Hints and nudges on puzzles
By Hot
To most of us, puzzle-solving is a combination of competition and cooperation. Competition, because we try to outdo ourselves and each other in a friendly spirit. Cooperation, because most of us enjoy discussing difficult puzzles, exchanging hints, or cosolving.
It is perfectly “legal” to get help when solving. When you ask for help from someone who has already solved a puzzle, make clear what sort of hint you want: a sledgehammer hint (“sledgie”), which will quickly give the whole thing away, or a “tackie”, which will just nudge you in the right direction. Who should you ask? Well, you have a whole directory full of phone numbers and email addresses, and you can be sure most of the people there are willing to help. Ask around until you’ve found a few folks whose clue-giving style and strength matches what you want. However, keep in mind that the one person you should not be asking for hints is the composer, since that is the one person who never had to solve the puzzle!
When you give hints to other Krewe, be careful not to reveal more than they want. A good way to start is to describe what your own first steps were in solving the puzzle. What was the entry point? Other hints might be whether or not the solution is a common word or phrase; whether the solver is likely to know it; and, if not, whether the solver is likely to be able to build it up from parts. Or you might mention what references, if any, you found useful in solving the puzzle. However, remember that a hint should not be so big as to rob the solver of the pleasure of solving!
Help from friends outside the League is also perfectly acceptable. If you don’t know much about TV, or opera, or sports, or rock music, and a flat seems to require knowledge you don’t have, you probably know someone who can help you. Ask!
[This article originally appeared in the Guide]