a crossword puzzle is an unholy marriage of spelling bee, trivia contest, and a troll that lives under a bridge and asks you riddles
It’s like a spelling bee because it requires you to know exactly how to spell relatively uncommon words. It’s like a trivia contest because it asks you to understand both obscure nerd references and sports terminology. It’s like a troll under a bridge because if you fill it out wrong it comes to life and eats you.