Their name derives from mug–as in The Wall Street Journal Crossword Contest coffee mug that an entrant wins each week, randomly selected from the winners. So what is a contest crossword? It’s a treasure map in crossword form, where your quarry is a hidden word or phrase called the contest answer. This was the first contest crossword that appeared in the Journal, on Sept. 17, 2015. You can read a further brief tutorial on contest crosswords here https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/crosswordcontestguide.pdf or try the most recent contest crossword here https://blogs.wsj.com/puzzle/2020/03/12/these-go-to-eleven-friday-crossword-march-13/.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 18, 2020 18:22 UTC