My 2013 New York Times Crossword Stats

Of the 365 New York Times crossword puzzles published in 2013, I solved 232 of them, or 64%. By “solved” I mean I correctly filled in all the blank squares without any outside assistance, whether by asking for help or looking things up or anything else like that. And I only do 'em with pen on paper -- that's today's puzzle, above. I also kept semi-detailed records on my progress, as broken down in the sabermetric-like stats below...

Percentage Solved by Month
January: 13/31 -- 42% (year-to-date: 13/31-- 42%)
February: 16/28 -- 57% (year-to-date: 29/59 -- 49%)
March: 15/31 -- 48% (year-to-date: 44/90 -- 49%)
April: 19/30 -- 63% (year-to-date: 63/120 -- 53%)
May: 13/31 -- 42% (year-to-date: 76/151 -- 50%)
June: 20/30 -- 67% (year-to-date: 96/181 -- 53%)
July: 23/31 -- 74% (year-to-date: 119/212 -- 56%)
August: 25/31 -- 81% (year-to-date: 144/243 -- 59%)
September: 24/30 -- 80% (year-to-date: 168/273 -- 62%)
October: 23/31 -- 74% (year-to-date: 191/304 -- 63%)
November: 21/30 -- 70% (year-to-date: 212/334 -- 63%)
December: 20/31 -- 65% (year-to-date: 232/365 -- 64%)
After starting the year relatively slowly, I solved the greatest number (and percentage) of puzzles in August -- don’t know if they were easier then, or if I was in the proverbial zone, or what. My longest solving streak was 25, from Sunday August 18 to Wednesday September 11. (On the other hand, my worst unsolved streaks were a couple of five-day runs early in the year.) But the general trend is that I got better as the year went on, having solved just 53% in the first six months of the year, followed by 74% in the second six months.

Percentage Solved by Day
Mondays: 48/52 -- 92%
Tuesdays: 45/53 -- 85%
Wednesdays: 38/52 -- 73%
Thursdays: 32/52 -- 62%
Fridays: 33/52 -- 64%
Saturdays: 15/52 -- 29%
Sundays: 21/52 -- 40%
The puzzles generally get tougher as the week progresses, with Saturdays being by far the hardest. I’d say Sundays are about as difficult as Wednesdays or Thursdays, but the 21x21 Sunday grids are almost twice as large as the 15x15 Monday-Saturday grids, so there are nearly double the opportunities to goof up.

Errors Per Month
January: 108
Errors per day: 108/31 -- 3.5
Year-to-date errors per day: 108/31 -- 3.5
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 108/18 -- 6.0
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 108/18 -- 6.0

February: 101
Errors per day: 101/28 -- 3.6
Year-to-date errors per day: 209/59 -- 3.5
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 101/12 -- 8.4
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 209/30 -- 7.0

March: 206
Errors per day: 206/31 -- 6.6
Year-to-date errors per day: 415/90 -- 4.6
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 206/16 -- 12.9
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 415/46 -- 9.0

April: 34
Errors per day: 34/30 -- 1.1
Year-to-date errors per day: 449/120 -- 3.7
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 34/11 -- 3.1
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 449/57 -- 7.9

May: 203
Errors per day: 203/31 -- 6.5
Year-to-date errors per day: 652/151 -- 4.3
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 203/18 -- 11.3
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 652/75 -- 8.7

June: 26
Errors per day: 26/30 -- 0.9
Year-to-date errors per day: 678/181 -- 3.7
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 26/10 -- 2.6
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 678/85 -- 8.0

July: 15
Errors per day: 15/31 -- 0.5
Year-to-date errors per day: 693/212 -- 3.3
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 15/8 -- 1.9
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 693/93 -- 7.5

August: 140
Errors per day: 140/31 -- 4.5
Year-to-date errors per day: 833/243 -- 3.4
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 140/6 -- 23
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 833/99 -- 8.4

September: 49
Errors per day: 49/30 -- 1.6
Year-to-date errors per day: 882/273 -- 3.2
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 49/6 -- 8.2
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 882/105 -- 8.4

October: 31
Errors per day: 31/31 -- 1
Year-to-date errors per day: 913/304 -- 3.0
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 31/8 -- 3.9
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 913/113 -- 8.1

November: 143
Errors per day: 143/30 -- 4.8
Year-to-date errors per day: 1,056/334 -- 3.2
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 143/9 -- 15.9
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle:- 1,056/122 -- 8.7

December: 235
Errors per day: 235/31 -- 7.6
Year-to-date errors per day: 1,291/365 – 3.5
Errors per unsolved puzzle: 235/11 -- 21.4
Year-to-date errors per unsolved puzzle: 1291/133 -- 9.7
These numbers show how badly I did on the puzzles I didn’t solve, with an “error” being any square in a puzzle that is left blank or contains an incorrect entry. I basically kicked ass in July, making only 15 errors during the entire month, while December was the worst, with 235 errors (it was the end of the year, so I was just playing out the season). I got totally blown out on a few Fridays and Saturdays, leaving dozens of blank squares ‘cause I couldn’t make any headway on those puzzles to begin with. The worst was Saturday May 18, when I made 150 errors -- oof.

Errors Per Day
Mondays: 4
Tuesdays: 12
Wednesdays: 21
Thursdays: 54
Fridays: 192
Saturdays: 863
Sundays: 145
Meaning that in the course of the year, I made only four errors in 52 Monday puzzles, and 863 in as many Saturday puzzles. Starting next year I’m also gonna keep track of how many squares there are per puzzle, so I can calculate what percentage of each puzzle I solve.

My 2014 goal is solving 75% of all puzzles -- 274 out of 365... How will I do? Watch this space on January 1, 2015.
***

Happy 100th, Crosswords!

The crossword puzzle hits the big one-oh-oh today.

On December 21, 1913, Arthur Wynne's "Word-Cross" (above) was published in the New York World. The rest, as they say, is fucking history.

Stay tuned for my 2013 New York Times word-cross crossword stats, in ten days or so.
***

Crossword Report: March '07

Bunny bunny!

This month I started doing the crosswords in the New York Sun, which rival the New York Times puzzles in terms of difficulty, cleverness, and overall quality. Best of all, they're free to download and print, provided it's done on the actual day each puzzle appears (the paper only publishes on weekdays, and there doesn't seem to be a crossword archive). Likewise, I've become a regular solver of the USA Today puzzle. Their online puzzles are also free, and they have a free two-week archive, and I like how each puzzle can be printed directly from the screen -- no downloading or special software necessary. Among crosswords I solved from various other sources last month were nine puzzles in my Wordplay tie-in book.

Crosswords in Pop Culture:

The Bob Newhart Show (November 3, 1973).
After discovering wife Emily scored higher on an IQ test than he did, a frustrated Bob begins to notice her various “smart” traits, such as doing crosswords in pen rather than pencil... In real life, Time magazine reported that “Ginnie [Newhart's longtime wife] and Bob share a passion for crossword puzzles and spectator sports, and they have a deep mutual empathy.”

Late Night with David Letterman (February 1, 1986).
During a show filmed aboard an airborne 747, Dave offered his solution to the problem of finding the airline magazine's crossword already solved: “How many times have you picked up a copy of the in-flight magazine only to find that someone else has already done the crossword puzzle? What are you gonna do? You can throw up your hands and give up, or do what I do -- bring along a sheet of 'Blank Stick-on Squares.' After a few painstaking hours, the crossword will look like new." Letterman then asks his pal, the recently deceased Larry “Bud” Melman, who has just filled a crossword with the blank squares, how it worked for him: "I like it even better than doing the puzzle!"

King of the Hill (April 16, 2000).
In "Meet the Propaniacs," we see Bobby and Connie sitting on the sofa, Bobby polishing Connie’s toenails as she reads the New York Times Magazine. She asks, "Hey, do you wanna do the New York Times crossword puzzle? It’s what New York couples do every Sunday." Bobby replies, "Like Tony Randall and his wife!"

Well, it's the first of the month, time to clean Captain Bananas' tank.

Bonus Captain Bananas Fun Fact™:

· His favorite TV show is Sabado Gigante.

See you in the funny pages.

Crossword Report: February '07
Crossword Report: January '07
Total crosswords solved in March 2007: 90
Total crosswords solved in 2007: 237
On pace to solve in 2007: 961
***

Crossword Report: February '07

Rabbit rabbit!

Compared to January, in which I solved 72 puzzles, I solved three more puzzles in February (75), in month with three fewer days (um, 28!).

Other than my annual subscription to the New York Times crossword, my main resource is scrounging newspapers discarded at area coffee shops. Unfortunately, my closest, most-regular spot has become a bit too efficient at clearing papers from their store and disposing them in areas inaccessible to customers. However, two other coffee shops within walking distance usually have ample newspapers lying around, and I keep telling myself I should patronize those places more often. Most Starbucks are fairly rich with used newspapers too, and I've also been known to rifle through the recycling bins on ferryboats and at Burgermaster. I know, I'm a cheapskate, but this is far more environmentally righteous than subscribing to several daily papers.

Crosswords in Pop Culture:

The Freshman (1924).
Eleven years after the world's first crossword appeared in the New York World, this silent classic features a scene in which Harold Lloyd helps a pretty girl with her crossword. Lloyd, seated next to the girl on a train's dining car, is drawn into her “Evening at Home Crossword Puzzle.” Like the spaghetti-eating dogs in Lady and the Tramp, they're oblivious to one another as they're both hypnotized by the puzzle, until they hit a mutual moment of recognition. A title card quotes Harold: "I think I know the word for number 19 vertical -- 'a name for one you love.'" The two toss possible answers back and forth: sweetheart, darling, dearest, precious, honeybunch. An older woman at the next table comments, "Isn't it wonderful to be in love?" An embarrassed Lloyd stampedes his way out of the car.

King of the Hill (February 17, 2002).
In the episode "Torch Song Hillogy," Hank has become a minor local celebrity after being selected to carry the Olympic torch through Arlen, and so his name appears in the Arlen Bystander's crossword. A fan asks Hank to autograph it.

The Office (2005-present).
In the series's American version, the character Stanley is often seen doing crosswords as a distraction from the workplace dysfunction surrounding him. I don't recall a British equivalent of Stanley in the original UK series, but if there was one he'd surely be doing cryptic crosswords.

Crossword Report: January '07
Total crosswords solved in February 2007: 75
Total crosswords solved in 2007: 147
On pace to solve in 2007: 909
***

Crossord Report: January '07

Did I mention my intent to solve every New York Times crossword puzzle published this year?

So far I've solved all 31 January puzzles but three (a couple nasty Fridays and a Saturday that I haven't made much headway on). On top of that, I've also solved various late-'06 NYT syndicated puzzles and USA Today puzzles, as well as Robert Wayne Williams's syndicated puzzles in The Seattle Times, the super-easy syndicated Sheffer Crossword Puzzle in the Seattle P-I, and the first 22 puzzles in this book. I've only solved about three-quarters of Frank Longo's World's Largest Crossword Puzzle -- the puzzle gets tougher as it progresses, so the final quarter looks to be a fucking nightmare.

Other than the weekly, online-only A.V. Club puzzle, I only solve crosswords on paper, and then only in ink (not 'cause I'm a showoff, but because I can't abide that pencil-on-newsprint, fingernails-on- chalkboards-type sensation). However, I can’t say I always finish them without help -- I estimate that for about 15% of ‘em, I need to consult Wikipedia or an online dictionary or some other source to, uh, git-r-done. Alright, so maybe I'm a bit obsessive -- go figure -- but this guy's just plain nuts.

Programming note: On today's Oprah, guests include NYT crossword editor Will Shortz and constructor extraordinaire Merle Regle. Also, breast cancer survivors give us their Oscar predictions!

Total crosswords solved in January 2007: 72
Total crosswords solved in 2007: 72
On pace to solve in 2007: 848
***