A few years ago I ran a number of community college courses on how to solve cryptic crosswords. Each course covered the whole term (2-hour sessions for 8 weeks) as I believe there’s a need to learn and do and repeat. It’s easy enough to explain the basic devices to people and show a few examples in a short space of time, (in fact, I believe many people would walk away from such a session like they could take on the world,) but that head knowledge is not enough to form a true foundation of cryptic learning. What’s needed is a steady diet of cryptic knowledge with the opportunity to go away and practise and come back with questions to fill in the gaps. Recognition of the various devices is key to tackling a crossword, but these really can only be learnt one at a time, and need to be understood before moving on. Unfortunately even the most basic published cryptic crossword has multiple devices so is at odds with the initial learning process, which is why an extended course is the best way to learn how to solve cryptics.
A quick presentation or afternoon overview is likely to leave potential solvers deflated rather than inspired as the first crossword they see afterwards will bring them straight back down to earth.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | APPROVED | |
| Official software program on mobile, perhaps, carried out roaming (8) | APP + ROVED | |
| 5 | DRAGON | |
| Formidable woman is to keep smoking (6) | DRAG ON | |
| 10 | MERIT | |
| Excellence the writer associated with artist regularly (5) | ME + aRtIsT | |
| 11 | BRAIN STEM | |
| Excited tribesman is a bundle of nerves (5,4) | Anagram of TRIBESMAN | |
| 12 | GOLD-MEDALLISTS | |
| New edition of small digest containing past winners (4-10) | Anagram of SMALL DIGEST outside OLD | |
| 14 | DISC | |
| Quartet from England is cutting a record (4) | englanD IS Cutting | |
| 15 | PREGNANT | |
| Unloaded gun carried by parent upset with child? (8) | G(u)N inside anagram of PARENT | |
| 18 | SAY | |
| Timeless suspension, for instance? (3) | STAY minus T | |
| 19 | OBSTRUCT | |
| Check limitations of barristers in court reconvened ahead of time? (8) | (B)ARRISTER(S) inside anagram of COURT + T | |
| 20 | TALL | |
| High score written concisely (4) | (TALL)Y | |
| 23 | SCHOOLMISTRESS | |
| The classroom is disrupted without a subject’s primary teacher (14) | (Anagram of THE CLASSROOM IS minus A) + (S)UBJECT | |
| 26 | DANGEROUS | |
| Anger shown in party by American is menacing (9) | (ANGER inside DO) + US | |
| 27 | NIECE | |
| Drug injected into heart of delicate relative (5) | E inside NICE | |
| 28 | ENLIST | |
| Men behind leader lean over and sign up (6) | M(EN) + LIST | |
| 29 | HOUSE-SIT | |
| Look after building applications one secured in heated circumstances (5-3) | (USES + I) inside HOT | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | ARMAGEDDON | |
| Authority got old fellow for the final engagement (10) | ARM + AGED + DON | |
| 2 | PARALYSIS | |
| Salary is reviewed after plant’s initial stoppage? (9) | Anagram of SALARY IS after (P)LANT | |
| 3 | ON TIME | |
| Throw out number withdrawn according to schedule (2,4) | (EMIT NO) reversed | |
| 4 | EMBODY | |
| Express love in my bed in different positions (6) | O inside anagram of MY BED | |
| 6 | RANKINGS | |
| Positions managed by leading individuals (8) | RAN + KINGS | |
| 7 | GET IT | |
| See small bird, for example, moving around (3,2) | (TIT + EG) reversed | |
| 8 | NUMB | |
| Frozen mass identified in core (4) | M inside NUB | |
| 9 | GALLERY | |
| Long passage heading from room in ship (7) | (R)OOM inside GALLEY | |
| 13 | STYLESHEET | |
| The steel, say, manufactured without a template (10) | (Anagram of THE STEEL SAY) minus A | |
| 15 | PAT | |
| Some butter, maybe, and a lot of fancy spread (3) | (PAT)E | |
| 16 | AWARENESS | |
| Conflict, in a sense, altered understanding (9) | WAR inside anagram of A SENSE | |
| 17 | PRIORESS | |
| Religious leader from Rio mobbed by crowd (8) | RIO inside PRESS | |
| 18 | SCALLOP | |
| Locals made a hash of soft seafood (7) | Anagram of LOCALS + P | |
| 21 | FIASCO | |
| Fellow is admitting a company’s failure (6) | (F + IS) outside A + CO | |
| 22 | STANDS | |
| Subject matter of Twist and Shout doesn’t change (6) | twiST AND Shout | |
| 24 | CANAL | |
| Preserve a long watercourse (5) | CAN + A + L | |
| 25 | EDGE | |
| Bind unbound book of accounts? (4) | L(EDGE)R |
