Michael Marsland/Yale University Photo
Caleb Madison
Television coverage of this summer’s Olympic Games in London will include a feature about Yale University sophomore Caleb Madison — because of his lexicographical accomplishments, not his athletic prowess. According to a Yale University news release, Madison’s “verbal feats include constructing crossword puzzles for The New York Times and defining new words like ‘bromance’ and ‘facepalm’ for the Oxford English Dictionary.”
Madison grew up in a household of crossword devotees. His enthusiasm for solving and creating the puzzles was further fueled by Patrick Creadon’s 2006 film Wordplay.
Madison’s scholarship of the English language grew to include an interest in lexicography. By the time he graduated from high school, he’d served internships at The New York Times (working for crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz) and the Oxford English Dictionary — and he’d contributed to both.
“In 2008, at the age of 15, Madison became not only the youngest crossword puzzle contributor to the Times in Shortz’s tenure, but the youngest in 30 years. Since his debut, Madison has constructed more than two dozen Times puzzles,” according to the Yale news release, which also indicates that “it was his work with the OED that brought Madison to the attention of NBC, which was shooting a short documentary on the history of the definitive English dictionary as part of its coverage of the 2012 Olympics, which kick off in London on July 27.”
While former U.S. President Bill Clinton says in Wordplay that he solves crossword puzzles in pen, Madison wrote in an e‑mail, “I usually solve the crossword online. It’s released at 10 p.m. online the day before, and it’s become kind of a habit to do it then. When I do solve on paper, though, I prefer pen. Not out of hubris, I just don’t like the feeling of lead on paper as much as ink on paper. It has caused some messy grids.”
No matter the medium, everyone — even the former leader of the free world, it’s safe to assume — gets stumped from time to time.
Asked to name “a few memorable clues on which you’ve found yourself stuck,” Madison said, “I have a couple favorite clues. ‘It might turn into a different story’ for SPIRAL STAIRCASE. ‘Go home’ for JAPAN. ‘Bum rap?’ for BABY GOT BACK.”
Still, Madison’s solving prowess is impressive.
Asked, “What are the average times in which you solve the Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday puzzles?” Madison said that he typically completes the Monday crossword in three to four minutes, the Wednesday puzzle in six to seven minutes, and the Saturday crossword — which is, contrary to popular belief, the most difficult of the week — in 12 to 13 minutes,” although he confessed that “occasionally … I can’t totally finish Saturdays.”
There are plenty of words crossword enthusiasts use to express their frustration at not being able to solve the more challenging puzzles of the week. Many of those words are not in the dictionary, for obvious and less-obvious reasons.
In his e‑mail, Madison explained that “the process of submitting a word to the OED isn’t as simple as just sending one in, unfortunately. Many new words or new meanings of old words are ‘tracked’ for a year or two (uses of said word in publications ranging from newspapers to books to blogs) before they rack up enough hits to be able to be reviewed for addition. Then a new words lemma form is submitted, detailing the meaning and important sources for the word.”
In addition to exploring the meanings and uses of words, Madison enjoys testing their power.
According to the Yale University news release, “Madison is also known as a quick wit, a talent he hones at Yale as a member of the improv group The Viola Question and the comedy club Just the Tip. … This summer he will be serving two internships: at the comedy club Stand-Up New York and on the set of the TV show Louie.”
“As far as stand up influences,” Madison said in his e‑mail, “my number one favorite is Louis CK. I also love John Mulaney, Hannibal Burress, Todd Barry, Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, and Maria Bamford. I also love TV shows like Family Guy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, and Twin Peaks.”
He also appreciates the masters.
The Dec. 1, 2010, edition of The New York Times featured a crossword puzzle by Madison that celebrated Woody Allen’s 75th birthday by using the legendary filmmaker as its theme.