NY Times Crossword Puzzle

[AdamA]

Does anyone else do (or try to do )the New York Times Crossword Puzzle on a regular basis?

I'm looking for improvement tips.

[smurff]

I do the one on Sundays.  I got better at it by--

Don't try to finish in one sitting if you're busy
Read up on your 1980s celebrities
You need to know a little German and Spanish, but a lot of French (use Google)
Use a dictionary, or Google (but see warning below)
The first word in a clue starts in caps, but if another word starts in caps, the answer will, too

Also, the weekday puzzles might seem easier because they look smaller, but there is a steep progression in difficulty, starting with Monday (easiest) through Friday or Saturday (one of these is the hardest, I've forgotten which).  Some of the little end of week puzzles are harder than the Sunday puzzles.

Google spoiler-alert warning:  So many people enter the crossword clues word-for-word starting on Saturday (when most of  the Sunday paper is delivered to subscribers) that if you go to Google to look up a hard clue, by Sunday night the clue will already a part of Google. 

[AdamA]

I do the one on Sundays.  I got better at it by--

Don't try to finish in one sitting if you're busy
Read up on your 1980s celebrities
You need to know a little German and Spanish, but a lot of French (use Google)
Use a dictionary, or Google (but see warning below)
The first word in a clue starts in caps, but if another word starts in caps, the answer will, too

Also, the weekday puzzles might seem easier because they look smaller, but there is a steep progression in difficulty, starting with Monday (easiest) through Friday or Saturday (one of these is the hardest, I've forgotten which).  Some of the little end of week puzzles are harder than the Sunday puzzles.

Google spoiler-alert warning:  So many people enter the crossword clues word-for-word starting on Saturday (when most of  the Sunday paper is delivered to subscribers) that if you go to Google a hard clue by Sunday night the clue will already a part of Google.

Yeah, I've been doing them for a few years.  I can usually complete a Monday puzzle, and often a Tuesday.  I'd like to move on to Wednesdays, but they're too hard, and I haven't really found a way to improve.

I have the iphone app, which lets you go back and do a whole bunch of puzzles (you can choose them from a calendar, so you know if you're doing a Mon, Tues, Wed, etc).  I do as much of the puzzle as I can, and then start cheating by using some of the apps features (checking and revealing individual words).

Have you ever solved a Sunday puzzle without any help (Google, etc)?