A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white and black shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer words and phrases are placed in the grid from left to right and from top to bottom. The shaded squares are used to separate the words or phrases.
The creating of crosswords is called cruciverbalism among its practitioners, who are referred to as cruciverbalists, from the Latin for cross and word. Although the terms have existed since the mid-1970s, non-cruciverbalists rarely use them, calling crossword creators constructors or (especially outside the United States) setters or compilers.
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Marian was first, and correct, with:
a person who constructs crossword puzzles.....a job I could never do
mj said:
I am forever thankful to these guys
Every time I get on a plane. I go directly to the in-flight magazine game section as soon as I take my seat, pull out my pen (pencil doesn't perform well on high gloss magazine stock), and start the product of the cruciverbalists' art. I do the crossword puzzle. It sometimes involves a few cross words until I suss out how the syntax of the clues, but it kills a few minutes while waiting for taxi and takeoff.
Alan J wrote:
Constructing Crossword Puzzles
Charlie replied:
Been many years since I've actually tried one, though I still think they're great. A cruciverbalist, which should be apparent from the word -- although I had to look it up -- is a designer of crossword puzzles.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, responded:
The creating of crosswords is called cruciverbalism among its
practitioners, who are referred to as cruciverbalists.
Adam answered:
Thay make crossword puzzles.
Dale of Norfallcali Diamond Springs, responded:
A cruciverbalist is builder of crosswords. Knew that. I've been addicted to the NY Times Crossword and many others since I was a youngster.
Sally said:
A cruciverbalist is a person who constructs crossword puzzles.
I listen to Will Shortz on NPR on Sundays. (NY Times Crossword Editor.)
Cruciverbalist is tossed around like popcorn referring to Will! Oh, that and "Mr Puzzle Man..."
PS: Big storm with even bigger winds coming in - with all my leaves piled up on the street. Just praying that they won't blow back into the yard...
Lois Of The Dwindling Mind In Oregon responded:
A cruciverbalist is one who constructs crosswords, and
probably not the ideal career if you suffer from tourette's
syndrome. Also, yesterday when I sent the picture of the
Pioneer Add stating Andy Warhol didn't play second base, I
forgot the make the joke about his being a catcher. Damn
that alzheimer's!
MAM wrote:
Cruciverbalist ~ a person skillful in creating or solving crossword puzzles.
BttbBob answered:
Zounds! What a nifty word... Way coolness... I have no idea what it means.
~~~~~
Now I do... It is a maker of, or someone who completes, a crossword puzzle. Makes sense if one studies the word... which I did not... cuz I gots stuff to do, ya know what I mean? Yeah...
~~~~~
I was a daily completer of those things (the Detroit Free Press had a good one) until this thing called the "Internet" came along... (again) Ya know what I mean?
~~~~~
Anti-hunters please ignore - I've been at 'deer camp'. Four of us and no craziness allowed. Very few beers drank, lots of stew and chili eaten, many euchre games played, and to bed early and up at 4 am to enormous breakfasts. Fine campfires, too. I saw numerous whitetails, but all too small, IMO. I decided to let them grow for another year (barring another hunter encounter). I came home empty handed, but don't really care. My new son-in-law got a fine fat 5-point earlier and he's given me some deer meat already
(Real deer hunters do NOT call deer meat "Venison". They call it what it is -deer meat). I had a fine buddy-bonding experience. One doesn't need to 'fill a tag' to do that. We talked about things we liked, fun stuff, and ignored the dagnab chaos beyond the limits of our 80 acres of forest...
~~~~~
Happy Birthday to:
(42) Yup... that's my "Kelly"... Foxy Lady...
(69) Look, I like this guy. I think he's funny. He has some strange beliefs, oh yeah, but he endorsed Al Franken for Senate. Almost came to blows in a debate with Ron Paul... Did I say he was funny?
He (66) is holding, I'm assuming, panties belonging to "Christine"... The cad...
The lucky cad... I wanted to do that back then... Dagnabbit
Born this day:
(1926-1969) A 'Hunk' in his time...
(1846-1911) Is this a formidable lookin' woman, or what? Seriously...
She put the 'Fear of God' into a few bartenders, I'm here to tell ya... Whoa...
(1920-2009) "Khan"... forget the "Fantasy Island" thing... this is Ricardo...
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian A. Scott Berg talks with Conan about Woodrow Wilson, including his hesitant path to World War I, how his wife secretly ran the White House, and what Barack Obama can learn from the 28th President.
CBS begins the night with the chestnut 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer', followed by a FRESH'NCIS: The 2nd One', then a FRESH'Person Of Interest'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Martha Stewart and Pitbull.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Angela Kinsey and American Authors.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH'Biggest Loser', followed by a FRESH'The Voice', then a FRESH'Chicago Fire'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Quentin Tarantino, Jim Stacy, and Luke Bryan.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Fallon are Josh Hutcherson, Budd Friedman, and Kelly Clarkson.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 10/29/13) are "Escape from Tomorrow", the Neighbourhood, and Ian Edwards.
ABC opens the night with a FRESH'Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD', followed by a FRESH'Dancing With The Stars'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Casey Affleck, Mike Tyson, and Linkin Park with Steve Aoki.
The CW offers a FRESH'The Originals', followed by a FRESH'Supernatural'.
Scheduled on a FRESHArsenio Hall are Mike Epps and Trombone Shorty.
Faux has FRESH'Dads', followed by a FRESH'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', then a FRESH'New Girl', followed by a FRESH'The Mindy Project'.
MY recycles an old 'Bones', followed by another old 'Bones'.
AMC offers the movie 'Jurassic Park III', followed by the movie 'RV', then the movie 'Miss Congeniality'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[8:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 3 - Ep 10 - Blink
[9:00AM] TORCHWOOD - Season 1 - Ep 12 - Captain Jack Harkness
[10:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 6 - Ep 9 - The Quality of Life
[11:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 6 - Ep 10 - Chain of Command, Part 1
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 6 - Ep 11 - Chain of Command, Part 2
[1:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES UK - Season 2 - Ep 2 - D-Place
[2:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 2 - Ep 2 - Giuseppi's
[3:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED UK - Season 3 - Ep 2 - Revisited: The Fenwick Arms
[4:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 7 - Episode 3
[5:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 7 - Episode 4
[6:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 9 - A Matter of Time
[7:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 10 - New Ground
[8:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 11 - Hero Worship
[9:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 12 - Violations
[10:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 13 - The Masterpiece Society
[11:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 11 - Hero Worship
[12:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 12 - Violations
[1:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 13 - The Masterpiece Society
[2:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 7 - Ep 1 - Aslyum of the Daleks
[3:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 7 - Ep 2 - Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
[4:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 7 - Ep 3 - A Town Called Mercy
[5:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 7 - Ep 4 - The Power of Three (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of BH', 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', another 'Real Housewives Of Atlanta', followed by a FRESH'Shahs Of Sunset'.
Comedy Central has an old 'Colbert Report', an old 'Jon Stewart', 'Workaholics', 'Tosh.0', another 'Tosh.0', still another 'Tosh.0', yet another 'Tosh.0', followed by a FRESH'Tosh.0', then a FRESH'Brickleberry'.
On a RERUNJon Stewart (from 11/13/13) are Key & Peele.
On a RERUNColbert Report (from 11/18/13) is Steve McQueen.
FX has '2½ Men', another '2½ Men', followed by the movie 'Wanted', then the movie 'Wanted', again.
History has 'Pawn Stars', another 'Pawn Stars', 'Counting Cars', another 'Counting Cars', followed by a FRESH'Top Gear', then a FRESH'Swamp People'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] The Birthday Boys -Cool Machine
[6:30AM] The Birthday Boys -Goofy Roofers
[7:00AM] Comedy Bang! Bang! -Jim Gaffigan Wears a Blue Jacket & Plum T-Shirt
[7:30AM] Whitest Kids U'Know
[7:45AM] The Marine 3: Homefront
[9:45AM] Slumdog Millionaire
[12:30PM] The Fugitive
[3:15PM] The Marine 3: Homefront
[5:15PM] Red Dragon
[8:00PM] Gone Baby Gone
[10:30PM] Scarface
[2:15AM] Gone Baby Gone
[4:45AM] Comedy Bang! Bang! -Andy Dick Wears a Black Suit Jacket & Skinny Tie
[5:15AM] The Birthday Boys -Helpful Tips
[5:45AM] Whitest Kids U'Know (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] The Closer You Get
[8:00AM] A Prairie Home Companion
[10:15AM] The Big Chill
[12:30PM] Changing Lanes
[2:45PM] Charley Varrick
[5:15PM] The Constant Gardener
[8:00PM] Once Upon a Time in Mexico
[10:15PM] Bullitt
[12:45AM] A Few Good Men
[3:45AM] Jesus Christ Superstar (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has 'Face Off', another 'Face Off', 'Naked Vegas', followed by a FRESH'Naked Vegas'.
TBS:
On a RERUNConan are Rebel Wilson, Samantha Gordon, and Jake Owen.
In this photo released by the Philippine Air Force, Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys, left, smiles at a typhoon survivor as she visits the Villamor Air Base in suburban Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines, Monday Nov. 25, 2013. Keys visited the air force base to bring cheer to hundreds of evacuees from eastern Philippine provinces wracked by Typhoon Haiyan earlier this month.
Monty Python added another four dates to their "one-off" reunion show on Monday after 14,500 tickets to their first London live performance sold out in just 43.5 seconds.
John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin announced their surprise return to the stage last week, sparking huge excitement among fans of the comedians who have not performed together since 1980.
The cult British troupe said they only planned to do one show at the O2 Arena in London on July 1, and Idle said the intention was "to see if we can fill it".
But the promoters were clearly prepared for the huge demand and added four additional shows when the tickets went live.
All five dates sold out within an hour -- and some £65 tickets for the first night were immediately posted on re-sale sites for a whopping £1,600 ($2,600, 1,900 euros).
A statuette of a bird featured in the classic 1941 detective thriller "The Maltese Falcon" sold for more than $4 million at auction Monday.
The final price on the prop was $4,085,000, according to Bonhams auction house.
The black figurine is one of two known statuettes made for the film but the only one confirmed by Warner Bros. archives as having appeared in it, Bonhams said.
The statuette has a Warner Bros. inventory number etched into the base and bears the name of the movie, which starred Humphrey Bogart as private detective Sam Spade.
A rocking chair used by president John F. Kennedy at the White House and two flags from his office drew more than $500,000 from a collector, Heritage Auctions said Sunday.
They were among some 228 items linked to the former president put under the hammer late Saturday in Dallas, Texas, on the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination in that city.
The two flags -- an American flag and one with the presidential seal -- were sold for $425,000, four times their pre-auction estimate, Heritage said in a statement.
The rocking chair sold for $87,500, also well above the pre-auction estimate of $50,000.
Dozens of top stars have donated songs to an album aimed at raising funds for typhoon disaster relief in the Philippines.
Songs by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Beyonce, U2 and Bruno Mars are among the 39 donated to "Songs for the Philippines," available for purchase Monday at iTunes and for streaming on iTunes Radio.
The artists, record companies and music publishers have agreed to donate the proceeds to the Philippines Red Cross.
The compilation album has a little of everything, from the disturbing images of a live version of Eminem's "Stan" to the calming effect of The Beatles' "Let It Be."
A trial over the ownership of an Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett opened Monday with lawyers for Ryan O'Neal and the University of Texas at Austin each telling jurors they have evidence that shows they should be awarded possession of the artwork.
The university's lawyers told the panel of six women and six men that Fawcett repeatedly described herself as the portrait's owner before her death in 2009, and her dying wishes included that all her artwork be given to the school.
O'Neal's lawyer said, however, that the university is relying on witnesses who had animosity toward the Oscar-nominated actor and evidence would show the disputed artwork was a gift to O'Neal from Warhol.
Warhol created two portraits of Fawcett for a television special in 1980. They are currently separated by thousands of miles, with one hanging in a museum at Fawcett's alma mater and the other on display in O'Neal's beachside home.
David Beck, an attorney for the university, told jurors that O'Neal took the disputed portrait from Fawcett's home after her death and should have to give it to the school.
A Florida woman has filed a $1.5 billion class-action lawsuit against online dating site Match.com, alleging the website allowed photos of her and thousands of others to be used illegally to create phony profiles intended to dupe romantic hopefuls out of money.
The website "conspired with criminals operating from locations including Internet cafes in Nigeria, Ghana and Russia" who created fake profiles for romance "scams," according to the lawsuit which was filed last week.
The suit also says that Match.com, owned by media mogul Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, was aware of the fake profiles as the company approves, edits and posts each profile.
Nearly 200 photos of Avalos, many of her clad in a bikini posing on the beach, were found in Match profiles, according to Spencer. Pictures of more than 3,000 people, including celebrities, soldiers and Facebook users, were illegally used and disbursed in millions of daily emails to promote niche dating sites based around interests ranging from race to age to political persuasion.
Anchorwoman Katie Couric, who has hosted high-profile programs on all three major U.S. television networks, will head a team of global correspondents and help shape news coverage at Yahoo Inc., the Internet company announced on Monday.
Couric will join Yahoo next year as global anchor while continuing to host her talk show on the ABC television network. Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer had been wooing Couric for its growing news programming, according to media reports.
Yahoo did not provide specifics about the planned format of its news programming. "Beginning in 2014, Katie will help develop Yahoo News' coverage with a growing team of global correspondents who will report on live world events, anchor groundbreaking interviews with major newsmakers and thought leaders, and much more," Yahoo said.
Yahoo has relationships in place with news organizations including ABC News. It struck up that partnership in 2011 to co-produce news projects and sell web advertising.
Singer Miley Cyrus winks after performing her single "Wrecking Ball" at the 41st American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California November 24, 2013. Picture taken November 24, 2013.
Photo by Lucy Nicholson
Anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee has been evicted from his Portland apartment and hit with a civil stalking complaint.
McAfee, 68, arrived in the Pacific Northwest last winter after fleeing the Central American nation of Belize, where authorities sought to question him in the fatal shooting of a U.S. expatriate who lived near McAfee's home. He has denied any involvement.
McAfee moved into a high-end apartment building in southeast Portland. The stalking complaint was filed by Connor Hyde, a property manager with the Riverstone Residential Group.
Hyde's court filing, obtained by The Oregonian, says McAfee sent threatening emails and has access to weapons and armed associates from a motorcycle club.
The British native said in a phone interview Monday that he moved to Montreal two months ago and just learned of his eviction. He said he had issues with building management over "willful lapses of security" but was not forced to leave.
Scotland will become independent of the United Kingdom on March 24, 2016 if a majority of Scots vote to end their 306-year-old union next year, the Scottish government said on Sunday, naming its "date with destiny" for the first time.
Scotland's devolved government, which is controlled by the Scottish National Party (SNP), made the announcement as it prepared to release on Tuesday what it said would be the most detailed blueprint for an independent country yet.
Trailing in the independence debate by about 10 percentage points, the SNP hopes to seize the political initiative with the publication of the prospectus, which it says will shift the dynamic and the momentum of the debate in its favour.
March 24 was the date of the signing of the Acts of Union between Scotland and England in 1707, a day nationalists regard as one of infamy.
Visitors walk next to a giant Menorah or a Hanukkah lamp display in Tel Aviv, made for the coming Jewish festival of Hanukkah by an organization promoting coexistence between religious and secular Jews November 25, 2013. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important Jewish holidays and is celebrated by Jews worldwide starting on Wednesday.
Photo by Nir Elias
An ancient timber structure that may have once marked Buddha's birthplace has been unearthed in Nepal. The new discovery could help pinpoint the time period when the spiritual leader was born.
Charcoal and grains of sand from a timber structure at the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal, date to the sixth century B.C., according to the a study published in the December issue of the journal Antiquity. The ancient building may have been a shrine built to enclose a tree that the Buddha's mother clung to during the birth of her son.
Previously, the site, which was widely believed to be Buddha's birthplace, contained evidence going back just to the third century B.C.
According to tradition, the Buddha started life out as Siddhartha Gautama, a prince who was cloistered in a palace and shielded from all suffering. He became disenchanted with the worldly trappings around him after leaving the palace and seeing that all people would eventually feel pain, grow sick and die. After years of wandering as an ascetic, he eventually achieved enlightenment while meditating under a tree, and went on to found Buddhism.
In the early 1900s, wild turkeys seemed to be on the road toward extinction, as unregulated hunting and widespread logging had wiped them out over much of their range. In the last few decades, however, the birds have made an incredible recovery, reaching levels near those of their precolonial days.
The birds are now found in virtually all parts of their former territory, and some new places where they hadn't been previously, said wildlife biologist Thomas Hughes of the National Wild Turkey Federation, an organization that has reintroduced the animals into the wild. They can be found in 49 U.S. states, with the only exception being Alaska, Hughes said. In total, about 7 million wild turkeys live in the United States; prior to 1500, an estimated 10 million turkeys existed, he added.
In some places, the growth of wild turkey populations has been so dramatic it has caused minor problems, said Kelsey Sullivan, a wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in Bangor. In Maine, for example, the birds have been known to damage strawberry and blueberry crops. They have also been found rummaging in the fodder of dairy cattle, which they can contaminate with their droppings, Sullivan said.
While populations continue to grow and spread in some areas, particularly the Midwest, populations in some Northeastern states appear to have leveled off, according to Diefenbach and Sullivan. In the Southeast, the traditional stronghold of the iconic animal, populations have declined in some areas, Hughes said. The reason isn't yet clear, although it may have to do with changes in forest management that have allowed dense underbrush to grow, as well as increased urban development. Wild turkeys can live in forests and farmland, but don't do well in dense thickets - they need open spaces where males can display to females as a part of their breeding ritual, Hughes said.
Brian Griffin, a white Labrador who had lived with the Griffins on "Family Guy" for 11 years, died on Sunday in front of the Griffin home on Spooner Street. He was 8. Or 56 in people years.
The cause of death was runoverness, sparked by a hit-and-run accident while Brian and mad genius toddler pal Stewie were preparing to play street hockey in front of their Quahog home.
Brian, whose shocking death (it's a comedy, Seth MacFarlane!) appears to be a permanent storyline change, has already been replaced in the Griffin clan by Vinnie, a tough-talkin' pooch the Griffins purchased at a pet store. Italian-American Vinnie, like Brian, also talks, and bears a striking resemblance to a New Jersey gangster (he's being voiced by "Sopranos" alum Tony Sirico).
"This was an idea that got pitched in the writers' room, and it sort of caught fire, and we thought it could be a fun way to shake things up," showrunner Steve Callaghan told E! Online. "As soon as this idea came up, we started talking about what the next couple episodes could be, and we got very excited about the way this change will affect the family dynamics and the characters."
Brian, who was voiced by series creator MacFarlane, was a prolific dog who wrote novels; directed porn movies; spoke Spanish, French, and Tagalog; and was a member of MENSA. He was an Iraq War veteran and one-time police dog, served with the Peace Corps, and was a colorful character who enjoyed women, wine (or rather, a perfectly-concocted dry martini), and the occasional recreational refreshment (OK, he was a recovering coke addict).
He and Stewie shared many adventures, including a penchant for time travel, thanks to Stewie's DIY time-travel machine. In fact, it was the destruction of the machine in Sunday's episode, "Life of Brian," that spelled doom for the family pet. Optimistic fans of Brian and "Family Guy" hold out hope that the canine could make a comeback at some point in the future, if Stewie ever gets the part to recreate the machine. And because, you know, this is a cartoon.
The lovable, Brown University-educated Brian, born to father Biscuit and mother Coco, did have the chance to say goodbye to his family, telling them, "You've given me a wonderful life. I love you all."
An art work titled "Venus de Milo," constructed out of 18,483 Lego bricks, is seen during "The Art of the Brick" exhibition at the Brussels Stock Exchange November 25, 2013. The exhibition featuring large Lego art works by U.S. Lego artist Nathan Sawaya will run till April 21, 2014.
Photo by Francois Lenoir
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