A good crossword puzzle title is like a good dessert; when the solver finally sees the clever connection between a puzzle's title and theme, it finishes their experience on a positive note. So it won't surprise you to learn that crossword writers expend considerable energy on titles.
Last Wednesday, I lucked out: I didn't have a title idea going in, but once I was finished, a perfect one presented itself. Love it when that happens!
Simone Biles had just won her seventh U.S. gymnastics all-around championship, so I figured that'd be a nice theme idea. One problem: our Daily Beast puzzle grids are 10x10, and SIMONE BILES is 11 letters. Could've chopped her name up into 5- and 6-letter entries, but that's not as aesthetically pleasing, so I looked for another way.
GYMNASTICS was 10 letters, I saw, ideal for our grid, so now I needed another 10-letter entry to offset it symmetrically. Reading reports of her victory, I came across a quote she'd given to the press after her win: "It's so crazy because in training I never go out of bounds and I never have this much power. But with the adrenaline, that's where it comes."
ADRENALINE is the key word in that intriguing quote, and hey -- it's 10 letters, too. I liked the offbeat aspect of using a word pulled from a quote like that, so GYMNASTICS and ADRENALINE went into the grid. I filled the puzzle in with shorter entries, typed the clues up, and was happy with the result. But then -- oops! No title. Forgot about that...
Began to search around, and the Crossword Gods happened to be in a good mood that day. In their infinite mercy and grace, they delivered unto me the perfect title for a puzzle built around a Simone Biles quote:
"Simone Says"
If crossword titles were gymnastics, the judges would've given that one a 10 and I'd be on a Wheaties box soon thereafter.
Any crossword titles make you smile or frown? Let me know by tweeting at #beastxword and I'll forward your note to the Crossword Gods.
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