In the recent Crossword Unclued interview, I mentioned a crossword program, Crossword Compiler (CC), which I have used for almost 20 years. There are other crossword programs out there, but apart from some assessment in the early days, I’m not really familiar with them and have no need to be as CC meets all my current needs. Despite my association with this program, it wasn’t the first one I used.
Back in the early 1990s I met a fellow, Kevin Cox, at an Australian Crossword Club luncheon, who told me about a Windows program he had written as part of his university role, called Crossword Designer (CD). It differed from other crossword programs in that it allowed the user to control word placement rather then just filling a grid with random words. He sent me the program (which was functional but not production-ready) and I used it extensively. The key advantage was the program’s ability to look ahead and weight words according to their usefulness going forward. In other words, the program reduced the chance at reaching a dead-end and at the same time allowed the user to pick their own words. Regular crossword programs fill a grid from a wordlist, relying on the user to provide a wordlist that only has suitable words. Kevin’s program was the forerunner of CC’s Pro Grid Filler that most professional setters are familiar with.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | DEDICATION | |
| Editor recalled speech about a commitment (10) | ED reversed + (DICTION outside A) | |
| 6 | APIA | |
| A Pacific capital, one close to central part of Oceania (4) | A + P + I + OCE(A)NIA | |
| 10 | ARSON | |
| Rookie’s first in when playing matchplay, say? (5) | (R)OOKIE inside AS + ON | |
| 11 | INFIELDER | |
| Baseballer wearing fine levied by one senior (9) | IN + F + I + ELDER | |
| 12 | FACILE | |
| Smooth one left wearing make-up (6) | (I + L) inside FACE | |
| 13 | RATCHET | |
| Device promoting One Direction that crew nearly damaged (7) | Anagram of (THAT CRE)W | |
| 15 | RUDDER | |
| Boat’s guide is ignorant about closing of flooded river (6) | [RUDE outside FLOODE(D)] + R | |
| 16 | ADHESIVE | |
| He is in a place that’s disreputable and tacky (8) | HES inside (A + DIVE) | |
| 17 | CHASTISE | |
| Correct time is logged in pursuit (8) | (T + IS) inside CHASE | |
| 20 | ABLOOM | |
| Central branches of eurabbie appear in flower (6) | EUR(AB)BIE + LOOM | |
| 23 | AIRMAIL | |
| Postal service restricted during design trouble (7) | (R inside AIM) + AIL | |
| 24 | IN A WAY | |
| I vote against keeping Western Australia to some extent (2,1,3) | I + (NAY outside WA) | |
| 26 | MISPLACED | |
| Is power cord secured by doctor in the wrong position? (9) | (IS + P + LACE) inside MD | |
| 27 | NAIVE | |
| Green mineral water supplier retired (5) | EVIAN reversed | |
| 28 | DELI | |
| Food shop is very lacking in transportation (4) | DELIVERY minus VERY | |
| 29 | ATTENDANTS | |
| They provide assistance at opening of development held by lessees (10) | AT + [(D)EVELOPMENT inside TENANTS] | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | DYAD | |
| Parent accepting conclusion of happy couple (4) | DAD outside HAPP(Y) | |
| 2 | DISCARD | |
| Evidence of damage spotted in completed shed (7) | SCAR inside DID | |
| 3 | CONFIDENTIALLY | |
| Find notice replaced by partner behind closed doors (14) | Anagram of FIND NOTICE + ALLY | |
| 4 | TOILET | |
| Waste disposal unit is available for hire with one included (6) | (TO LET) outside I | |
| 5 | OFFERED | |
| Made from iron, vehicle stopper is put on the market (7) | OF + FE + RED | |
| 7 | PAD THAI | |
| Place that reduced one Asian dish (3,4) | PAD + (THA)T + I | |
| 8 | AIRSTREAMS | |
| Races are announced in modified Maseratis (10) | Sounds like ARE inside anagram of MASERATIS | |
| 9 | FEATHERBRAINED | |
| Dizzy Rosemary, say, fell down after great performance (14) | (HERB + RAINED) after FEAT | |
| 14 | PROCLAIMED | |
| Lauded veteran rigged medical (10) | PRO + anagram of MEDICAL | |
| 16 | ACE | |
| Great friend not welcome in royal residence (3) | PALACE minus PAL | |
| 18 | AEROSOL | |
| Spray a variety of rose only on the odd occasion (7) | A + anagram of ROSE + (O)N(L)Y | |
| 19 | SOLICIT | |
| Son shortened lawful proposition (7) | (SO)N + LICIT | |
| 21 | OVATION | |
| Great reception hotel excluded from modernisation (7) | INNOVATION minus INN | |
| 22 | RIDDLE | |
| Screen problem (6) | Double definition | |
| 25 | NEWS | |
| Important information – it’s missed by distracted witness (4) | Anagram of WITNESS minus ITS |
Fascinating David, reading about the early compiler’s aid from Kevin. I’m so reliant on CC now, I wonder how long it will take to create a puzzle by hand using pen and paper alone.
David,
I found AIRSTREAM as a definition of RACE online, but not in my Chambers or Macquarie. Which dictionary can I find it in?
Also, congratulations on APIA. Brilliant.
Cheers,
Greg
“race” is commonly known as a flow or current, but normally of water. The only dictionary I have that explicitly equates “airstream” and “race” is the Australian Collins Dictionary, not the most popular reference out there. As with all answers that I think might cause problems in this regard, I try to use a wordplay that will provide the answer regardless of the solver’s access to references.
Thanks for the pat on the back for the APIA clue. I was trying to remember how I first thought of the idea behind the clue, but frustratingly I can’t.
Stickler