Friday, July 28, 2017

Can crosswords make your brain younger?



A huge study of 17,000 people aged 50 and over has found that people who engage with word puzzles most often fare better on attention, reasoning, and memory tests than others who don’t complete similar brain teasers.

...Word-puzzle fans have brain function equivalent to 10 years younger than their age on tests of grammatical reasoning, speed, and short-term memory accuracy.

Read more here.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

When did the word 'nerd' evolve to mean cool?


I think you'll enjoy this article...

Being an avid fan of some of the challenging crossword puzzles in The New York Times, I occasionally even delve into the puzzle archives and attempt some of the ones from yesteryear.

Recently, I was working on a puzzle from Sept. 15, 1995, in which one of the clues was “teen outcast,” with its answer as “nerd.”


I sent an e-mail to New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz...

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Clever Clue of the Month


June 2017
Clue: Domestic flap?...................................DOGDOOR
Constructor: David Alfred Bywaters ; Editor: Mike Shank
Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, June 28, 2017