Isaac Beh

CS-Themed Crossword

PuzzleFunCoding

Here's a brainchild of mine that started during a 10-hour flight and ended in an overengineered Javascript-free crossword component. I like cryptic crosswords but rarely find them with technical themes. Thus, to be the change I wish to see, I created my first crossword and gave it a computer science theme.

The clues are cryptic, so expect wordplay (along with a hidden definition) within most of them. If you get a bit stuck or want more sematic clues, don't hesitate to view the hints (and feel free to blame my craftmanship, or lack thereof). They provide a more literal description for each word. Also feel free to make heavy use of Google, a good regex search, or any other external tools, as there are a few technical and niche terms.

I also have the puzzle (and solutions) in .puz and PDF form (with \TeX sourcecode) if you prefer.

Clear all work
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Across

  1. Process resulting in assembly (11)
  2. cowsay (3)
  3. A common element within the web browsing experience (8)
  4. A fringe situation that is often forgotten; can cut sharp at first but ends in mixed aces (4,4)
  5. The usual numbering of faults misses a small part of cave (3)
  6. The passing on of values and riches, rather than using composition (11)

Down

  1. Into the terminal, order a straight formation (7,4)
  2. Sinister spirits misspell names ending in 'd' (7)
  3. Multi-core computers lead to faster creation of fake money (11)
  4. Filesystem with a subdirectory created by the start of a process (4)
  5. Political fanatics don't cut like devious computer geeks (7)
  6. European group used a disheveled mace to replace java for the standard of web scripting (4)
Hints

Across

  1. Combining together; Also a name for forming machine code; Don't clang your head about this one
  2. Oonomatopoeia for a cow
  3. The foundation of the most common program to browse the web (at least as of 2024); Made by Google
  4. An example to test for
  5. A way to number or classify common vulnerabilities and exposures; Similar to CWE
  6. A strategy with object-orientated programming that focuses on subclasses

Down

  1. Where you enter text instructions to a computer
  2. A background process; sounds similar to a type of devil
  3. Running multiple programs or threads at the same time
  4. Linux directory with subdirectories for every process; Within the root directory
  5. Stereotypically, these are programmers who are evil and break into things
  6. The organisation that produces one of the most common Javascript-like specifications; Rearrangement of "MACE"
Solution
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Behind the Squares

I got the idea for this puzzle during the 10-hour flight to Korea last holidays. I had gotten tired of the books I brought and started making a crossword. Each night of the trip, I would tinker a little more, trying to get a grid that was densely populated. The basic text editor on my phone was not the best tool for this, with many complete restarts in an attempt to condense the grid and keep on theme (I recently found out about crosshare, which appears to be a much more suitable tool).

Alas, I still completed a draft copy and struggled typing it up in \TeX via Overleaf during the last few days of my trip. The cwpuzzle library was a big help and produced a very professional-looking result.

Just like a joke, a clue is unsatisfying if you need it explained for you to get it. Initial playtests led to the creation of hints that relied more on definitional descriptions than wordplay, along with some refinement of the clues. The balance between cryptic and unsatisfying is beyond my skill, but hopefully the hints act as a safety net allowing anyone to get a significant portion. Much thanks to everyone who playtested and caught errors, particularly Kait Lam, Jimmy, Gabe, Tyra Burgess and Ryan; I really appreciate the help.

I have probably spent more time on creating an interactive version than on creating the puzzle itself. It started with a short Python module to turn .puz files (the standard in the crossword file format world) into \TeX and HTML tables (which itself uses a Python script that manipulates .puz files). I then created an interactive component for the crossword, using only HTML and CSS to follow my non-Javascript theme for this site. There were times where using CSS felt very enjoyable (there were also times where it did not). Was it needed? No, but it sure was fun to make!

My plan is to make more crosswords when I have the time, hopefully ones with a tighter theme. I have a few ideas for a topology theme as well as some potential clues relating to 20th-century mathematicians. Please message or email me about any feedback you have so I can become a little more adept at puzzle-crafting.