Jigsaw Puzzles
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
The jigsaw puzzle is a classic example of making a game out of something that wasn't a game. In olden days criminals faced a punishment known as "drawing and quartering" in which the culprit was eventually divided into four parts (not three, like Gaul). This was messy and not a terribly good spectator sport (there was no way to bet on it) but it did keep the prisons empty. Later, someone decided to divide other things, inventing subdivisions, East/West Germany (until that got boring) and, ultimately, the jigsaw puzzle.
These are pictures mounted on wood or cardboard that are cut into small pieces of various shapes - the trick is to reassemble them into the original picture. It is a good brain teaser for those who enjoy being teased, and provides lots of work for jig-saw operators. It is distantly related to the crossword puzzle, in that you have to work to a predetermined end, but, as it involves pictures instead of words, is much easier for people to solve. Unlike crosswords, however, it is very easy to lose a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which, due to the unstable matter used in the cardboard, have a habit of dropping into hyperspace just when you need them.
These are pictures mounted on wood or cardboard that are cut into small pieces of various shapes - the trick is to reassemble them into the original picture. It is a good brain teaser for those who enjoy being teased, and provides lots of work for jig-saw operators. It is distantly related to the crossword puzzle, in that you have to work to a predetermined end, but, as it involves pictures instead of words, is much easier for people to solve. Unlike crosswords, however, it is very easy to lose a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which, due to the unstable matter used in the cardboard, have a habit of dropping into hyperspace just when you need them.
