Tag Archives: solution

A setter is said to have a “style”. What is this and how does it develop? A setter’s style is simply their way of doing things, and usually it starts out as a version of the styles present in a … Continue reading →

11-across in this puzzle – CORPORATION OF OLD, POSSIBLY? (4,3) – is a cryptic definition, not a clue type I use a lot. I’ve talked about these before: it’s rare for such a clue to be solved without some or … Continue reading →

I’ve been asked to write something about the use of linking words in clues, that is, words that either link sections of wordplay or, more typically, words that link wordplay and definition. I won’t be able to cover what could … Continue reading →

A couple of puzzles back The Stickler Weekly 19 contained this clue: 9ac Brit vicar’s clues excited them? (15) This type of clue is classified as semi-&lit, and not a type that I use often. Essentially it’s a clue where … Continue reading →

I’m not sure how many of you take the time to read this commentary that accompanies the weekly solution, but if this week’s doesn’t generate some comments, I’ll assume there are very few of you. I think crossword setters could … Continue reading →

I regularly get asked how to get started in the crossword business. My first response is to say that there’s no money in crosswords as an individual (puzzle magazine companies like the Lovatts still prosper), and that the best someone … Continue reading →

Recently I read a letter sent into a newspaper complaining about a setter’s use of obscure words as answers in a cryptic crossword. It seems the setter had used quite a few in the one puzzle, and this upset the … Continue reading →

The 100 year anniversary of the first published crossword (try some puzzles from history here) led a number of bloggers around the world to speculate about the future of the crossword in the digital age. Would it last another 100 … Continue reading →

Just before Christmas an Australian broadcaster added a cryptic crossword to their website with answers that related to the news in 2013. The clues were so-so, as you’d expect from an amateur compiler, but what really struck me was the … Continue reading →

Occasionally people delight in challenging my cryptic philosophy by making naive claims that there’s no need for rules in cryptic crosswords. Usually they are trying to justify either their own lack of cluing ability or that of their favourite setter. … Continue reading →