Eagle-eyed Steve noticed that I annotated a solution from last week’s puzzle differently from how it’s usually done, and flagged it as a possible mistake. Annotating crossword solutions has no set formula – maybe there should be one. In fact, a number of years ago I asked the contributors to the rec.puzzles.crosswords newsgroup if there was a standard and if not, whether someone should establish one. The response was lukewarm, and most believed there wasn’t a real need. There are some interesting styles out there including the colourful Guardian one used by Alan Connor, where different elements of clues are colour-coded, and I guess it doesn’t really matter as long as the message gets across. Interestingly, Alan’s method changed recently. Read his blog entry here.
Back to my “mistake”. I decided when I first started doing these solutions that I wanted to reflect the result of any device used in a clue in the text of the solution. That is, whatever is referred to in the clue would be targeted using any annotation. For example, in 1-across, “…to the point, mostly…” resolves to most of TERSE, and is shown as (TERS)E, with the brackets highlighting the result. In 19-across, “…mistake initially” is shown as (M)ISTAKE and in 7-down “…short character…” ends up being (LETTE)R. I’m not sure if I’ve always been consistent with this annotation, but the key is to recognise that the bracketed letters relate to a used device.
I still think there’s a need for a standard of sorts in this area – what do you think?
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | HEISTERS | |
| He is to the point, mostly, with those doing job (8) | HE + IS + (TERS)E | |
| 5 | PAUSES | |
| Manager’s helper takes advantage of breaks (6) | PA + USES | |
| 9 | BASIN | |
| Part of washtub, a sink? (5) | washtuB A SINk | |
| 10 | CORPORATE | |
| A port rebuilt in centre belonging to a large company (9) | Anagram of A PORT inside CORE | |
| 12 | TRADE WINDS | |
| Missile, turning east, goes around steady currents of air (5,5) | DART reversed + E + WINDS | |
| 13 | BIND | |
| Restrict members of club in debt (4) | cluB IN Debt | |
| 15 | TOTALLED | |
| Youngster, one cut by United, is completely destroyed (8) | TOT + (ALLIED minus I) | |
| 16 | BATHER | |
| Sandbank providing refuge for the swimmer (6) | BAR outside THE | |
| 18 | DIN-DIN | |
| Commotion over child’s meal (3-3) | DIN repeated | |
| 19 | CUSTOMER | |
| Patron caught employer admitting to mistake initially (8) | C + {USER outside [TO + (M)ISTAKE]} | |
| 22 | TOOL | |
| Saw, for example, prize withdrawn (4) | LOOT reversed | |
| 23 | METROPOLIS | |
| Redevelopment of Rome spoilt centre of activity (10) | Anagram of ROME SPOILT | |
| 25 | BOSSA NOVA | |
| Dance with stud, a bright star (5,4) | BOSS + A + NOVA | |
| 26 | PUT IN | |
| Deposit turned up with roofing material (3,2) | UP reversed + TIN | |
| 27 | SAYING | |
| Last lick of paint scrubbed from remaining gnome (6) | STAYING minus PAIN(T) | |
| 28 | CHARMERS | |
| Cold sorts who hurt attractive people (8) | C + HARMERS | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | HABITAT | |
| Natural environment is rather active in Panama possibly (7) | (A BIT) inside HAT | |
| 2 | INSTANTANEOUSLY | |
| Only issue distributed about replicated bronze right now (15) | Anagram of ONLY ISSUE outside (TAN + TAN) | |
| 3 | TENDERLOIN | |
| Offer large duck consisting of soft meat (10) | TENDER + L + O + IN | |
| 4 | RECEIVED | |
| Limitations of radioactive device at sea may be accepted (8) | (R)ADIOACTIV(E) + anagram of DEVICE | |
| 6 | ATOP | |
| A grass growing up on the highest level (4) | A + POT reversed | |
| 7 | SPANISH OMELETTE | |
| Spread is offered by short character after local egg dish (7,8) | SPAN + IS + [(LETTE)R after HOME) | |
| 8 | SLENDER | |
| Small creditor with a narrow outlook (7) | S + LENDER | |
| 11 | RODE | |
| Nearly all in cowboy show did some travelling (4) | (RODE)O | |
| 14 | WASTEPAPER | |
| Retired salesman, a darling, watched rubbish (10) | (REP + A PET + SAW) reversed | |
| 17 | OUTREACH | |
| Evangelistic activity is fantastic by a church (8) | OUTRE + A + CH | |
| 18 | DATABUS | |
| Bench-sitter a bit upset with information channel (7) | (SUB + A + TAD) reversed | |
| 20 | RISINGS | |
| Outfits accepting wrong rebellious actions (7) | RIGS outside SIN | |
| 21 | KENO | |
| King and ace set up gambler’s choice (4) | K + (ONE reversed) | |
| 24 | FAWN | |
| Sandy bearing jammed inside air conditioner (4) | W(est) inside FAN |
I don’t feel a need for a standard. Of all the cryptics I follow, you are the only one who bothers to explain, and I always find your explanations adequate.
BTW Stickler 56 21D, the answer could easily have been RENO (also starts with a king and could be a gambler’s choice)
If there was a standard, who do you think would follow it? I mean where else are clues explained? I personally think an explanation should be attached to all cryptic solutions. I think it would get solvers more involved. However, as most puzzles are in newspapers and magazines, where column inches = $, it’s unlikely to happen.
Looking back at the #55 solution — it seems to me that the format of all your explanations is consistent, and that the complainant is mistaken. Am I missing something?
About the only standards I’ve seen are an asterisk for anagrams and parentheses for a container. After that, I’ve had to devise my own set, most of which I hope is logical: angle brackets for a <REVERSAL< and braces for a {RE{LOCATION.
The point of the symbols is to be able to communicate what type of wordplay is being used without taking up much space. Puzzle answers in published newspapers and magazines get very little space, while on a blog we can explain at length (which I do as a means of helping solvers understand how to parse out sometimes-complicated or misdirecting clues).