Ben ZimmerinBeyond Wordplay“The Puzzler” is a Wild Ride Through the World of PuzzledomAuthor A.J. Jacobs and puzzlemaker Greg Pliska reveal their puzzling secrets.Jun 6, 2022Jun 6, 2022
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayThe Return of the SymmyS: Pleasing Palindromes from All OverThe annual awards feature an international array of palindromists.Feb 21, 2022Feb 21, 2022
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayAt the MIT Mystery Hunt, Puzzlers Explored the World of “Bookspace”How Team Palindrome crafted a wordplay-heavy realm of puzzles.Jan 23, 2022Jan 23, 2022
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayThe Puzzling Story of How Cryptic Crosswords Crossed the AtlanticStephen Sondheim gets credit for popularizing cryptic crosswords in the U.S., but there’s a lot more to the story.Jan 17, 20222Jan 17, 20222
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayThe 2020 SymmyS Awards: More Palindromes about COVID and FoodOn the auspicious palindromic date of 1/20/2021, the winners of the annual SymmyS Awards for best new palindromes have been announced.Jan 20, 20211Jan 20, 20211
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayFrom “Covidiot” to “Gleefreshing,” It Was a Lively Year for Word CreationTaking stock of the linguistic innovations of 2020.Dec 7, 20203Dec 7, 20203
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayA Museum Dedicated to the Power of WordsLanguage lovers, rejoice: Planet Word opens in Washington, D.C.Oct 21, 2020Oct 21, 2020
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayPalindromes at the Movies: “Tenet” and “The Palindromists”For fans of palindromes, this is a unique time: not one but two films with palindromic themes are opening this week. (“Opening” is a…Sep 4, 20201Sep 4, 20201
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayCuriouser and Curiouser: More Wordplay in Puzzling TimesBack in June, I wrote here about how wordplay could “make our shared predicaments a bit less puzzling.” At the time, we were already well…Aug 24, 2020Aug 24, 2020
Ben ZimmerinBeyond WordplayCommitting An Imperfect Rhyme: Why “Hamilton” Gets a PassWith the stage-to-screen production of Hamilton making its debut on Disney+, it’s a great time to reconsider the verbal pyrotechnics of…Jul 3, 20202Jul 3, 20202