Tag Archives: solution

I sometimes get asked about how I come up with clues like 15-across: Central feature of ice age? (8), a clue-type called an &lit (and literally). It must be remembered that a good setter will always approach the writing of … Continue reading →

I imagine most people at one stage have said “I wish I had a dollar for every time…”. There’s no doubt that I would be a rich man if the sentence ended with “…someone expressed the desire to learn how … Continue reading →

Last week I talked a little about cryptic definitions and comments made by Braze on his blog. Basically, like the rest of the world, North America struggles to really embrace cryptics but this isn’t a current phenomenon, it’s always been … Continue reading →

I think most know that I’m not a big fan of “cryptic definitions”, not because they aren’t (in most cases) clever once solved, but because I find it hard to slot them into a standard cryptic template. I’m not a … Continue reading →

Solvers may be totally capable of solving a crossword but not necessarily be able to explain their results. I believe it’s the haphazard way that most people learn about solving cryptic crosswords that creates an imperfect methodology, one that only … Continue reading →

Most of my crossword career has been dedicated to producing top-quality cryptic crosswords, always remembering that the solver is much more important than me. To this end, and with the help of the right web tools that allow solvers to … Continue reading →

Some weeks ago, a NZ setter, David Tossman, wrote on his weekly blog about purging “anachronisms” from his setter’s toolset. (David writes a cryptic for The Listener in NZ and his blog format for solutions inspired my weekly ramblings). David … Continue reading →

Last week I ran an introduction to cryptic crosswords through a Sydney and Melbourne based group called Laneway Learning. Their aim is to get (mostly) innercity folk to try new things and they make use of cafes that would normally … Continue reading →

I regularly get asked whether the crosswords I write are “computer-generated”. People seem to assume that techonology can replace all manual effort, even thinking. All types of published crosswords originate on a computer in some form, whether it be from … Continue reading →

Earlier this year I talked about the first steps a would-be setter should take before having a crack at writing their debut cryptic crossword. There are lots of mistakes made even by someone who has solved for many years make … Continue reading →