Last week I talked a little about cryptic definitions and comments made by Braze on his blog. Basically, like the rest of the world, North America struggles to really embrace cryptics but this isn’t a current phenomenon, it’s always been that way. Braze’s comments generated a response from Henri Picciotto, a long-time US cryptic setter. Here it is:
“I believe the evidence does not support this. In Britain, where there is a wide spectrum of styles among constructors, from totally freewheeling to strictly Ximenean, there are vastly more solvers than in the US, with several newspapers offering cryptics every single day. In the US, where Ximenean conventions rule, we have very few solvers, and little interest in non-variety cryptics among experienced solvers.”
Personally I don’t think Henri has it right either. The variety and number of cryptics in the UK isn’t evidence that everything in cryptics is liked, quite the opposite – you need variety to make sure all cryptic solvers get at least one puzzle that they enjoy solving. Cryptics are established but by no means invincible as younger generations turn to other pursuits for entertainment. Just as one-definition, theme crosswords dominate in North America (and are not found much in other countries), cryptics have a big presence in the UK (but not anywhere else to the same extent). It’s a matter of history and not much else. I don’t think any change to US cryptics currently would impact their popularity.
Henri has been pushing for change for a long time. Read an excerpt of his manifesto written back in 1992. I think all solvers outside the States should read this, not because I advocate what he is saying, but because it explains a lot about how US cryptics work – the Brits tend to ridicule US cryptics, claiming that they are too easy. If they knew more about the constraints that setters work under they might form a different view. It’s not the skills of the setters, or their approach, that’s deficient, it’s the “system” as such. Note that some of these constraints I’ve imposed on myself, believing that they lead to better-written cryptics.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | NAMES | |
| Staff recalled limitations of efficacious celebrities (5) | MAN reversed + (E)FFICACIOU(S) | |
| 4 | INCUMBENT | |
| Functionary in capital providing housing for displaced bum (9) | IN + (CENT outside anagram of BUM) | |
| 9 | HORSE AROUND | |
| Play the fool or wither in chase (5,6) | (OR + SEAR) inside HOUND | |
| 10 | AGA | |
| A reduced fuel stove (3) | A + (GA)S | |
| 11 | LACERATE | |
| Slash network charge (8) | LACE + RATE | |
| 12 | DAPPLE | |
| Spot last piece of dried fruit (6) | DRIE(D) + APPLE | |
| 14 | SEEM | |
| Look to understand male (4) | SEE + M | |
| 15 | TALK OVER | |
| Discuss authorisation withdrawn in middle of travel abroad (4,4) | (OK reversed) inside anagram of TRAVEL | |
| 18 | BEARINGS | |
| Live with syndicates operating behind a specific location (8) | BE + (RINGS after A) | |
| 20 | FOWL | |
| Fine bird, one kept for eggs and meat (4) | F + OWL | |
| 24 | ORALLY | |
| Start to organise mass meeting by word of mouth (6) | (O)RGANISE + RALLY | |
| 25 | ASSORTED | |
| Odd-shaped asteroids, apart from one, varied (8) | Anagram of ASTERIODS minus I | |
| 27 | HOT | |
| Watering hole outside of Hobart is very popular (3) | HOBART minus BAR | |
| 28 | PREVARICATE | |
| Private car damaged back of one Dodge (11) | Anagram of PRIVATE CAR + ON(E) | |
| 29 | MARSEILLE | |
| Ruin seller mostly stocking one French port (9) | [MAR + (SELLE)R] outside I | |
| 30 | SILKS | |
| Rider’s uniform – type noticed in middle of dressage (5) | ILK inside DRE(SS)AGE | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | NIHILIST | |
| Revolutionary turned in hard one on schedule (8) | IN reversed + H + I + LIST | |
| 2 | MIRACLE | |
| Vehicle reversed in a long way – an astonishing feat (7) | CAR reversed inside MILE | |
| 3 | SPEARS | |
| Small fruit stickers (6) | S + PEARS | |
| 4 | IRRITATING | |
| One unusual trait, admitted by band, is troublesome (10) | I + (anagram of TRAIT inside RING) | |
| 5 | CHUM | |
| Friend quietly slipped away from foolish person (4) | CHUMP minus P | |
| 6 | MEDIATOR | |
| Magazine’s head journalist making room for a go-between (8) | (M)AGAZINE + (EDITOR outsdie A) | |
| 7 | EXAMPLE | |
| Standard test pleased less than half (7) | EXAM + (PLE)ASED | |
| 8 | TRADER | |
| Dealer returned colour paintings, say (6) | (RED + ART) reversed | |
| 13 | CLOSE SHAVE | |
| SEALs have a narrow escape (5,5) | CLOSES + HAVE | |
| 16 | PROLAPSE | |
| Course in writing is falling down from a doctor’s point of view (8) | LAP inside PROSE | |
| 17 | GLADNESS | |
| Tumbler, say, clutching object, held back delight (8) | GLASS outside (END reversed) | |
| 19 | EXACTOR | |
| Former player is a demanding person (7) | EX + ACTOR | |
| 21 | OUTFALL | |
| Fault developed replacing one in oil discharging point (7) | Anagram of FAULT replacing I in OIL | |
| 22 | GOTHAM | |
| City of New York understood traditional Christmas fare (6) | GOT + HAM | |
| 23 | MOVIES | |
| Production of “Hair” competes with big-budget features (6) | MO + VIES | |
| 26 | BELL | |
| Beautiful woman cut off ring (4) | (BELL)E |
