What makes a clue Singaporean? ST×NLB Crossword series taps 40 volunteers

SINGAPORE – During the making of The Straits Times × National Library Board (NLB) Crossword, a new Singapore-themed crossword series, a surprisingly divisive question surfaced among contributors: Should sardine puffs count as curry puffs?

For some members of the group, sardine puffs were simply another flavour of the familiar local snack, while others insisted they were entirely different foods altogether.

The disagreement shaped how one crossword clue was written and became a small but telling example of the level of discussion, nuance and detail involved in deciding what makes a clue feel “Singaporean”.

The new weekly crossword series, which launches on May 31, grew out of a collaboration involving more than 40 volunteers from both organisations – ranging from junior staff to editors to senior office holders.

Rather than assigning responsibilities according to hierarchy or organisation, contributors signed up for different roles based on interest and skill – with some focusing on clue writing, others constructing crossword grids and the rest dedicated to play-testing the puzzles.

“We don’t necessarily need everybody to be an experienced crossword-setter,” said Ms Rei Kurohi, assistant editor of ST’s newsroom strategy team, adding that the project welcomes anyone who enjoys puzzles, wordplay or simply “making fun things”, and they need not be Singaporean.

But while creating a crossword series sounded straightforward initially, contributors realised that building a puzzle involved far more than simply inserting Singaporean words into a grid.

A clue needed to feel fair – the answer needed to be recognisable without being too obvious.

References had to feel culturally specific without becoming so niche that only a narrow group of readers would understand them.

“If you’re familiar with crosswords, the clues are often filled with cheeky references to current events or shared experiences,” Ms Kurohi said. “They utilise wordplay in a way that requires the writer to have some instinct and personality behind it.”

Contributors began building clues manually by drawing on their own observations, memories and shared Singaporean experiences – with many keeping running lists of interesting phrases, foods and references encountered throughout daily life. These were added to a shared clue bank.

NLB librarian Sasha Tan, who created the local puzzles in 2025 that inspired the STxNLB crossword series, shared his list of crossword references, including familiar local terms such as “chicken chop”, “Wild Wild Wet” and “remedial”.

Even the mundane MRT map, Mr Tan noted, starts to look interesting through the eyes of a crossword-setter.

Designing the crossword itself became part of the creative challenge too. Contributors balance clue difficulty, word length and how naturally answers intersect within the 13-by-13 grid format.

To help standardise the process for contributors unfamiliar with crossword construction, Mr Tan and Ms Kurohi developed a guide outlining common crossword conventions and clue-writing practices.

Mr Tan remains especially fond of one clue from the LOLA puzzles: “Green and found on bread?”

The answer? Kaya.

While the clue itself was simple, he said he enjoyed imagining solvers thinking of mould before arriving at the answer, describing his preferred style of clue-writing as “slightly cheeky”.