1 Across: _____and Grace
2 Down: The opposite of tall (and add z)

If you figured this out, you know that I’m talking about crossword extraordinaire Will Shortz, world-renowned puzzle editor for the New York Times. Over the past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Will and The Times to create a crossword puzzle for the Yahoo! community. We all know that the New York Times Crosswords are the ultimate, known for being friendlier on Monday (perfect for easing into the week) than on Sunday, the edition that can puzzle even the most seasoned puzzlers.

To share the fun of crosswords with an even broader audience and give a helping hand to folks who get stumped by various clues, we’ve integrated the all new Yahoo! Search with Search Assist into a special edition puzzle. If you find yourself staring blankly at one of Will’s clues (or haven’t yet enjoyed your daily caffeine fix to charge your brain), just click the “Search for Hint” link under the clue to populate the Yahoo! Search box. A dropdown window loaded with suggestions for finding your answer will appear to help you solve the clue.

Working with Will Shortz and the New York Times has been an incredible experience. Since gaining a glimpse into the world of a crossword sensei, I have a few insights to share:

• Words must be three letters or more.
• There are strict rules governing puzzle construction, which vary by country.
• The most common three-letter word is “era”, the most common four-letter word is “area” and the most common five-letter word is “erase.”
• More than 50 million Americans regularly do crosswords, myself included.

With this, I challenge you to the New York Times Crossword, created in collaboration with Yahoo!. Not only is it great fun, but with the integration of Yahoo! Search, you should have no trouble filling in that last square. And as an added bonus, once you complete the puzzle, you can enter to win one of five trips to Hawaii, where you will have all the time in the world to hone your crossword skills!

Now go on and get a clue.

Britton Glasser
Yahoo! Buzz Marketing