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

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easiest one from today's guardian: MP teased about mad rush (8)

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

(my clues are all shitty anagrams--FEEL MY CRYPTIC SHAME!)

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

stampede

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 19:56 (twenty years ago)

You need something in the clue to indicate that "race" is an anagram, also the f's not "in", it's "at the start of".

Did you see where I said "it's shit"?

Oh and I'm assuming you don't have an 'a' in your name...

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 19:59 (twenty years ago)

He'd be incredible if he weren't so fucked up. (3-1)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 22:55 (twenty years ago)

Huk-L (excellent clue, Casuistry)

Onimo, I was being helpful, or so I thought. I have never made a crossword clue up in my life, and wouldn't even attempt to due to my woeful lack of imagination - I'm just jealous of those who can do so and put me to shame, and doing my usual crappy thing of pointing out the speck of dust in another's eye before removing the plank in my own :)

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 15 December 2005 00:28 (twenty years ago)

A cryptic pedant is snaking through Alabama. (5)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 December 2005 00:38 (twenty years ago)

hahaha :)

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 15 December 2005 00:39 (twenty years ago)

I don't know why I can only come up with clues for people (or the board at large).

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 December 2005 00:43 (twenty years ago)

Shrink turns wife into mountain (8)

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 15 December 2005 02:16 (twenty years ago)

Please explain the huk-l clue to my tired and rusty brain.

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 09:39 (twenty years ago)

Anagram of 'hulk'. Who is incredible.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 09:45 (twenty years ago)

Sweet.

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 10:13 (twenty years ago)

Jungfrau?

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 10:21 (twenty years ago)

Oh my god. Is it Jungfrau?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 December 2005 11:10 (twenty years ago)

Pending that adjudication:
Blair goes around and about in church, that is, for festive treat (5,3)

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 11:23 (twenty years ago)

Mince pie!

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 11:26 (twenty years ago)

Yup!

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

Can this be a joint effort, because I haven't worked it out either yet:

Erif (8)

(From today's Araucaria)

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)

Ok I know it now. Carry on!

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:09 (twenty years ago)

Surely backfire or fireback or something - at least one of those may be a word. xpost obv.

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:10 (twenty years ago)

Yeah I thought fireback. Though it could equally be backfire. Shit.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:12 (twenty years ago)

Reminds me of a variation on an old chestnut that was posted earlier:
ONMLKJIH (9)

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:13 (twenty years ago)

backwater

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:14 (twenty years ago)

Ok, I don't get that and I didn't get HIJKLMNO either :(

Oh wait yes I do. H to O. H2O. Right.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it was Jungfrau. That was a homebrew clue.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 15 December 2005 13:01 (twenty years ago)

Why the "turns"?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 December 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

So... who's up? Onimo?

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:39 (twenty years ago)

Messed up time for the short generation to get together (7)

(man that's bad, sorry again ailsa)

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:47 (twenty years ago)

meeting?

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

I GOT IT. but I don't have the brain power to come up with a clue. So I'll keep quiet.

xpost

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:49 (twenty years ago)

meeting, yes.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:50 (twenty years ago)

I can't come up with my own clues either. But if Huk doesn't want to go I'll just keeping ripping off Araucaria. Is there copyright on clues? Oh well:

Appeal to teacher as to existence of deity? (6)

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 16:03 (twenty years ago)

I think it is Osiris...

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

Yep :)

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 15 December 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

Not bad, although O for out for appeal is a bit of a stretch. As is this:

(His) specious argument for confused, pointless cause is trouble (9)

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 15 December 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

I was more bothered by the "sir" part, of course.

If that clue is for what I think it is, then it might be a stretch, because I can't quite put it together. An "e" too many, maybe?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 December 2005 17:52 (twenty years ago)

My addled brain can't work that out at all, but would "pointless" mean that a compass point i.e. "E" isn't there, solving the mystery of Casuistry's extra "e"? Apologies if this is way off the mark.

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 15 December 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

Then where does the Y come in?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 December 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

I don't even know what the answer is! I was just randomly dissecting bits of clue.

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 15 December 2005 19:04 (twenty years ago)

I just worked it out! Can't quite do why either though :(

NO HINT PLZ

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Thursday, 15 December 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

That's about as far is I got, too.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 15 December 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

could trouble just mean "try"?

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Thursday, 15 December 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

My last was an xpost, I get it now. I think the clue is fine, except for the "(His)" maybe.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 15 December 2005 19:12 (twenty years ago)

God, I am teh dumb. Yes, clue seems OK to me as well (now that brain has caught up with normality after being stuck at work all day)

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 15 December 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

Oh ah, "try". Like "trying times". Ah!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 December 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

Does this mean I get the next clue? Sweet.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Thursday, 15 December 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

Lack a swarthy heart, sticking with Windows (4)

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Thursday, 15 December 2005 23:20 (twenty years ago)

(also how do I explain cryptic crosswords in a letter to an american school I am recommending a kid to? "british-style cryptic riddles" sounds daft.)

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 16 December 2005 00:01 (twenty years ago)

They're called "cryptic crosswords" here. If the person doesn't know what that term means, however, good luck trying to explain it to them!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 16 December 2005 00:06 (twenty years ago)

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