Crosswords have attracted a mass following since the first clue-based puzzle was published almost 100 years ago in a December 1913 issue of New York World. The term "puzzle head" has even been coined to describe someone who's crazy about crosswords.

Will Shortz, editor of the popular New York Times crossword puzzles, definitely fits the "puzzle head" description: Will sold his first puzzle at the age of 14, became a regular contributor to Dell puzzle publications at 16, and went on to become the only person in history to hold a college degree in enigmatology, or the study of puzzles.

As puzzle editor for the Times, Will reviews crossword submissions from the general public. Of the 75 to 100 competitive entries he receives each week, only seven are selected for publication. Entrants range in age from 14 to 97, with many submissions coming from college students. Brown University has the unique distinction of having had more puzzles by its students published than any other school.

Tips for Solving Crossword Puzzles
Improve your puzzle prowess with Will's simple suggestions for becoming better and faster at solving crosswords.

• Start the crossword with fill-in-the-blank clues; they are easy to spot in the list of clues and often have unique answers.
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• Continue the crossword by building on the answers you already have, paying particular attention to helpful letter combinations.
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• A clue in quotation marks that sounds like an expression in everyday speech will lead to an answer that is also spoken in everyday speech.
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• A clue that contains an abbreviation for a word that is not usually abbreviated will be answered by an abbreviation.
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• A clue that includes a foreign word or name for no apparent reason will be answered by a foreign word in the same language.
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• Watch for tricky or ambiguous clues in harder puzzles, and keep your mind flexible when thinking of their answers.
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• Remember that modern crosswords will test your knowledge of nearly everything in the world, from history you learned in school to things that are happening in the present day.
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• Most contemporary crosswords have themes, in which the long answers are tied together in some amusing way. If you can identify the theme, you will have an advantage in determining the puzzle's long answers.

Resources
Download The New York Times crossword puzzle discussed by Will Shortz on the show. Get more crossword tips on cruciverb.com.