The Puzzled Expression
By 1927 a wide-spread neurosis began to be evident, faintly signalled, like a nervous beating of the feet, by the popularity of crossword puzzles.
-F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

And so crossword puzzles remain popular as the neurosis continues to spread and deepen. The puzzles have a salubrious effect on the troubled mind. For a brief time they take the neurotic away from the cares of the real world (i.e., the rest of the newspaper) and into a sanctuary of strict orderm clear laws, and well-defined borders. Certain among us, of course, turn the puzzles into yet another anxiety-ridden exercise by racing against the clock, using ink only, or sneeringly rejecting any offers of assistance. These approaches ultimately can lead to the most profound sort of misery.

A peculiar aspect of crossword puzzles is the recurring clue. Some of these clues, such as "Oriental nurse", "Moslem ruler", or "Son of Issac" occur frequently enough so that we eventually learn to write "amah", "emir", and "Esau" without blinking. Others, however, remain tantalizingly out of reach no matter how many times we see the clue. "P.I. tree" can be a tough one, as can "Indigo dye", but each of us has his or her problem clues.

Crossword puzzles also provide us with a curious aggregation of celebrities. Each of these people has made his or her mark in some other, usually worthy pursuit only to be awarded a second claim to immortality by virtue of possessing a strange, vowel-heavy name. The same undying fame has been conferred upon a handful of cities, animals, and natural watercourses as well. So often does the puzzle fancier write down these names that it is easy to forget that they are real people and real places. What follows may be considered as the character membership of the Crossword Puzzle Hall of Fame. They do have faces, after all. Let us quietly salute each one of them.

1. Prince Ito
2. Arthur Ashe
3. Leon Uris
4. James Agee
5. Sandra Dee
6. Neils H. D. Bohr (Nobel physicist)
7. Elia (Charles Lamb)
8. Ina Claire
9. Erle Stanley Gardner
10. Eero Saarinen

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