It’s not cheating to use the Check Puzzle feature
“Why is it so much easier to solve a crossword if you engage the Check All clues button? It seems way out of proportion to the difficulty of the clues and makes me think I am sort of cheating. But it allows me to get through the whole week and enjoy myself so much more.” — Alicia Carter, Berkeley, Calif. From Christina: Some might consider using the Check Puzzle button cheating, but I think of it as a helpful tool for newer solvers. For those who are unfamiliar, when you solve the crossword online or in the Games app, you can use tools to either check answers or reveal answers in the grid. Under the “check” menu, you can check either the whole puzzle, one answer, or one square. You can also use “autocheck,” which will automatically mark any mistake you type in with a red slash. For a new solver, a puzzle will naturally take longer than it would for an experienced solver. When you’re also uncertain about the answers you’ve written in, it can be hard to know where to go if you’re at an impasse. Are you stuck because one of those letters is incorrect? Or because you just don’t know the answer? Each letter you write in the grid should give you more information to help you figure out the rest of the answers in the grid. Filling out an answer when you have seven blanks is a lot harder than when you have three of those letters filled in. But filling in the answer when you have two incorrect letters written in is even harder. The confidence you gain from knowing that all the letters in the grid are definitely correct saves you a lot of time you might otherwise spend second-guessing yourself. I’ve always felt that the puzzle is designed to be fun and educational. If you end up giving up on a puzzle because it’s too frustrating, then the Check Puzzle feature might be a great way for you to solve with that extra confidence boost. There’s no wrong way to solve a puzzle!
Solve Friday’s Crossword on Easy Mode!
In today’s Wordplay column, Deb Amlen writes about the similarities between solving a crossword and dating. For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read her column here. Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us on the X platform, on Threads or by email. A Quick Cool-DownHow fast can you solve today’s Mini?
Get a ClueMy favorite clue from last week is 41-Across from Friday, Aug 1. When you see a phrase that sounds like it should be spoken but it’s missing the quotes, it’s often a goofy clue, especially if it has an exclamation point. 41-Across: Ay, there’s the rub!
How are we doing? Thanks for playing! Subscribe to New York Times Games. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it regularly here. P.S. The answer to Get a Clue is MASSAGE.
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