The Stickler Weekly 14 Solution

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. Quite simply, a setter can’t set a puzzle for a solver without there being some kind of common understanding – the rules – that both abide by. This common understanding may be tight or loose, but it’s there. And there are everyday rules that might not seem like rules too: the grid associated with the clues is where the answers go; the numbers before the clues relate to the numbers in the grid; the numbers after the clues represent the lengths of the answers; down answers are entered vertically etc etc. Rules? Yes! Cryptics have similiar rules – each answer must have a relationship to a clue; components within a clue must have a relationship with the answer; the same part of speech must match between a definition in a clue and the answer; the solver is entitled to proper instruction when manipulating letters and words etc. There’s also the structure that ensures a solver can have a fair crack at finding the answer. Of course rules can be restrictive, and make it difficult for the unskilled to be productive, but they also provide a framework that allows newcomers to take a consistent solving approach. Personally I like to be governed by rules in all aspects of cryptic crossword writing so that I’m constantly challenged in the way that I use words and construct clues.