Fill in the Blanks (Reading & Writing)

The newspaper crossword first appeared in the early twentieth century and quickly became a fixture of daily —routineroutinelyroutinesroutined, offering readers a brief mental challenge alongside the news. Cryptic versions, which rely on wordplay and hidden —cluescluedcluelessclue rather than straightforward definitions, developed a devoted following among readers who enjoyed being —challengedchallengingchallengechallenges rather than simply informed.