Are you new to solving acrostics? Take a look at our page What Is an Acrostic? Here are a few more tips to help you get started.
Each answer will match the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) of its clue. For example, the answer to the clue “Run a meeting” will be a verb in the present tense; had the clue been “Ran a meeting,” the answer would be a verb in the past tense.
Answers to clues that call for a plural answer often (but not always) end in S.
Every answer will be one word long unless the clue indicates otherwise, e.g., by the inclusion of the phrase “2 wds.” at the end of the clue. If an answer is hyphenated, the clue will indicate that as well: “hyph.”
Where to Start
Don’t be afraid to guess an answer, even if you’re not certain it’s correct. As you copy the letters of the answer into the grid, you may learn something. For example, if your guess for an answer is CRAVE and the V would appear as the final letter of a three-letter word in the grid, your guess is probably wrong, as very few three-letter words in the English language end in V. But you never know … that word could turn out to be REV or the acronym HIV. Similarly, if the A in CRAVE turns out to be the only letter in a one-letter word in the grid, that’s a good indication that your guess may be correct.
Take a look at the grid early on. You may see one or more elements even in a blank grid that may be helpful. For example, one-letter words usually turn out to be A or I. If you are solving in hard copy, you might pencil both of those letters into the corresponding answer blank. But beware: Not all one-letter “words” turn out to be A or I. The quotation may turn out to be about P. G. Wodehouse!
Remember that the first letters of each answer, read vertically if you’re solving in hard copy and read horizontally below the grid in xwordinfo, will spell out the name of the author and the source of the quotation. As you work through the acrostic, that element could provide additional clues. For example, if the first letter of the answer to Clue A is P and the first letter of the answer to Clue B is G, the author of the quotation may be – yep – P. G. Wodehouse.
Clues and Themes
We enjoy including in our acrostics clues and answers that relate in some way to the theme(s) of the quotation. Our first acrostic to appear in the New York Times, for example, was a quotation from Bill Bryson about parking in Rome. The clues and answers in that acrostic included a variety of words and phrases associated with Rome, including BERNINI, the SPANISH Steps, the TREVI Fountain, and the IDES OF MARCH (clued as “Date that ended badly”). Some other answers, such as EMPIRE FALLS, had a more attenuated connection to Rome. In addition, a couple of answers (HONDA; RAPID for “like autos’ travel on the Autostrade”) related to driving.
Sometimes, you may be able to guess the theme of a quotation by perusing the clues at the start. Other times, the theme may become clear only after you’ve filled in part of the puzzle. In either case, knowing the theme may help you solve the puzzle.
Stick with It!
Don’t be put off if progress in solving the puzzle seems slow. By their nature, acrostics are supposed to be challenging, particularly for beginners. If you are expecting the kind of quick gratification that comes from solving the daily WORDLE, you will need to recalibrate. In the lexicon of puzzledom, the acrostics that appear in the New York Times are “long-solve” affairs. But we can say from experience that they do get easier to solve once you get the hang of them. Persistence pays off! Meanwhile, if you’re solving in hard copy, we recommend a pencil – with an eraser.