Editorial
Front Page - Friday, February 19, 2010
I Swear...
THIS happens
Vic Fleming
“This happens” is a saying among seasoned cruciverbalists. Who, being puzzlers, encourage that THIS be anagrammed.
In late 2003, I started writing crossword puzzles. Wanting to do it right, I treated 2004 as a year of study. I kept everything that seemed even remotely educational in a notebook.
Transitioning to 2005, I culled items from the notebook – lessons learned, notes no longer needed, memorable puzzles that I’d read repeatedly, etc. When I did that, I revisited several instances of “This happens.”
On February 11, 2004, the New York Times puzzle by Ethan Friedman featured the Chekhov quote "Any idiot can face a crisis. It's this day-to-day living that wears you out."
The very next day, the Tribune Media Syndicate (TMS) puzzle by Philip J. Anderson featured the same quote.
Seems fishy, doesn’t it? Especially if you consider that both puzzles were likely to have been written months earlier. There is little, if any, chance that either knew of the other’s work until publication. This happens.
On September 25, the Universal Syndicate puzzle by Earl Reed was entitled "Surrounded by Cops.” Theme entries were phrases beginning with CO and ending with PS: CONTROL GROUPS, COMPUTER CHIPS, CONCRETE PUMPS and COMMUNION CUPS.
Four days later, the CrosSynergy puzzle by Rich Norris was entitled “Surround-ed by Cops.” Theme entries were COMIC STRIPS, CONTROL GROUPS, COFFEE SHOPS, CORN CHIPS and COLD SNAPS.
From inside knowledge, I can tell you that the Reed puzzle was constructed in June, the Norris puzzle in September.
On August 10, the Newsday puzzle by Sally R. Stein was entitled “Canine Clothing.” Theme entries were BOXER SHORTS, LAB COAT and POODLE SKIRT.
On September 15, the New York Sun puzzle by Peter Abide was entitled “Dressed to the Canines.” Theme entries were BOXER SHORTS, POODLE SKIRT, LAB COAT, and PUTTING ON THE DOG.
Again, from confidentially sources, I know that the Abide puzzle was constructed in February, the Stein puzzle, probably June or July.
In early September, I queried the puzzle editor of what at the time was a viable New York City newspaper as to a certain quote, with the idea of making a puzzle featuring that quote. He told me it was the second proposal he had received in a short time regarding the same quip. In October, again I queried the same editor on a quotation puzzle. I was told that another constructor had beat me to it, by a month.
A few hundred people write puzzles. At any given time, many of them are mining the same general area of the world – its words, its ideas, its literature – with the same purpose: the creation of quirky little semi-literary amalgamations of related, semi-related, and unrelated words and phrases in such a form that a little thing called a crossword puzzle results.
It is amazing, but this does happen!
Vic Fleming is a district court judge in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he also teaches at the William H. Bowen School of Law. Contact him at judgevic@ comcast.net.
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