Tag Archives: solution

Last week an Australian Financial Review (AFR) cryptic solver, Martin Smith, posted about elements of recent AFR cryptic that he wasn’t happy with. His main beef was the use of unusual or unknown words, causing him to be disappointed by … Continue reading →

When I first joined the Australian Crossword Club (ACC) in the early 1990s, there were some super solvers in the group, ones that never made a mistake with their answers to the monthly crosswords in the ACC’s publication, CrOzworld. I … Continue reading →

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the words “scandal” and “crosswords” used in the same sentence before. A few days ago, an article rocked the US crossword community, claiming plagiarism of massive proportions. Before I comment on the story, I … Continue reading →

Two clues caught my eye in the last few weeks as I frequented my favourite internet haunts. The first comes from a posting on Crossword Uncluded, an oft-mentioned website here. A recent post titled “Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers XI” … Continue reading →

The internet provides a number of forums for those who’d like to write their own cryptic crosswords. Of course, you could always have a go and publish on your own website, but if you feel confident enough and are prepared … Continue reading →

I’m usually scratching around looking for something to talk about each week, but this week’s cryptic comment is a no-brainer. Last week the owners of The Independent newspaper in the UK announced the demise of their printed version at the … Continue reading →

This week I’m going to be more self-indulgent than I usually am. I’m often asked about repetition and coming up with new ideas. The truth is that in a 15 x 15 cryptic grid, repetition of the grid words is … Continue reading →

I’ve mentioned before a great site called Crossword Unclued that I think is the best crossword website out there. It covers every aspect of cryptic crosswords, slots posts into smart subject groups, and it gets regularly updated. One yearly post … Continue reading →

The Christmas/New Year/School holiday period is often a time when people take a break from work or normal activities and get together with family and friends. There’s a really good chance that you’ll meet some new people over this time … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago George queried my use of BUSINESS = COMPANY = co, stating that it was an indirect reference. It’s true, this sort of thing is very common in all cryptic puzzles, so is it a valid device … Continue reading →