If you are told: “Empty without an expanse”, in fifteen letters. Or even: “Rained or pissed in slang”, in eleven letters. The first is hidden in Telerama and the second in The Obs. If we add black squares, horizontality and verticality, does that speak to you? You don’t have to be a crossword puzzler to guess it’s a crossword puzzle. A mind game whose success has not been denied over the years and even less so in summer, the ideal season for racking your brains on the beach.
But what is ultimately a good crossword puzzle? The one that leaves you on the floor or the one that enriches your vocabulary? The one that gives you a smile or even a real moment of laughter? 20 minutes posed the question to those who create them (the verbicrucists) and those who try to solve them (the cruciverbists).
“The best grid is also the one that is feasible”: Philippe Dupuis, verbicrucist of “Le Monde”
“I’m not a fan of the whitest grid possible. Today it’s up to the one who will do the one with a minimum of black squares. With the computer, it’s easier to do than before, however, it’s not necessarily a better grid. For me it’s the one that uses the simplest words, the ones you all know. It’s using the dumbest word, with a definition that isn’t the most twisted, but that puts you on the wrong track. It’s to take the reader on a pun, on a pitfall, because words have meanings that we don’t know well. Finally, the best grid is also the one that is feasible. »
“I love those who give me trouble”: Cécile, cruciverbist and retired
“Crosswords make me think. For me, a good grid is a grid that gives me a hard time. I like those who give me trouble and force me to do it a second time. When we come back to it, there are things that you hadn’t seen and that immediately jump to your mind. I also like to learn new words and try to remember them. I write them down in a notebook. My favorite charts are those of Telerama and JDD. Lately on Le Figaro Magazine, there was also an interesting one because it made lots of references to literature, especially to Dangerous Liaisons. That, I liked, but you don’t often find that. »
“It must trigger frustration, but also enjoyment”: Gaëtan Goron, verbicrucist of “L’Obs”
“A good grid is a grid designed for the people who are going to solve it. Some authors want at all costs that we do not find solutions and definitions, it’s a bit perverse! (laughs) A good grid must be balanced and designed for the people who make it. At some point, it must trigger frustration, but also enjoyment or a burst of laughter, if only on a definition. If there is that at least once, it is a good grid. »
“With good authors there is always a more or less hidden clue”: Henri Houdebert, cruciverbist and retired, “Zouzou” on the mot-croisés.ch forum
“Depending on the level you are looking for, you quickly make a choice between the easy and the most difficult. There are grids of different kinds. What I like is the way the definitions are concocted. A good definition is one that is not immediately found, but in general among good authors there is always a more or less hidden clue. It is ultimately this little pebble that leads you to the solution, like Tom Thumb. There are also sometimes very humorous definitions. I make those of “DNA” (Alain Dag’Naud) of chained duck, because I like his turn of mind and his humor. And sometimes its definitions with sexual connotations… Who loves language, loves the different levels of language, of which slang is a part. »
“A solid grid for me is where there is funny vocabulary”: Antoine Hinge, verbicrucist of “Libé” and data engineer
“Not everyone is looking for the same thing. What I like are not so much the definitions as the words in the grid and the funny entries. I really like to put compound words or small expressions, anything that has a bit to do with orality. What has long been done in the crossword in France is the complicated definitions. I think there’s a real pleasure in that, but where I can stand out is on the vocabulary that’s a little more oral and pop. Afterwards, it’s like with novels, there are different authors. A solid grid for me is where there is fun vocabulary, things to learn or that we may already know and on which we shed new light. »
“The fewer black boxes, the more beautiful it is”: Margaux, 27-year-old photographer and occasional cruciverbist (she prefers crosswords)
“A good grid is when there aren’t too many black squares. It is more difficult but the less there is, the more beautiful it is. It may also be when there are references to other words that are already in the grid and when definitions intersect. I really like those of The Obs and those of New York Times where the definitions are very good and allow you to practice your English. Finally, a good grid is also when you manage to finish it, it’s very satisfying. »