(xpost, yes correct)
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 09:50 (twenty years ago)
x-post :)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 09:51 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 09:54 (twenty years ago)
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:03 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:06 (twenty years ago)
I can't think of any more just now - will go trawling through my newspaper recycling box and come back later.
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:07 (twenty years ago)
― Tag (Tag), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:09 (twenty years ago)
(this thread has saved work)
x-post okay: 'I have recognized my son!' he said proudly (5,2,3)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:11 (twenty years ago)
― ledge (ledge), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:14 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:20 (twenty years ago)
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:20 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:21 (twenty years ago)
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:22 (twenty years ago)
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:31 (twenty years ago)
― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:32 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:32 (twenty years ago)
For a cooking pot brandname, the French put America in a mixed up Greek island. (2, 7)
― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:36 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:37 (twenty years ago)
― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:38 (twenty years ago)
― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:40 (twenty years ago)
― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:40 (twenty years ago)
― beanz (beanz), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:42 (twenty years ago)
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:49 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:52 (twenty years ago)
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 10:54 (twenty years ago)
Warning: I read this the other day and thought it was a crap clue, but it lodged itself in my head which is why I'm reproducing it now.
― beanz (beanz), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:01 (twenty years ago)
― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:05 (twenty years ago)
― ledge (ledge), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)
― beanz (beanz), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:54 (twenty years ago)
― Ste (Fuzzy), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:57 (twenty years ago)
― beanz (beanz), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:58 (twenty years ago)
― Ste (Fuzzy), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)
― ledge (ledge), Friday, 9 December 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)
Okay supereasy one but I really like the clue: French boulevards of broken dreams (4)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)
(too easy, I know)
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)
― ledge (ledge), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:09 (twenty years ago)
― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:12 (twenty years ago)
H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O (5)
― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)
― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:32 (twenty years ago)
― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Friday, 9 December 2005 12:33 (twenty years ago)
The Guardian quick cryptic is a good learning puzzle, as it explains what methods you should be looking for: anagram, charade, sounds like, use the first letters etc.
The weekly Quiptic is supposedly pitched to the easier end but isn’t always. This week’s being a prime example of “isn’t always.”
Yes, Fifteensquared is a great resource for understanding.
― cinematic hobo hip-hop rock ‘n’ roll blues-jazz soul-review (Dan Peterson), Monday, 29 December 2025 21:36 (five months ago)
Observer Everyman crossword is a good place to start - it's always pitched pretty easy (it's aimed at casuals because real cryptic heads are spending their Sunday doing Azed, the much tougher prize crossword). I haven't been in the game for a while but that should still hold.
― woof, Saturday, 3 January 2026 00:21 (five months ago)
The Wordle guy wrote a game to help learn cryptics:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-lede/the-creator-of-wordle-tries-to-solve-the-cryptic-crosswordhttps://www.parseword.com/daily
Honestly I find it baffling but maybe I shouldn't have skipped the tutorial.
― ledge, Tuesday, 10 March 2026 13:19 (three months ago)
it's fun enough once you get the hang of using the interface, which is not very intuitive, but I didn't find I was learning anything new about solving after trying half a dozen or so puzzles
― Critique of the Goth Programme (Neil S), Tuesday, 10 March 2026 14:52 (three months ago)
It’s weird that if you know the answer you are unable to just type it in, you have to go through a series of not very intuitive clicks/replacements. It doesn’t mimic the tactical solving process of a cryptic clue for me. But I may not be the target audience.
IMO a daily mini puzzle (5-7 clues max) by a major paper that mimics the structure of the Guardian Quick Cryptic (where all the clue types used are listed) would probably be the best way to get Americans into a cryptic solving habit. But I don’t think there is the interest or the money to support it. The Browser and The New Yorker both tried to gently reintroduce cryptics to an American audience recently, and although the puzzles were good, both outlets found that it wasn’t sustainable.
― Michael F Gill, Tuesday, 10 March 2026 20:05 (three months ago)
minute cryptic can't really be improved upon imo. they have got it down to a science.
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 10 March 2026 20:54 (three months ago)
today's parseword took 30s. now to wait another 23 hours.
― koogs, Wednesday, 11 March 2026 10:04 (three months ago)
I don’t really do the daily cryptic anymore because I spend too much of my time doing xwords as it is but the graun published puzzle no 30,000 on Thursday so I did that, assuming the setter would put something extra in to mark the occasion (she did, & it’s quite a fun idea) Does anyone do their monthly Genius crossword? It’s a traditional-style blocked xword that has some elements of the listener-style barred ones eg missing letters in clues that then spell out an instruction. It’s a good intro to that style of puzzle and they usually don’t go too crazy with it because they don’t have the degree of freedom that a barred grid provides (tho last months was p hard imo)
― unclear apocalypse (wins), Saturday, 9 May 2026 11:39 (one month ago)
I started the 30 000 one but got distracted. y work, I'll give it another go.
― ledge, Saturday, 9 May 2026 12:44 (one month ago)
Finishes 30,000 - ok I had to reveal a few. And then get fifteen squared to tell me all about the hidden treasure hunt thingy. Amazing, and almost as amazing that people figured it out.
― ledge, Saturday, 9 May 2026 16:13 (one month ago)
Just had to check to see if there was anything beyond the hint to the quick crossword that gives you the clue to the editorial. Holy shit! I was expecting to use the ACROSTIC hint so should have spotted that message in the editorial but the trail in the last 35 is insane. And a bonus Genius which I was completely unaware of when I posted!
― unclear apocalypse (wins), Saturday, 9 May 2026 16:35 (one month ago)
Just here to express my general dislike of Daily Cryptic. They seldom bother to make the surface readings make sense, but also charming is an anagram indicator?
Bream charming tint (5)
― cinematic hobo hip-hop rock ‘n’ roll blues-jazz soul-review (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 20 May 2026 13:09 (one month ago)
very uncharming clue, yes
― Michael F Gill, Wednesday, 20 May 2026 15:18 (one month ago)
I always enjoy a surprising non-standard anagram indicator but yeah that one just doesn’t work
― unclear apocalypse (wins), Wednesday, 20 May 2026 15:42 (one month ago)
had a look at today's and yeah that is a rubbish clue too - nothing unconventional but the surface just doesn't work.
― stick your cheffing job (ledge), Thursday, 21 May 2026 12:36 (one month ago)
As opposed to Minute Cryptic where the surface is almost always clever but puzzles pretty easily gettable. Today’s:
Praise the Trinity at the end of spiritual retreats with the Right Reverend (4)
― cinematic hobo hip-hop rock ‘n’ roll blues-jazz soul-review (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 21 May 2026 13:28 (one month ago)
agree of the Minute Cryptic, today was fun too:
"Midrange van crashed into circular intersection?" (4,7)
― nxd, Friday, 22 May 2026 17:56 (one month ago)
these have been good to help train couple of friends who probably wouldn't have been interested to learn before
― nxd, Friday, 22 May 2026 17:58 (one month ago)