-letter word using the clue “Late start?,” you might initially think the answer had something to do with time, as in having a late start to the day. After pondering the clue for a lengthy amount of time, you might not come up with an adequate answer, especially if you are unsure of the significance of the question mark. (For those who are just joining us, it means that the clue should not be taken at face value.)
Now comes the hard part: You have to shift your thinking process from trying to find the obvious answer to figuring out what else the verb “start” might mean. In the 2023 update to his book “Creativity,” Mark A. Runco offers a useful metaphor: “When faced with a problem or obstacle, do not dig deeper, dig elsewhere.”
In the example above, “start” is used to indicate the beginning letter of the other word. The start to the word “late” is the letter L, spelled phonetically as ELL.
The italicized theme clues may not make much sense to you at first, but hang in there, and try to be as flexible as you can. You’ve got this, and if you don’t, practice solving Thursday crosswords in the archives until your brain starts to think laterally.
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