Hanger?
― Beloved lightbulb (Neil S), Friday, 9 January 2009 20:37 (fifteen years ago) link
Esoteric electronic duo confuse posh teacher (8)
― ledge, Friday, 9 January 2009 20:49 (fifteen years ago) link
Nope.
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 9 January 2009 21:02 (fifteen years ago) link
-al-er
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 9 January 2009 21:17 (fifteen years ago) link
A kiss, hugs, a wave lead to something to get down to (8)
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 January 2009 15:26 (fifteen years ago) link
^Greeting?
― throwbookatface (skygreenleopard), Monday, 12 January 2009 16:55 (fifteen years ago) link
---i----
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 January 2009 17:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Business? sine= wave but don't get buss = kiss.
--t-----
― ledge, Monday, 12 January 2009 17:04 (fifteen years ago) link
Yes. "Buss" is old word, used to be slang over here, you guys probably lost it earlier. Here's what OED says
buss /bVs/ n.2 & v.t. & i. Now arch., dial., & N. Amer. colloq.L16. [Prob. alt. of BASS n.3, v.1] (A) kiss.
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 January 2009 17:09 (fifteen years ago) link
Still can't get yours, sorry.
Kind of engine school gets an earful (6)
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 January 2009 17:15 (fifteen years ago) link
Autechre!
― anatol_merklich, Monday, 12 January 2009 21:43 (fifteen years ago) link
yup!
― ledge, Monday, 12 January 2009 21:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Damn. For some reason I kept trying to work "Pole" in their. I still don't see how it works.
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 January 2009 21:57 (fifteen years ago) link
Mobile man around tree (6)-alder
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 January 2009 21:58 (fifteen years ago) link
anag, teacher + u (posh)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English
calder! d'oh, i even thought of his sculptures, but his name didn't spring to mind.
― ledge, Monday, 12 January 2009 22:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Kind of engine school gets an earful (6)--a---
Races around a dictator (6)
Something following a queen and a metal-plated sun-god (5)
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 14:50 (fifteen years ago) link
Races around a dictator (6)Ceasar
― Francisco Javier Sánchez Brot (onimo), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 15:00 (fifteen years ago) link
yes
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 15:11 (fifteen years ago) link
Okay, I'm sure this is wrong, but I've been trying to get into cryptic crosswords for a while with limited success. Any tips on why I'm an idiot and going about it all the wrong way would be gratefully received. The only answer that I got for this that seemed vaguely plausible was 'carat'. First off, I started with the thing that seems obvious, that sun-god refers to 'ra'. I wasn't sure about the metal-plated, I thought maybe it should be a single letter, but we can relate 'carat' to gold, and gold to metal-plating, so that's where the final answer came in. The queen could be Catherine, hence 'cat' surrounding 'ra'... but the 'something following' is a mystery to me.
― emil.y, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 15:25 (fifteen years ago) link
That's a good try emil.y, but not quite there yet. Don't feel bad about "going about it all the wrong way" - a lot of times the wrong way is the right way. I mean to say that's the kind of thinking that eventually gives you the right answer.
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 15:29 (fifteen years ago) link
Train
The key to cryptic clues is that they normally consist of two parts, the definition, and a description of how to build up the word. So because there are only two parts, the definition either has to come first, i.e. at the start of the clue, or second, at the end. In this case it's the start, 'Something following a queen'. Then we get the word-play bit: sun-god is indeed 'ra', which is plated, or covered by, or inside, 'tin'.
― ledge, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 17:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Company member is allowed to be involved in illegal activity (9)
― ledge, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 17:37 (fifteen years ago) link
Actually I guess it should really be
Company member allowed to be involved in illegal activity (9)
― ledge, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 17:38 (fifteen years ago) link
Ah, yep, that makes much more sense. The reason why I knew my answer must be wrong is that I thought 'metal-plated' was in too strange a position to be the definition part (aside from the fact that it's not a true definition of the word I gave), but completely overlooked the fact that it could be 'something following a queen' rather than 'something following' (which made no sense to me), 'a queen', etc etc...
― emil.y, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 17:59 (fifteen years ago) link
Yes, ledge is correct. Thing is, sometimes you can see what the answer is without fully breaking the clue down into its components. And sometimes by adjusting wrong guess you make your way to the right one. So don't get hung up about getting it wrong.
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 18:03 (fifteen years ago) link
Think this should be 'races madly around...', fwiw. Otherwise either the anagram isn't indicated, or 'around' is doing double service.
― ledge, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 18:15 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah, that's better.
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 18:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Also, it's spelled Caesar :-)
Am part of the way there to ledge's, but not enough to actually get an answer...
― ailsa, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 20:44 (fifteen years ago) link
complicit
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 20:52 (fifteen years ago) link
yup
― ledge, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 20:53 (fifteen years ago) link
Well done. I'd got comp, but was trying to work in "let" for "allowed" which was throwing me a bit.
― ailsa, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 20:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Yes, I kept trying to get "let" in there too.
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 20:55 (fifteen years ago) link
Ha, I thought it might be something to do with 'licit' straight away, but couldn't get the 'comp', kept on trying to go with 'CEO' or similar... feel a bit dumb for not automatically thinking licit -> complicit.
― emil.y, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 21:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Nobody's gonna try this one?
― ilx chilton (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 13 January 2009 21:06 (fifteen years ago) link
I think I know how it works but can't think of any words to fit.
― ledge, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 21:28 (fifteen years ago) link
I managed to cheat my way into the answer, so I won't give it here, but I'm pleased I was on the right track with one of the parts.
― emil.y, Tuesday, 13 January 2009 21:42 (fifteen years ago) link
King of the mouth getting me a lesson (8)
― lemmy tristano (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 16 January 2009 02:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Tutorial
― Francisco Javier Sánchez Brot (onimo), Friday, 16 January 2009 11:05 (fifteen years ago) link
search
― "Two Ears" Laybelle (Noodle Vague), Friday, 16 January 2009 11:06 (fifteen years ago) link
ugh (at self)
― ledge, Friday, 16 January 2009 11:25 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm still a novice at cryptics... I was doing one today where the clue was "County dressing informally" (4 letters)I was sure it would be 'Down' as in County Down, dressing down=informally.The correct answer was mayo.I see why but is there a reason why 'down' wouldn't work?
― Not the real Village People, Saturday, 17 January 2009 00:43 (fifteen years ago) link
If we are being purist, it wouldn't work because "down" =/= "dressing informally". I wouldn't be surprised at it actually occurring though, maybe with a question mark at the end to indicate a less stringent cryptic. (NB I am not an A+ expert at this.)
(Another thing is that the surface of that clue isn't all that, imo -- counties rarely dress.)
― anatol_merklich, Saturday, 17 January 2009 15:36 (fifteen years ago) link
get on with a dash and a shout (6)
― ledge, Saturday, 17 January 2009 17:34 (fifteen years ago) link
OK, I hope I don't derail the thread by this, but I really am inordinately pleased with myself for having made my first full 15x15, and would like to share.
NB I'm a beginner at this, so some of the clues may of course be a bit off, at least if you're a hardcore Ximenean or similar. In fact, I know that a couple are really pushing it, and probably outside what's deemed acceptable... ;)
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/olem/cryptic_crossword01.gif
Across1. Disturbed niece hid son from Vietnam, possibly (11)9. Monster returns, consequently (4)10. Wave of popular sentiment is reason to run (11)11. Deflated, essentially (4)14. Some heard rumbling membrane (7)16. Force of about 50,000 "Fat Men" (7)17. Travels to finish "Peru for Dummies" (5)18. Was sorry for rude disturbance (4)19. Second-rate gear for two-master (4)20. They're in command of their faculties (5)22. Possible source of biofuel – no diesel around (7)23. Percussion instrument with broken amp in it (7)24. The smallest heirloom? (4)28. Latin boy twisting a citron from a Caribbean island (6, 5)29. The fifth letter from the right margin ruler (4)30. You smooth more than half of the small, small parts (11)
Down2. Single-minded enthusiast rendered half crazy (4)3. Burden is carried by you and me (4)4. Cover skin in front of public (7)5. Amphibian that is both east and west in a part of the Bible (4)6. Sausages fought over in 480 BC? (7)7. Working class is in favour of permit allowing song after opening time (11)8. My French translation of Genet, first rushed in from the Balkans somewhere (11)12. Drinking-glasses gone next morning? (4, 7)13. I charge after fresh soil from an Arctic island (11)15. Motorcycle was blue (5)16. Dole for President! (5)20. Orgy revealed by a bed upturned at University church (7)21. Italian wife's soaring medley (7)25. Einundzwanzig! (4)26. Told an untruth by Schubert, for example? (4)27. Every tea chest contains it (4)
― anatol_merklich, Saturday, 17 January 2009 20:37 (fifteen years ago) link
brilliant! have been meaning to do the same myself for quite some time. will give yours a go.
― ledge, Saturday, 17 January 2009 20:42 (fifteen years ago) link
Am stuck on a couple - 19 and 25. Overall I thought it was pretty good! No major probs with the clues, although not really sold on 10 and 11 (if I understand them). Good contructions, and mostly good surface readings. 16 and 24 I liked! Although the latter was the last to get. Oh, and an interesting theme, caught me out more than once!
― ledge, Sunday, 18 January 2009 13:18 (fifteen years ago) link
I think I got 25.
― lemmy tristano (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 18 January 2009 17:21 (fifteen years ago) link
That's a pretty good crossword, well done!
― ailsa, Sunday, 18 January 2009 17:27 (fifteen years ago) link
Wow thanks ppl you are too kind! :D
Re 25: haha sorry, that clue is pretty much inexcusable. What is "einundzwanzig"?
― anatol_merklich, Sunday, 18 January 2009 22:13 (fifteen years ago) link
Also agree 10 is weakish (singular-plural thing possibly not on) and 11 could probably be improved (I like the premise though). Do you mean 16 A or D btw? I was very pleased with D, while I thought A was perhaps a bit unfair.
― anatol_merklich, Sunday, 18 January 2009 22:17 (fifteen years ago) link