Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider [Mass Market Paperback]

Michelle Arnot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2008

Crossword puzzle expert and champion Michelle Arnot has complied this irresistibly fun and entertaining manual filled with fascinating facts, puzzle miscellany, and surefire tips for puzzle solving. For devoted daily puzzlers, casual solvers, and fearless crossword warriors alike, this book offers insights into the addictive world of crossword puzzles including:

• Insider secrets, techniques, and tips
• Obscure four-letter words for scoring big points
• Advanced strategies of competitive puzzlers
• Inside stories of eccentric players and all-time champions of the grids
• Trivia, lore, and the lingo of crosswording

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. While opening up a window into the unique world of those who write, edit, and obsessively solve crosswords, puzzle writer, editor and self-proclaimed "acrossionado" Arnot (What's Gnu: History of the Crossword Puzzle) opens up a chest of insider secrets and solving tips worth the price of admission themselves. The title refers not to profanity, but a stable of commonly occurring crossword answers-"repeaters" to the insider-that form the foundation of nearly every standard crossword-and are cleverly highlighted, with an accompanying clue, throughout the text, equipping her readers with old-pro tools while keeping up a fleet, at times manic examination of the puzzle's people and processes. Bouncing with little or no warning from topic to topic, Arnot comes across like a close friend finally given the green light to unload about a lifelong obsession. She wisely outlines her thoughts into chapter topics like geographical words, the occurrence of "E," proper names, 3-letter words and crossword variations. Crossword fans should tear through this like a specimen from Monday's New York Times, but Arnot's enthusiasm alone could make anyone curious into a convert.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Veteran crossword-puzzle creator and editor Arnot uses four-letter words, the staple of the puzzle composer and solver, as a jumping-off point for a journey through the world of crosswords. The book is full of little-known (to most of us, anyway) nuggets of information: the first crossword puzzle appeared in a New York newspaper on Christmas Day 1913; there are strict rules for composing a puzzle (no more than one-sixth of the spaces can be black, for example); future publishing giant Simon & Schuster’s very first book was a collection of crossword puzzles. The author also charts the evolution of the crossword puzzle, showing how certain words have been standbys since the beginning (they’re called “repeaters,” because they turn up in puzzles all the time), but their clues have changed over time—Omar, for example, is a proper-name repeater whose clue has evolved from World War II general (Bradley) to television actor (Epps). The book is like a crash course in crossword puzzles and should appeal equally to veteran solvers and novices. --David Pitt

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1 edition (August 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399534350
• ISBN-13: 978-0399534355
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Crosswords shaped my life. According to my Dad I inherited the gene from his father, who got hooked on solving when puzzles arrived in 1920s London. The passion skipped my father and I discovered it through Will Weng's crosswords in The NY Times. Maleska published my first puzzle in 1977 and that put me on a strange career path that stretches until this very moment.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another thing Will Shortz and I have in common -, August 26, 2008

By 

Sarah Goodwin (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider (Mass Market Paperback)

is our appreciation for Michelle Arnot's "Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider". This guide is truly a must for beginners as well as experienced puzzlers. Arnot is as witty and clever as one might hope every crossword will turn out to be. "Four-Letter Words" would be a wonderful addition for any puzzler's bedside table as it is not only very informative and useful, it makes for delightful reading.
Why people should do crossword puzzles is a subject for the gerontologists and will not be debated here. Suffice to say you may know, as I do, some folks who could benefit from the practice and perhaps don't have all the crossword skills that the more experienced puzzlers have by now internalized. Arnot lays it all out in such an engaging way that by the end of the book one will have learned more than enough to fold the NY Times back to the puzzle page, put on the readers and amaze your friends!
Once you have gleaned some of Arnot's vast knowledge the answer to every puzzler's question, "How smart am I?" will be "Pretty darn smart!"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instructive and Entertaining, October 21, 2008

By 

Alice Kaufman (san francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider (Mass Market Paperback)

There is a world of difference between "Four Letter Words" and the usual crossword puzzle dictionaries and how-to guides. As the author herself writes, in order to construct a puzzle, "brain power and a sense of humor are essential." In writing this useful and tremendously entertaining book, Michelle Arnot shows she has both. Although Arnot explains which words correspond to which clues, she also includes crossword puzzle history and first-person encounters with famous puzzlers, most not usually known for their prowess with a pen and copy of The New York Times. For prosepective parents who dream of seeing their offspring's names in the Times puzzle, Arnot supplies a choice of vowel-rich four letter name like Emma, Demi, Desi or, best of all, Oona. Or name your dog Asta or Fala. There are also chapters on three-letter words and four-letter words starting with E: eBay, Este, erne, Erie, elan, etc.).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read, September 2, 2008

By 

David L. Crowley "dlchobbes" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider (Mass Market Paperback)

Ms. Arnot's writing is clear, concise and entertaining. This book is a must-read for crossword solvers of all stripes. Her wit and flow are assets to be envied.