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Word Search

11/29/2020

14 Comments

 
Picture
This dark winter, I’m spending more time with words.
 
The extra alphabet wrangling began after remembering a secret drawer in the pine coffee table my late partner
had built years ago.
 
That table isn’t in our living room anymore, but has been put to good use in the bedroom for houseplants.  Here in
clay pots are yams with dozens of tangled tendrils; fragile lemon seed shoots which may or may not make it, and jade
and philodendron cuttings from California to remind me of where I came from.  
 
Directly underneath the plants is that hidden drawer, and that’s where I unearthed a forgotten and fat word
search puzzle book with only a handful of completed pages. 
 
The searches (also known as word find, word seek and wonder word) are set in square or rectangular grids, and most
are solved by circling words that read forward, backward, up and down, and diagonally, always in a straight line. 
Each puzzle also has a “spotlight” theme, which varies by book.  My book focuses on old movies and TV shows,
and is likely the reason I bought it. 
 
So, there are puzzles for the TV shows Happy Days and Thirtysomething and Sesame Street, and movies including The French Connection, The Way We Were and How Green Was My Valley.  A few singers are here, too, as well as directors and writers and bands.
 
I tackled only straight-line puzzles for years.  But then I got bored, so upped the ante with zig-zag problems, where each word has one bend in it, and then patchwords, with every word reading clockwise or counterclockwise around the edges of a square or rectangular box.  They’re more challenging but not so much that I give up.
 
And although I sold my first magazine piece in college, and think of myself as a word nut, I didn’t discover word search books until well until adulthood.  
 
Right away, though, their pages took me to a simpler and calmer space.
 
Especially this year, the puzzles kept my worried and COVID fatigued brain at bay, giving my head a bit more room for hope and optimism.  Also, it’s helpful for me to take out the book where and when I do: in our oversized puffy recliner and half an hour before bedtime.      
 
Perhaps surprisingly, word searches weren’t invented until the mid-1960s.
 
It was then that prolific Spanish hobbyist and puzzle writer Pedro Ocon de Oro came up with a word puzzle called
Sopa de Letras, or Soup of Letters, which morphed into the word searches around today.  But it was Norman Gibat,
from Norman, Oklahama, who has the distinction of printing the first English language word search. 
 
There’s even an exact date:  March 1, 1968.
 
That’s when Gibat’s small want-ad digest, distributed free to the local Safeway and other businesses, boasted a puzzle with the names of Oklahoma cities overlapping vertically, horizontally and diagonally. 
 
Gibat featured new search puzzles in later issues, and that’s when educators saw their potential value for classrooms.  Supposedly, one teacher sent Gibat’s puzzles to friends around the country and eventually, the idea of publishing a book made up of only word searches was born.
 
These days, I’m sure that most word search fans access puzzles on iPhones and computers, where they’re mostly free.  But for me, spending a few bucks to feel the book in my hands, along with a sharpened pencil and a good eraser always within reach, just feels better.
 
Plus, once I’ve finished a puzzle, I draw a happy face at the top of the page.
 
14 Comments
Susan J.
11/29/2020 02:27:09 pm

I'm a big fan of word searches too, and have been since childhood! I enjoy them more than crosswords or anagrams. When I was in training to become an elementary-school teacher, I found websites dedicated just to fun and educational puzzles for kids that could be custom made and printed out. I made some for the kids in the classrooms I volunteered in, as well as some for the 9-5 office I worked in, which had child visitors from time to time. They often enjoyed them because I would ask for their input about what category they'd like (e.g., animals, vehicles, names, etc). Word searches are good for the brain, and help us all look for words in unusual configurations. If you ever feel like printing out your own, Puzzlemaker is a great site for word searches and others. :)

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Hilary Grant
11/29/2020 03:12:02 pm

When I was working at a middle school as a substitute paraeducator a few years back, one science teacher used them as a way to keep kids who had finished a test busy, while waiting for the other kids to finish. It prevented a lot of needless distraction. :)

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Larry Grant
11/29/2020 03:05:05 pm

I'm so glad the puzzles are a positive distraction during these challenging times. On a personal note my dyslexia seems to help me locate words quickly.

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Hilary Grant
11/29/2020 03:10:13 pm

I think your ability to read music also helps. xo

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leslie spoon
11/30/2020 10:04:40 am

My neighbors are doing a lot of puzzles now too

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Hilary Grant
11/30/2020 11:51:27 am

It's definitely a way for me to quiet my monkey brain, so I'm sure it's the same with a lot of folks. ;)

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Tammy
11/30/2020 11:57:46 am

Hilary that’s so interesting to find out word searches only have been around since the 60’s. I remember when I was in grammar school word searches were my favorite past time. The teachers would always hand them out on rainy days or on special themed holidays. I think they used them to help the students be better spellers while having fun.

These days my husband and I enjoy an online word game called Wordscapes. We usually play it together after dinner . Even our son joins in sometimes. It definitely helps with my spelling and it’s fun!😊

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Hilary Grant
11/30/2020 04:38:24 pm

Not only spelling, but it's fun to learn new facts from the puzzles. Just a little cherry to add to the top of the ice cream. :)

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Kerri
11/30/2020 05:20:47 pm

I am reminded of the word search puzzle we had at your farewell party, with all the Central Coast landmarks. That was the first time I had ever made one - it was fun!

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Hilary Grant
11/30/2020 06:40:31 pm

I remember a fun quiz, maybe about Oregon or Grants Pass? I don't remember a word search about the Central Coast, though! #brainburp2020

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Jim Nolt
12/1/2020 10:38:08 am

Hilary, I love words and word games. My favorites are crossword puzzles. But both word search and crosswords are good. I often use the computer, but also fill in the puzzles found in the newspaper and word books.

H
HOLIDAYS
P
P
Y

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Hilary Grant
12/1/2020 01:25:33 pm

I've done word searches on my phone but find the old fashioned way with a book and pencil is just more relaxing, especially before bedtime.
Did you ever see the documentary film Wordplay? It's all about people who are obsessed w/ crossword puzzles! Trailer here... ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XThGpaAI2XU

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Andrea
12/3/2020 07:42:15 am

I love this. I think we have moved so far away from the simplicity of a word puzzle on paper. I also was a teacher and I even used to make up word puzzles for the kids to practice spelling words. Is this even a thing now? I really hope so.

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Hilary Grant
12/3/2020 06:28:59 pm

Completely agree about the simplicity aspect. I do know that middle school teachers use the puzzles as a way to keep kids occupied, and can print out themes. And in middle school, it's pencil and paper, not on the phone, which I really like!

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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