The New York Times crossword puzzle is one of the most popular and challenging word games in the world. It features a variety of clues that test the solver’s knowledge, vocabulary, and logic skills. Some clues are straightforward, while others are cryptic, punny, or misleading.
One such clue is “It’s northwest of 1”. This clue appeared on the NYT crossword puzzle of March 11, 2023, created by Tom Pepper and edited by Will Shortz. The answer is three letters long, and it is not a geographic location, as one might expect. Instead, it is a key on a computer keyboard: ESC.
The ESC key, short for escape, is located at the top left corner of most keyboards, above the number 1 key. It is used to cancel or exit a process, program, or mode. The ESC key was first introduced in 1960 by Bob Bemer, an American computer scientist who worked on the ASCII standard. The ESC key was originally intended to signal the start of a special sequence of characters, such as a control code or a function key. However, over time, it became more widely used as a way to abort or interrupt an operation.
The clue “It’s northwest of 1” is clever because it uses a different meaning of the word “northwest” than the usual one. Instead of referring to a direction on a map, it refers to a position on a keyboard. This clue also exploits the ambiguity of the number 1, which could be either a digit or a letter. The solver has to think outside the box and look at the keyboard from a different perspective.
The clue “It’s northwest of 1” is not the first time that the NYT crossword puzzle has used keyboard keys as answers. Some other examples are:
- “Key near the space bar” (ALT)
- “Key next to Q” (TAB)
- “Key for getting out of full-screen video” (ESC)
- “Key that can’t be typed on its own” (SHIFT)
- “Key that may have a Windows logo” (CTRL)
These clues are fun and challenging because they require the solver to be familiar with the layout and functions of a keyboard, which is something that many people use every day but may not pay much attention to. They also show how crossword puzzles can adapt to the changing times and incorporate new technologies and terminologies into their clues.