The official bored-at-work cryptic crossword pass it on thread.

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (5697 of them)
man am I red faced myself now.

Mark C, Friday, 13 April 2007 17:03 (seventeen years ago) link

The basic idea is tht clues come in two halves. One half is the "definition" part, and the other half is the "wordplay" part. And the wordplay part needs to literally describe the word. Notice how in "added ecstasy to mixed drink" is a recipe for putting "e" in "kindr" and getting "kinder", and notice how all of "kinder" is accounted for and how there are no extraneous words to the recipe.

Casuistry, Friday, 13 April 2007 20:37 (seventeen years ago) link

Bad girls got rough start (5)

James Redd and the Blecchs, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 19:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Tarts.

Wayward girl got ahead? (5)

Casuistry, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 20:23 (seventeen years ago) link

is it holed?

Will M., Wednesday, 25 April 2007 22:11 (seventeen years ago) link

Pointlessly pine for this thread (4)

ledge, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 13:52 (seventeen years ago) link

two months pass...

Wake up to Romanesque foreign-sounding French dream? (6)

Casuistry, Wednesday, 25 July 2007 18:41 (sixteen years ago) link

three months pass...

Hand toilet in intensive care covered in dung (8)

James Redd and the Blecchs, Saturday, 17 November 2007 03:48 (sixteen years ago) link

I was thinking about reviving this!

Manicure.

Exalt when one hears an elderly relative passes away (10)

ledge, Saturday, 17 November 2007 09:41 (sixteen years ago) link

(pretty yuckily constructed, that one)

ledge, Saturday, 17 November 2007 09:43 (sixteen years ago) link

Oh for shame, ledge. ;-)

Aggrandize.

Do another one.

Casuistry, Saturday, 17 November 2007 09:55 (sixteen years ago) link

More grammatical liberties taken:

Fewer than a thousand in turn become a child prodigy (10)

I've just signed up with the Times online xword, that might help me buck my ideas up.

ledge, Saturday, 17 November 2007 10:27 (sixteen years ago) link

Newspaperman is red faced, loud and drunk (7)

-- Mark C, Friday, 13 April 2007 18:03 (7 months ago)

Um, chaps, can you have another go at this one because now *I* can't remember what it means (though I will if someone gets it)

Mark C, Saturday, 17 November 2007 10:37 (sixteen years ago) link

I'm struggling. Murdoch, Maxwell... Loud = f? Drunk = anag?

ledge, Saturday, 17 November 2007 10:58 (sixteen years ago) link

Should we even bother to try on this side of the pond?

James Redd and the Blecchs, Saturday, 17 November 2007 14:36 (sixteen years ago) link

Violently slain around point for free babysitting (6)

James Redd and the Blecchs, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 20:56 (sixteen years ago) link

inlaws

ledge, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 21:56 (sixteen years ago) link

one month passes...

dress wounded organs (6)
needle point heart (7)

James Redd and the Blecchs, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:00 (sixteen years ago) link

Sarong

onimo, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:01 (sixteen years ago) link

Yes. What about the other one?

James Redd and the Blecchs, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:05 (sixteen years ago) link

Scotsman's game inside null and void (5)

James Redd and the Blecchs, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:06 (sixteen years ago) link

needle point heart (7)

Sticker?

ailsa, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:17 (sixteen years ago) link

:)

James Redd and the Blecchs, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:24 (sixteen years ago) link

I don't get it.

onimo, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:26 (sixteen years ago) link

you stick needles in things. S = south = a point. Ticker = heart.

ailsa, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:29 (sixteen years ago) link

(i went with the point/heart thing first, then tried to convince myself that needle and sticker meant the same, hence question mark as I wasn't entirely convinced myself)

ailsa, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:31 (sixteen years ago) link

I struggle to think of a needle being a sticker. I might have got it if it was 'pin point heart', but probably not.

onimo, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:32 (sixteen years ago) link

OK, yours is probably a better version of the clue. That usage of sticker is not very common.

James Redd and the Blecchs, Thursday, 3 January 2008 14:35 (sixteen years ago) link

Towers are inside places to make money (8)

James Redd and the Blecchs, Friday, 4 January 2008 00:49 (sixteen years ago) link

letters for scottish one plz! this thread always become overwhelmed with unanswered clues and then dies.

ledge, Friday, 4 January 2008 10:19 (sixteen years ago) link

-n---

James Redd and the Blecchs, Friday, 4 January 2008 14:06 (sixteen years ago) link

Angus. I had to look at a list of scottish names. "G" for game? I don't really hold with arbitrary initialisms. And I get the void, but what about null?

ledge, Friday, 4 January 2008 14:33 (sixteen years ago) link

minarets

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 14:35 (sixteen years ago) link

not convinced by angus, seems a bit of a reach.

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 14:36 (sixteen years ago) link

-n--o

James Redd and the Blecchs, Friday, 4 January 2008 14:37 (sixteen years ago) link

ha ha ONIMO?

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 14:43 (sixteen years ago) link

I take it all back! Funny that it nearly worked for my answer. Nearly.

ledge, Friday, 4 January 2008 14:45 (sixteen years ago) link

Overturn due to limit on capacity (7)

ledge, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:09 (sixteen years ago) link

capsize

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:14 (sixteen years ago) link

um, new clue please?

I know, right?, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:15 (sixteen years ago) link

who, me?

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:30 (sixteen years ago) link

I'm pretty sure that's how it's meant to work and if I'm wrong whateveriwantanewclueNOW!!!

I know, right?, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:32 (sixteen years ago) link

It ain't my turn but here's one anyway

With gas in vehicle, stick around as the engine starts (10)

ledge, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:36 (sixteen years ago) link

become, but don't go straight there. (4,4)

sorry, am kinda flustered. this was jumped on me somewhat. i am copying from crosaire in the irish times, if that's cheating go suck eggs.

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:36 (sixteen years ago) link

crankshaft?

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:38 (sixteen years ago) link

turn into?

James Redd and the Blecchs, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:39 (sixteen years ago) link

Ugh, too late

I know, right?, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:40 (sixteen years ago) link

I hate you all.

I know, right?, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:40 (sixteen years ago) link

no to crankshaft

ledge, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:40 (sixteen years ago) link

ah well, i gave it a shot and that's important, hey?

darraghmac, Friday, 4 January 2008 15:51 (sixteen years ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.