When the word puzzle is uttered Cross soon springs to mind, this singularity is what makes the crossword such an infamous and popular puzzle. The crossword puzzle which is a fixture of humanity, calls on the participant to use their word forming skills and dexterity in completing this fun traditional puzzle. Crosswords had their first known outing in the year 1890 in an Italian magazine. Though it did not have the same appearance as the modern day crossword, it had a grid with numbered clues. Arthur White, a Liverpool journalist published a puzzle called word cross in a magazine in 1913. This specific publication held most of the features of the present day crossword which has subsequently caused Arthur to be known as the inventor of this puzzle. From this small scale formation the puzzles popularity spread like wildfire; soon it was a common feature in many publications worldwide.
In this present day the puzzles popularity has not waned, with immense numbers of people relishing the art of this puzzle globally
Upon commencing the puzzle you will be presented with a grid filled with various black and white squares. The black squares are used to separate the words and phrases whilst the white ones will correspond to a clue that you will need to solve. The clues that you will need to answer are usually located in numerical order either beside or below the grid. The type of clue that is used is wholly reliant on the puzzle maker. Some clues follow a specific theme whereas others may just be simple synonyms. Listed below are just a few more notions pertaining to clues.
Where the white squares are numbered is where the answer to the clue begins. The clues are also numbered i.e. 20 down next to a clue corresponds to the white box numbered 20 going in a down direction. Where the white boxes intersect you will be required to find a common letter that will fulfil both of the clues. Occasionally next to the clue there will be a number detailing the length of the answer or indicting if the answer is more than one word. Variations
There are quite a few variations that have sprung up from the traditional crossword puzzle such as the cryptic crossword where the clues are the enigma. Other variations include Cipher which requires numbers instead of words, or a fill-in crossword where you would be given a list of words of varying lengths which you would require you to position them coherently inside the grid. Some of these variations are nationality specific, with japan, Swedish, British and American each having their own deviation. The main differences amongst these is that the type of grid that is used. Moreover its popularity can be starkly seen with this many variations emerging.
