Okay, so today I decided to tackle something called a “palindromic constellation crossword.” Sounds fancy, right? I basically stumbled upon it and thought, “Why not give it a shot?” I’m always up for a good brain teaser.
First, I had to figure out what the heck it actually was. Turns out, it’s a crossword puzzle where the grid itself is symmetrical – like, you could fold it in half, and it would match up. And, of course, the answers have to be palindromes, meaning they read the same backward and forwards, like “madam” or “rotor”.
My Plan of Attack
- Find a Grid: I needed a symmetrical crossword grid. I tried drawing one myself, but… let’s just say my artistic skills are limited. So, I ended just used a simple grid paper.
- Brainstorm Palindromes: Next, I needed a bunch of palindromes of different lengths. I started with the easy ones, the three-letter words like “pop” and “eye.” Then I tried to think of some longer ones, which was way harder! I think I spent a good 20 minutes just staring into space, muttering words to myself.
- Fill it In: This was the real puzzle. I started with the longer palindromes, trying to fit them into the grid, and then filling in the shorter ones around them. There was a lot of erasing. A LOT. It’s like a 3D puzzle in your brain, I used so many drafts.
- Clue Creation: Once I had the grid filled (finally!), I had to write the clues. This was actually kind of fun. I tried to make them a little tricky, but not too impossible. For “level,” for example, I could used “Always the same”.
Roadblocks
The biggest issue I ran into was finding enough palindromes. Especially longer ones! Seriously, there are only so many words in the English language that work, and it really limit the possibilities for the grid. I might have stretched the definition of “common word” a little bit for some of them.
Also, making the grid symmetrical and having all the words fit was tough. I definitely had moments where I thought I’d have to start all over. But I’m stubborn, and I don’t give up, kept trying to change different word.
Victory! (Sort Of)
I managed to create a small, 5×5 grid, it’s not very big, and I use some words repeatedly. It’s definitely not going to win any crossword awards, but I did it! It was a fun little exercise, and it definitely stretched my brain. I might try a bigger one sometime, maybe when I’ve got a whole afternoon to kill and a bigger dictionary of palindromes. But for now, small victories!
