I’m Will Shortz, Crossword Editor for the New York Times, and This Is How I Work.

Will Shortz is the most prestigious name in crossword puzzles. As editor of the New York Times daily crossword puzzle, he has worked on each puzzle since 1993. He is also the founder of the World Puzzle Championship, the American Crossword Tournament, and the owner of the Westchester Table Tennis Center.

Shortz told us in detail about the editing process for the Times crossword puzzle, which involves rewriting about half of the clues. He told us about his graduate degree, showed us his editor, and named a website that contains all of the Times Crossword answers in history.

This article discusses two minor tips and answers to the upcoming August 11, 2019 riddle. If you want to avoid spoilers, skip the “Last Business Day” section.

Current Job: Crossword Editor, The New York Times Current Computer: Mac 10.13.6 Current Mobile Device: iPhone 7 One word that best describes the way you work: Playfulness

First of all, tell us a little about your past and how you got where you are now.

I started making jigsaw puzzles when I was 8 or 9 years old and professionally sold my first at 14 years old. I have the world’s only college degree in Enigmatology, Puzzle Studies, from the Individual Master Program at Indiana University (1974). For 15 years, I was editor (and later editor) of Games magazine. For the past 25 years I have been with the Times.

Tell us about a recent work day.

Today was edit day. My assistant Sam was with me. We’ve edited the Sunday crossword puzzle, the Sunday assorted puzzle page, and two weekday puzzles (Monday and Tuesday).

Unfortunately, the Sunday crossword puzzle took a lot of work. The topic was thoughtful and the filling was excellent, but most of the clues were either too simple, too basic, or too incomprehensible (including the little things that made me think, “Who cares?”), Unclear or bad for some other reason …

For example, for the answer “SALON”, the participant suggested the hint “The business that really drives?” It seemed pointless, and a little rough too. We changed it to Business That Cut Prices. We felt it was a good misdirection, but it remained accurate and fair. For the LEG, the participant suggested “Something to lean on”, which in our opinion was obvious and not particularly smart. We changed it to “Anchor, for example” – like in the anchor stage of the race. This is, accordingly, difficult for the Sunday Times riddle, but it still remains accurate and fair. In total, we changed about 60% of the author tips. Basically, I don’t use any prompts that my assistant and I don’t like.

After editing and typing each puzzle, the PDF is sent to a group of solvers, one of whom double-checks every word and fact after us. They all call or write with their comments and corrections. A total of ten test solvers review each Times crossword puzzle before publishing. I don’t think any other puzzle in the country goes through such rigorous editing and testing before being published.

What apps, gadgets or tools can’t you live without?

My biggest tools are books. I have hundreds of links on almost every topic you can think of. Nowadays, of course, most of the information can be found on the Internet, and I spend a lot of time on the Internet. But I know my books so well that it is often easier and faster to find something in a book than to search the Internet. Also, in some cases, books are more accurate than websites.

How is your workplace arranged?

I have a home office on the second floor overlooking a quiet suburb of hills and trees. My desk is surrounded by dictionaries and other reference materials. The computer on the side is for typing Times puzzles, as well as for correspondence with the participants.

What’s your favorite shortcut or hack?

The XwordInfo.com website contains all the answers to the New York Times crossword puzzles and the clues to the first Times puzzle in 1942. So I can find the previous clues to the answers and avoid repeating them if possible.

Tell us about an interesting, unusual, or challenging process you have at work.

I receive over 125 crosswords a week. I ask you to send them by mail because I like to mark up manuscripts, which is easier to do on paper than on a computer screen.

Each application is reviewed by at least two people. My assistants and I write our comments on the outside of the envelopes – what we like, what we don’t, whether we lean towards yes or no – and then distribute them to others. I make the final decision on each case of acceptance or “maybe”. Then one of us e-mails his response to the author.

It’s a bit of an old-fashioned process, but I think it’s the best for what we do.

Who are the people who help you achieve results, and how do you rely on them?

I have two assistants in their 20s, Joel Falliano and Sam Ezerski. They are both brilliantly talented and sometimes know things that I don’t.

How do you keep track of what you need to do?

There are weekly deadlines for submitting puzzles to the Times, so my work schedule is reversed. Each puzzle is edited, typed, sent to solvers for testing and rechecking, then polished and eventually sent electronically to the Times. On average, about half of the answers in published puzzles are mine. When time permits, my assistants and I answer the mail.

How to recharge or relax?

I have my own table tennis club, Westchester Table Tennis Center, which I play every day after work. Table tennis serves me the same purpose as crosswords to others: when I play a match, I completely focus on the game and forget about everything else in the world. When I’m done, I’m relaxed, refreshed, and ready to return to everything else in life.

What are you reading now or what do you recommend?

You accidentally caught me reading Dreyer’s English: The Perfect Guide to Clarity and Style . But in a day or two I’ll probably be doing something else.

Who else would you like to see to answer these questions?

Bill Clinton.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Choose an activity in which you don’t mind the least interesting. For me, typing is the least fun aspect of crosswords, and I love typing. So I’m happy!

What problem are you still trying to solve?

How to squeeze 25 hours a day.