One of the ways I’m trying to keep Australian Crosswords alive is by seeking links from crossword websites across the world. Once The Stickler disappeared from the paper I lost a free form of advertising that is almost impossible to replace. I know I’ll never get that audience back, but at least the world is now my oyster and I’m prepared to make one last push to get my puzzles out there. Some people are happy to link, others treat links like a commodity. I’m constantly surprised by what cryptic stuff is out there – sometimes it’s been there for ages but I haven’t seen it before. As you know, I write The Stickler Weekly for an international audience – I need to if I want anyone overseas to take it seriously – so my web searches regularly take me to websites across the world including to North America where cryptics have a modest following.
Two websites, The Nation Cryptic Crossword Forum (run by Braze) and National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum (run by Falcon), have been kind to me so please take a little time just to have a look. Braze’s blog primarily covers weekly cryptics in The Nation magazine, a US publication, and Falcon’s blog covers daily UK cryptics syndicated from The Daily Telegraph that appear in The National Post, a Canadian newspaper. It’s interesting the note that the US doesn’t have a major paper that publishes daily cryptics. Both bloggers deserve a huge pat on the back for flying the cryptic flag. It’s a thankless task with very little feedback and very few replies from the public. Falcon’s blog is fascinating as lots of research goes into his posts highlighting language differences, covering history and providing cryptic insight. Braze’s blog mentions The Stickler Weekly regularly and Braze actually solves it which gives me hope.
All those cryptic bloggers around the world must be commended for their faithful work.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | STRICKEN | |
| Suffering from illness, kid in broadcast finished early (8) | TRICK inside (SEN)D | |
| 5 | ADONIS | |
| Good-looker is finishing commercial screening (6) | IS after (AD + ON) | |
| 9 | ADVANCE | |
| Suggest heading to vicar in a social gathering (7) | (V)ICAR inside (A + DANCE) | |
| 10 | POLENTA | |
| European not passing up heart served with a thick mush (7) | POLE + (NOT minus O) + A | |
| 11 | SALMONELLA | |
| Almond, reduced in market, linked to a cause of food poisoning (10) | [(ALMON)D inside SELL] + A | |
| 12 | OR SO | |
| Front piece ripped from trunk roughly (2,2) | TORSO minus T | |
| 13 | NUTMEG | |
| Spice, one originally removed from menu, got changed (6) | Anagram of MENU GOT minus (O)NE | |
| 14 | MIRTHFUL | |
| Broadcast film hurt gay (8) | Anagram of FILM HURT | |
| 17 | FLORENCE | |
| Enclosure surrounding large or famous Italian city (8) | FENCE outside (L + OR) | |
| 18 | TILSIT | |
| Two out of six tucked into lean cheese (6) | (SI)X inside TILT | |
| 21 | ARAB | |
| Horse’s bit not used by a prolific breeder (4) | A + RABBIT minus BIT | |
| 22 | COMPLICITY | |
| Involvement implicated most of Olympic city (10) | Anagram of (OLYMPIC CIT)Y | |
| 24 | TRIPLED | |
| Ran after error and got to third-base on one hit (7) | LED after TRIP | |
| 25 | AGAINST | |
| Facing improvement in a street (7) | GAIN inside (A +ST) | |
| 26 | DASHED | |
| Frustrated, she ploughed into mum’s mate (6) | SHE inside DAD | |
| 27 | DEBACLES | |
| Society girl left escorted by hot shots and failures (8) | DEB + (L inside ACES) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | STAYS ON | |
| Guy dealt with young boy’s remains (5,2) | STAY + SON | |
| 2 | REVOLUTIONARIES | |
| Social activists restricted development on house (15) | R + EVOLUTION + ARIES | |
| 3 | CANTONESE | |
| Chinese shades framed with bamboo, say (9) | TONES inside CANE | |
| 4 | ELEVEN | |
| Team 12’s centre square? (6) | TW(EL)VE + EVEN | |
| 6 | DELL | |
| Manufacturer that relies heavily on Silicon Valley (4) | Double Definition | |
| 7 | NON-PROFESSIONAL | |
| No person fails badly taking on amateur (3-12) | Anagram of NO PERSON FAILS outside ON | |
| 8 | SPA POOL | |
| Cylinder containing phosphorus and a muscle relaxant (3,4) | SPOOL outside (P + A) | |
| 10 | PALLID | |
| Friend with top lacking colour or brightness (6) | PAL + LID | |
| 15 | TRIPITAKA | |
| Stumble on a kit – a distributed collection of Buddhist essentials (9) | TRIP + anagram of A KIT A | |
| 16 | ACCORD | |
| A conductor primarily joined up to lead concert (6) | A + (C)ONDUCTOR + CORD | |
| 17 | FEASTED | |
| Had a lot to eat – meal containing endless pasta? (7) | FEED outside P(AST)A | |
| 19 | TOYOTAS | |
| Vehicles hit the horn, for instance, crossing close to freeway (7) | (TOOT + AS) outside FREEWA(Y) | |
| 20 | OPIATE | |
| Sedative, one ingested after surgical procedure (6) | (I + ATE) after OP | |
| 23 | FLEE | |
| Leave head of logistics in charge (4) | (L)OGISTICS inside FEE |
Dell machines use Intel components, and Intel is based in Santa Clara, in Silicon Valley. Therefore, 6dn is actually a triple definition / &lit:
* Manufacturer that relies heavily on Silicon
* Valley
* Manufacturer that relies heavily on Silicon Valley.