CROSS-WORD PUZZLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19014, 11 May 1925, Page 17

CROSS-WORD PUZZLES.

VOGUE IN AUCKLAND. WIDESPREAD POPULARITY. A RUN ON DICTIONARIES. j " A silly waste of time," seems to sum up the attitude of most. AuckJanders toy ward cross-word puzzles—in public at p. least. But it is evident that some of those who publicly scorn this latest pnstime must become its ardent devotees in (j t.he privacy of their homes. For the . cross-word puzzle craze" or "mania," y us sorno prefer to call it, has taken a firm .t Jiold qf Auckland. , Evidence of the popularity of the crossword pastime is afforded by the oxperi■i ence of two Auckland theatres which I: offered free tickets in return for the work- , ing-out of a series of puzzles. In the first . week some 500 complete solutions were j forwarded. This, moreover, was an ; extremely difficult puzzle—so much so, indeed, that, of the 500 solutions re--3 ceivcd riot one was correct! llow many ' people, then, attempted the puzzle lint , did not complete it? The problem is an l insoluble one, but it almost tempts the J answer, " Millions!" It must be borne in mind, too, that this puzzle could Jiave reached only a very small proportion of ; the Auckland public, i Later puzzles in this series were not so [ difficult and within a short period the I number returned weekly had almost f doubled whi'e ihe proportion of correct - solutions in some instances rose to idt most 40 per cent. Quite a large number , of incorrect solutions were accompanied ! by letters which began: " f enclose Jiere- > with the correct solution. . . ." Apparently the inexperienced puzzle hunter in the first flush of triumph at. having filled all the vacant squares is apt to ignore minor details of spelling and to give to some <.f the. definitions meanings with which the dictionary is not acquainted. Demand lot Puzzle Books. I'urthe.r evdenee of the extent of the cross-word craze is afforded by the sudden increase in the demand for cheap dictionaries and books of synonyms, as well as for the puzzle-books themselves. One j large book-selling establishment in Auck- | land obtained a stock of puzzle-books [ about eighteen months ago. For long it I 'was only rarely that one was sold, Then j a short lime ago the cross-word fashion I reached Auckland. There came a sudden | demand for the books and in a very short | time the available supply was completely j sold out. The vogue of the cross-word is now apparently in full swing. One may see enthusiasts at their self-appointed tasks on nearly every tram, Their powers of concentration must be unique if (bev can ! ignore the bustle of " rush-time," and the j overwhelming noise of the latest type of j cars. But once engrossed in a puzzle j devotees seem to become oblivious to all ! around them. One young man confessed j in a letter to the manager of one of the | theatres referred to that he had sat up I till past midnight working out one of the j puzzles. No doubt there were many i others who could have told the same tale j had they cared to do so. Those who I would ordinarily shrink in horror from ! such serious study appear to take a posi- | live delight in this particular form of j bra in-work. Construction of Puzzles. j Enthusiasm for the puzzles sometimes| leads to unexpected results. One young [ man who was accustomed to solving knotty problems on his way homo from work is said to have become so engrossed in a puzzle thai he failed to notice the tact, when his tram reached the terminus. When he did look round triumphantly, on ] the completion of his task he found that j bo was repassing the front of his office in Queen Street Tim solving of puzzles is not by any means the most difficult form of the crossword art. There are many who have now j undertaken Hie far more difficult task of I making (heir own puzzles. In many | eases they find it necessary to compromise I | with their consciences and not interpret i I the rules of the game too literally. Jj'or in- j i stance, the amateur puzzle-maker genor-i j ally seems to block in considerably morel j of the squares than the standard proper- j | tion of one in six. Words of two letters, | ! also, seem to be excessively popular, while | | abbreviations and foreign words flourish' iin abundance. However, anyone, who has 'attempted to make up a puzzle, in strict j J .'voorrianee with the rules can readily forj give these delinquences. They are the re- j still, not of laxity, but of necessity. Vogue Among the Ladies. 11 is the members of the gentler scx,j ; however, who seem to have been most j i seriously affected by tins epidemic, if it! may be so called. Once attacked by the! "germ" they lose interest in all other pas-; times, and it is snid that more than one j ; young swain has of late been forced lu kick i : his heels in idleness while a fair head j ; pored earnestly over bizarre designs in j i black and white. There arc many fathers, j ! too. who will echo the complaint heard ;i i few days ago: " I never see the JlEßAi.iij ; Supplement nowadays. The girls grab j j it to do the puzzles." | The craze seems now to be at the height ] ; of its popularity, but (here remains the | question of how long it will Inst. Auckland has never been afflicted in just this i way before, so that he would be bold ini deed who would set definite limits to the I career of cross-words. It. has been sugi <;estcd, however, thai with the end of the' [ winter their day will be over. The sur-j | rnise will probably not be far wrong. The j craze will, indeed, need to take linn root 1 if it is to 'withstand the counter attractions of an Auckland summer. The lure of blue skies and warm breezes will almost certainly give a severe check to its popularity. Of lourse it is possible to solve the puzzles in the open air. But can one imagine anyone sitting on the bench and working out. a cross-word puzzlej