Cranium-Crushing Crosswords [Spiral-bound]

Frank Longo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2002

No wonder it’s America’s number one pastime--researchers have found that doing crossword puzzles will improve your memory when you’re older, and, if you’re a kid, improve your vocabulary and better your chances of getting into the best colleges. What makes this collection special? The answers are fairly common words and phrases, but the clues are diabolically difficult. They’re full of mischievous misdirections, trivia, puns, and other trickery. Try these clues: “Star witness” (ten letters), “Change of heart” (fifteen letters), 2001 Hollywood Walk of Fame star recipient (eight letters). Answers: ASTRONOMER, ORGAN TRANSPLANT, DEAR ABBY. Warning: the last 10 are the hardest of all.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 96 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (August 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806984996
• ISBN-13: 978-0806984995
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #455,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank Longo is a freelance puzzle creator whose books have sold more than two million copies. His sudoku books include Hip Pocket Sudoku.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IMHO, book of the year!, August 21, 2002

By 

John R. Minarcik - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cranium-Crushing Crosswords (Spiral-bound)

OK, I knocked off all CCCs. Whew. The quickest one was 20-30 minutes, the toughest was 2-3 hours, but as you all know, the time measurements are very subjective depending on how long one keeps ones attention on the puzzle and how many (and long) breaks one takes.

There appears to be no apparent major progression of difficulty. None were MOAHs (Mothers of All Habaneros) by the Cru's (NYT Crossword Forum people) standards.

Trip Payne said this was the very best puzzle book he has ever worked. I would very much have to agree with him, but would add the adjective "challenging" to book. Probably the most entertaining books were Merl Reagle's books.

All in all I would say that these puzzles are all in the difficulty level of the upper third of Saturday NYT's.

But that is not the big thing about this book.

The BIG thing is the phenomenal cluing the likes of which I have rarely seen. EVERY puzzle chock full of mind bending misleads and jolts of the cerebral electrodes. But you do not get mad because every puzzle is doable, and after you look at the finished grid you say, "HEY, I know all these common words and phrases." But when you look at the clue list BEFORE solving the puzzle you go into instant puzzle-shock and say "DUH!".

If you appreciate Barry Haldiman's Cru habaneros as regular NYT Crossword Forum Tuesday fare, you MUST buy this book. Period!

Popeye

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasty!, December 30, 2003

By 

William H. Zucker (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cranium-Crushing Crosswords (Spiral-bound)

Am almost through with this book, and am dreading withdrawal symptoms, because I don't see any more in this series for sale yet. Frank, get cracking! We need at least one a day for mental health reasons.

What makes these puzzles so much fun is that there are very few definitive answers, so you have to fill it in a little at a time at first, regardless of how good you are. But they all fall in place in time. It must be that Frank's sense of humor and mine are pretty close, because a fair number of my longshot answers have actually paid off.

If only the late-week NY Times puzzles hold your interest anymore, get this book now! But solve them slowly until a continued supply is assured.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A huge disappointment, August 8, 2009

By 

Elaine (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cranium-Crushing Crosswords (Spiral-bound)

I found the clues to these puzzles to be extremely vague and containing way too many obscure references. Yeah, I could have looked up the answers online or wherever, but I was hoping for a cleverly constructed set of puzzles that would allow me to figure out the answer(s)by myself. Unfortunately I also purchased (at the same time)the second book of cranium crushers, so I am doubly disappointed. I have enjoyed many of the "Mensa" type crossword books, but these two are apt to end up on eBay - one brand new and the other with only three puzzles filled in.