Odd and Ends: Working with Words

Rick Tulka for CASE

Will Shortz has always loved puzzles. Now the crossword editor of The New York Times and NPR puzzle master, he sold his first crossword for publication at age 14. At Indiana University, Shortz created his own major and in 1974 became the first—and only person thus far—to earn a degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles. Unconvinced that he could make a living at it, he decided to go to law school. He planned to practice for 10 years and save money before going into the puzzle field. He graduated from law school, but the rest was unnecessary because he landed a job editing a puzzle magazine and never looked back. When he's not editing or constructing crossword puzzles—creating a daily puzzle averages four to six hours while a Sunday puzzle can take six to 20 hours or more—Shortz can often be found playing table tennis at the center he opened in 2011 near his home in Pleasantville, N.Y. He's such a devotee of the sport that his goal is to play every day in 2013—a mark he missed by one day last year.

Why do you enjoy puzzles?

I like the intellectual stimulation of puzzle solving—the mental creativity of it, the humor, the sudden twisting of the brain, as when you "get" a good joke. Solving a puzzle is sort of like unraveling a mystery. Finishing a puzzle makes you feel in control—that you've done something perfectly, from start to finish. That's a feeling you don't often get in everyday life. With crosswords in particular, I like the wordplay and the testing of my knowledge and intelligence.

What's your favorite word?

Ucalegon. It means "a neighbor whose house is on fire." It doesn't come up much in everyday conversation.

What type of puzzle do you most enjoy solving?

Cryptic crosswords—crosswords in the British style. But I like almost any sort of challenge.

Where do you turn when you want to solve a good crossword puzzle?

Of course, I think The New York Times has the best American crosswords. But there are a lot of other great crosswords available these days—he Wall Street Journal's, Los Angeles Times', Merl Reagle's syndicated Sunday crosswords, and others. Also, there are some terrific online-only puzzles now. For American cryptic crosswords, I like the ones in Harper's magazine and The Nation.

What are some of the interesting puzzles you've collected?

I have the only known copy of the world's first crossword. It appeared in The New York World on Dec. 21, 1913. Also, I've collected thousands of puzzles by Sam Loyd, who is considered America's all-time greatest puzzle maker. … As the historian of the National Puzzlers' League, I'm also interested in early puzzle journals. I have a nearly complete run of [the NPL's membership publications] from 1883 to present. If anyone ever turns up old issues of The Enigma and The Eastern Enigma, especially the 17 early issues that are no longer known to exist, I'd love to hear!

How did your interest in table tennis begin? Why table tennis?

My family had a pingpong table at home, so I played a lot as a kid. In 2001 I discovered a table tennis club near my home, so I picked up the game again—initially playing twice a week, then three times a week, then more frequently. … My game improves all the time. My ultimate goal is to become national champion for my age. I love the physical and mental challenge. It's great exercise. It's inexpensive. You can play it year-round. It's a very social game. I probably play table tennis for the same reason others solve crosswords: It engrosses me, takes me away from my work, and relaxes and refreshes me. When I'm done, I'm raring to get back to everything else in life.

—Interview by Theresa Walker