PUZZLE MANIA IS COMING!
As many puzzle enthusiasts know, the New York Times runs a special insert every December. This year’s Puzzle Mania section, which will appear on December 1, will include an acrostic that we constructed especially to draw in new solvers. A number of the clues and answers are geared toward kids and teens, with the idea that multiple generations might solve the puzzle together. That acrostic will appear both in the hard copy Puzzle Mania insert and also on www.xwordinfo.com. Give it a try and tell us what you think!
On an ongoing basis, we post entries here every two weeks, offering reflections on each new acrostic. Spoiler alert: The posts will be written for folks who have already completed that acrostic. As before, the acrostics themselves can be found every other Sunday in the New York Times Magazine and on the Select Acrostics page at www.xwordinfo.com.
We really want to know what you think. Please share your opinions – politely, collegially – on the acrostics as a whole (too hard, too easy, just right), on particular clues and answers, on the quotation, or on anything else that comes to mind. Which aspects of acrostics do you most value: exposure to esoteric new words, clever puns, thematic material, trivia, meaningful quotations? We also welcome suggestions for future acrostics; are there authors or themes you would like us to consider using? Do you have ideas for new wrinkles or formats?
For those who are new to acrostics, or who may be introducing them to the next generation of solvers, take a look at our pages on What Is an Acrostic? and Beginner Tips. And while we’re at it, would you like to see some acrostics geared to children?
For those who have not yet explored the wonders of www.xwordinfo.com, we highly recommend it for puzzlers everywhere.