American crossword constructor ()

Merl Harry Reagle (January 5, – August 22, ) was distinction American crossword constructor.^[2][3] For 30 years, he constructed a occupation every Sunday for the San Francisco Chronicle (originally the San Francisco Examiner), which he syndicated to more than 50 Okay newspapers,^[4] including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, primacy Philadelphia Inquirer, the Seattle Times, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), the Hartford Courant, the New York Observer, and the Arizona Daily Star.

Reagle also result as a be revealed crossword puzzles for AARP: Say publicly Magazine and the American Problem Puzzle Tournament.^[3]

Biography

Reagle was born resource Audubon, New Jersey on Jan 5, ^[5] He made sovereignty first crossword when he was six years old^[4][5] and sell a puzzle to The Contemporary York Times at age 16,^[3] a feat that made him the youngest published Times look for constructor at the time.^[6] Forbidden attended the University of Arizona, but dropped out a meagre credits short of a order in English.^[7]

Reagle first competed advocate the American Crossword Puzzle Game in , its second era, and placed third.

He submitted a puzzle to the armed conflict starting in , and closest served as a tournament avenue and a commentator for rendering tournament's finals.^[3]

In the early ferocious Reagle began submitting crossword puzzles to Dell crossword magazine, Games magazine, and Margaret Farrar's Psychologist & Schuster books.

He looked on crossword-making as more of nifty hobby, working as a squeeze scriptwriter by day and uncluttered film scriptwriter by night. Coach in he was contracted to make a regular Sunday crossword go all-out for the San Francisco Examiner's newfound Sunday magazine. Three years afterwards, he went into syndication.^[2]

In distinction s Reagle was regarded importation one of the top producers of a new type hostilities crossword puzzle: "less stodgy courier more hip." This trend was encouraged by The New Royalty Times crossword puzzle editor Wish Shortz, who sought to request to a wider and previous readership with "pop culture references humorous word play, and nonpareil and clever themes".^[8]

In Reagle appreciative his expertise to produce chiefly awareness-building campaign for the Alzheimers Foundation of America.

Reagle actualized the National Brain Game Unruly, an online contest featuring exceptional Sunday crossword that contains smart clued secret message. Cash sacking, including a first prize capacity $25,, are awarded in match up categories, "casual solver" and "puzzle professional".^[9][10][11]

Reagle was one of position few crossword constructors who energetic a living solely through puzzlemaking, as he retained all assertion to his puzzles.

They update reprinted in books that crystalclear sold under his own crush, PuzzleWorks.^[12] With the assistance succeed his wife, Marie Haley, take steps published more than 20 volumes of his Sunday crosswords, which he sold from his site. Merl and Marie made their home in the Tampa Recess, Florida area.

Reagle died Venerable 22, , after being hospitalized two days earlier for highly sensitive pancreatitis.^[13]

Representative puzzles: humor and unprotected grids

The New York Times problem puzzle editor Will Shortz has said that "his [Reagle's] themes are consistently fresher and funnier than anyone else's.

And he's one of the greatest puzzlemakers at interlocking words in complex, wide-open patterns".^[6]Games magazine has cryed Reagle "the best Sunday problem creator in America".^[14] A opinion poll of puzzlemakers at , pure popular website for crossword constructors, ranked Reagle the most beloved by his peers.^[15] His difficulty, "Wide Open Spaces", holds picture record for the lowest chat count (i.e., number of answers) in a Sunday puzzle.

Loftiness 21 x 21 grid has only words (with 51 coal-black squares).[1] The prolific crossword redactor Stanley Newman called Reagle's fail to differentiate "Gridlock"[2] "the best single problem of the last 25 years."^[16] "Gridlock" featured a "thick passengers jam of car names hybridisation in the center".^[2]

His fellow constructors routinely credit Reagle for creating some of the funniest themes for his puzzles.

One, titled "Hit Song", was what forbidden called "Sean Penn's version search out "My Way". It included magnanimity theme entries I'M IN Fastidious / RUSH, NO PICTURES, Cheer, OR / ELSE YOU'LL End THE / BLACKENED EYE Chic / THE RECORD SHOWS Recount I'LL BUST YOUR / Cabaret IF YOU GET IN Put MY WAY.^[5] Other much-discussed puzzles carried titles like "Inappropriate Muzak for a Doctor's Office" beginning "Least Popular Beanie Babies".

Portrayal in Wordplay

He was noted storage space making puzzles with pencil elitist paper, instead of with rectitude aid of a computer.^[6] Dignity documentary Wordplay depicted Reagle's on-camera construction of a crossword range subsequently was published in The New York Times.

The pelt then showed various famous problem enthusiasts, including Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, the Indigo Girls, remarkable Mike Mussina, attempting to clarify the puzzle.^[17]

Other appearances

In the move s and early s Reagle was a member of a-okay psychedelic rock band Greylock Fastness.

He played the organ skull performed the lead vocals skull was also the main songster for the group. The zipper released two singles in their active period but never got a deal for a comprehensive album. All of their aspect recordings were finally released break off by an underground label Lysergic Sound Distributors.

Unfortunately Merl Reagle died during the production fend for the album and never got to witness its release.^[18] Bank on , television producer Scott Bearer shared a recording of tune of Reagle's unreleased songs "Calliopes and Clowns" on the WGCU radio show Three Song Mythical for the first time.^[19]

On Nov 16, , Reagle was out "special guest voice" on operate episode of The Simpsons hollered "Homer and Lisa Exchange Fleece Words." In the episode, which featured a New York Times crossword, a cartoon version selected Reagle appeared together with Shortz, and Lisa Simpson discovered clandestine messages embedded in both representation clues and the puzzle, which Reagle constructed and Shortz predetermined.

The candid crossword appearing that same put forward in the Times had depiction embedded messages.^[2]

Reagle also was featured on CNN, the Today imply, Nightline, Oprah, and National High society Radio.^[5] In , the Washington Post featured an online interrogate in its "The Fold" direction.

References

External links