AMHERST — “Group concerned with things that are NSFW” is the clue for a four-letter word in a crossword puzzle recently published in The New York Times.
The answer? “OSHA,” or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In this case, the “not safe for work” internet slang references the oversight of the federal agency — rather than its usual meaning about concern over displaying images in an office setting — and makes the clue one of Evan Mahnken’s favorites.
As it happens, he wrote it.
“Sometimes the entire puzzle is built on the strength of the clues,” Mahnken said.
For more than two years, Mahnken, who teaches chemistry at Amherst Regional High School, has been achieving what he calls the “gold standard” for enthusiasts of crafting crossword puzzles: Having them printed in the Times.
Now 23, Mahnken was just 20 when his first puzzle appeared in the Oct. 4, 2017 edition. Framed on a wall above his computer, the puzzle features a theme of where specific words are found in the dictionary, based on their actual placement and their definition. One example comes from the clue “where menial is in the dictionary,” with the nine-letter answer being “beneath me.”
Using a computer program called “Crossdown,” Mahnken said he begins his puzzles by identifying a theme, usually based on three to five words or phrases that will anchor the crossword.
After checking with the “Xword Info” database, which compiles data from all Times puzzles, to make sure that the theme is original, Mahnken then proceeds to find the right words, a maximum of 78 total, to fill out the grid.
“The more words there are, the shorter the average word is,” Mahnken said.
The program automatically assists in bringing symmetry to the puzzle as Mahnken manually blacks off enough of the 225 blocks, in the 15-by-15 grid, so that the puzzle doesn’t feel cramped.
Finally, Mahnken writes the clues for each of the words in the puzzle.
“There’s an art to good clue writing,” Mahnken said, noting that clues can be obscure, vague or clever in misdirecting the person trying to solve the puzzle.
He rarely completes a puzzle in one sitting, taking at least four hours, and often longer, to get it ready.
Originally from Bellevue, Washington, Mahnken said he began filling out crossword puzzles when he was in high school.
“It took me years to get to where I could solve them completely and correctly every day,” Mahnken said.
He didn’t start making crossword puzzles until he was an undergraduate at Brandeis University, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and American studies. There, Mahnken said he noticed that the student newspaper, “The Justice,” ran a syndicated crossword puzzle, which was much too easy to solve.
“I began thinking of the process and how I could do a better crossword puzzle,” Mahnken said
With an Excel spreadsheet, Mahnken created his first crossword puzzles, though he wasn’t particularly happy with those preliminary efforts.
“The first couple were godawful,” Mahnken said. “But they published them.”
While continuing his studies and earning a master’s degree at Brandeis, Mahnken continued to hone his skills, and after reading the New York Times submissions guidelines, he sent in his work.
Submitted through snail mail, Mahnken said his work has gone directly to the editors, including Will Shortz, the Times’ famed crossword puzzle editor, and his assistants, Sam Ezersky and Joel Fagliano, for review.
Mahken said the feedback in the editing process, typically by email, is usually about whether he has used too many so-called “glue” words to fill out the puzzle. Those are defined as words with letters convenient to build crosswords around, often with lots of vowels.
He estimates that about three-quarters of his clues survive the editing process.
One clue that did not make the cut was “Character whose lover was shot through the legs.” The answer: Mrs. Robinson, a reference to the 1967 Mike Nichols film, “The Graduate,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. That clue, the editors said, was too risque.
When his puzzles are printed in the Monday through Saturday editions, Mahnken receives $500, a figure that will rise to $750 when he has 10 or more published.
As part of his hobby, for the past three years, Mahnken also has attended the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut, where he has gotten to meet the editors of the Times and others interested in the subject.
“I’ve met all sorts of crossword constructors and can talk shop and get some ideas and inspiration to create them,” Mahnken said.
That’s where he met up with David Steinberg, also 23, a skilled puzzle-maker with whom he created a recent crossword, titled “State of Confusion,” that made it into the Sunday Times. As the introduction to the puzzle explained, the two collaborators met at a crossword tournament two years ago and worked on this grid by emailing each other screenshots.
While teaching pays the bills, creating new crossword puzzles has been more of an afterthought, but Mahnken expects to return to his hobby later in the year.
“During the school year, I haven’t had much time, but during the summer I plan to do it quite a lot,” Mahnken said.
Mahnken said that teaching is his first love, but that his students are well aware of his interest in crosswords, and some have worked on his creations.
“They tend to think my puzzles are fun to solve,” Mahnken said. “People will tell me they have a good time solving them.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
