The late Ruth Franc Von Phul was a famous New York City native and one of the most competitive female crossword solvers in America. A highly educated Manhattanite, she was also a celebrated Joyce scholar. She became so popular that nearly every newspaper scrambled to create features for her crosswords. She was so successful that even musicians wrote songs based on her crosswords.
The crossword industry has long been considered a mark of high intellectual ability, with the task of solving a New York Times crossword in ink being considered a high watermark of bourgeois mental ability.
Solving a crossword requires experience, a high mental aptitude, and the ability to focus. Some even say that an understanding of the crossword creator can help to understand clues and solve puzzles faster. Regardless, there are many people that solve puzzles each day, but most may leave it halfway through.