This Wonderful Thing is a crossword puzzle that appeared in The New York Times on 16 Dec 2021.
This puzzle, written by Trenton Charlson, is a geek's paradise. As an homage to the game of Boggle, Charlson's four long answers are all synonyms of "flummox"; the center 16 squares are highlighted grey. When the grid is successfully completed, the center 16 squares appear as a Boggle board, from which three of the four flummoxing answers can be derived, using Boggle rules! Hilarious! Tricky! Flummoxing! The Times added a little widget to illustrate the Boggle actions, but the construction is simply lovely with or without it.
This puzzle is nearly as good as Jeremiah Farrell's famous puzzle that ran on election day, November 5, 1996. A clue read "Lead story in tomorrow's paper (!)" and it could be answered correctly "Clinton Elected" or "Bob Dole Elected". Considerable confusion and laughter occurred on both sides of the political spectrum. Farrell's legendary crossword is magic and we were all in hog heaven and flummoxed until the big reveal. Might it have affected voter turnout? Who knows.
Congrats to Trenton Charlson! Hurrah and huzzah!!
This puzzle, written by Trenton Charlson, is a geek's paradise. As an homage to the game of Boggle, Charlson's four long answers are all synonyms of "flummox"; the center 16 squares are highlighted grey. When the grid is successfully completed, the center 16 squares appear as a Boggle board, from which three of the four flummoxing answers can be derived, using Boggle rules! Hilarious! Tricky! Flummoxing! The Times added a little widget to illustrate the Boggle actions, but the construction is simply lovely with or without it.
This puzzle is nearly as good as Jeremiah Farrell's famous puzzle that ran on election day, November 5, 1996. A clue read "Lead story in tomorrow's paper (!)" and it could be answered correctly "Clinton Elected" or "Bob Dole Elected". Considerable confusion and laughter occurred on both sides of the political spectrum. Farrell's legendary crossword is magic and we were all in hog heaven and flummoxed until the big reveal. Might it have affected voter turnout? Who knows.
Congrats to Trenton Charlson! Hurrah and huzzah!!
Salutary Links
- Charlson, Trenton. To Flummox or Not to Flummox. https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2021/12/16" NYT Crosswords, 6 December 2021.
- Robert versus the NYTXW. On this Youtube video, one can watch Robert solve the puzzle, for those who don't have a subscription. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uXurjnVgbU
- Amien, Deb. To Flummox or Not to Flummox. Trenton Charlson returns with a questionable, fantastic puzzle. 16 Dec 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2021-12-16.html
- Suchi. New York Times Election Day Crossword. https://www.crosswordunclued.com/2009/01/nyt-election-day-crossword.html 9 January 2009
- Kile, Jenny. The Original 1972 Game of Boggle. All About Fun and Games. https://allaboutfunandgames.com/the-original-1972-game-of-boggle Undated.