Cryptic Crosswords

This is where all of the games are discussed.

Moderators: alietr, trainman, econgator, dhkendall

User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

Blue hospital room concerned with issues of the ear (6) (UPDATE: got this one - good clue!)

Carrying out each mascot standing (12) ??

Pronounced gains for people in the forecasting business (8) ???
User avatar
mikebdoss
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 318
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2015 12:36 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by mikebdoss »

These are a fascinatingly odd thing that I've never heard of before this thread. Are we just expected to know all the shorthand/codes? Or is there an "official" primer somewhere?
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

mikebdoss wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 12:36 pm These are a fascinatingly odd thing that I've never heard of before this thread. Are we just expected to know all the shorthand/codes? Or is there an "official" primer somewhere?
I don't know about an official guide but you can definitely find stuff online. I think cryptics are bigger in the UK, but NY Times and WSJ publish cryptic puzzles. Even Jeopardy! has featured CRYPTIC CROSSWORD CLUES

Have any of you created a regular crossword puzzle? How would you even go about doing that? Do you use crossword writing software?
Last edited by morbeedo on Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
teapot37
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2054
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:02 pm
Location: Louisville KY

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by teapot37 »

Yeah, afaik British papers almost exclusively publish cryptics rather than standard crosswords. Over there, "setters" (puzzle creators) usually use pseudonyms, as a tribute to the guy who created them, who called himself Torquemada.
Not many people can say they've lost four times on Jeopardy!.
Peter the accountant
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 689
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:13 am

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by Peter the accountant »

morbeedo wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:29 am This one was hard because I've never heard of this thing. Got it by filling in other boxes

Western prop carried by Maria Tallchief (5)
Hmm. My first pass at it would be
Spoiler
rifle. It's definitely a western prop. Carried by Maria Tallchief - the letters for "rifle" are in her name.
But you say you've never heard of this thing. I have a hard time believing you've never heard of my solution. So I've certainly got a different solution, which is probably the wrong one. I also don't like that my solution doesn't give a double meaning to "carried by Maria Tallchief." I don't think that's a hard requirement, but it is common enough that it should be looked for.
--Peter
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

Peter the accountant wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 1:58 pm Western prop carried by Maria Tallchief (5)
Hmm. My first pass at it would be
Spoiler
rifle. It's definitely a western prop. Carried by Maria Tallchief - the letters for "rifle" are in her name.
But you say you've never heard of this thing. I have a hard time believing you've never heard of my solution. So I've certainly got a different solution, which is probably the wrong one. I also don't like that my solution doesn't give a double meaning to "carried by Maria Tallchief." I don't think that's a hard requirement, but it is common enough that it should be looked for.
Spoiler
You're thinking of "carried by" the wrong way...
teapot37
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2054
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:02 pm
Location: Louisville KY

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by teapot37 »

Peter the accountant wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 1:58 pm
morbeedo wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:29 am This one was hard because I've never heard of this thing. Got it by filling in other boxes

Western prop carried by Maria Tallchief (5)
Hmm. My first pass at it would be
Spoiler
rifle. It's definitely a western prop. Carried by Maria Tallchief - the letters for "rifle" are in her name.
But you say you've never heard of this thing. I have a hard time believing you've never heard of my solution. So I've certainly got a different solution, which is probably the wrong one. I also don't like that my solution doesn't give a double meaning to "carried by Maria Tallchief." I don't think that's a hard requirement, but it is common enough that it should be looked for.
From doing enough regular crosswords, I know that
Spoiler
riata is a synonym for a lasso or lariat. maRIA TAllchief "carries" riata.
Not many people can say they've lost four times on Jeopardy!.
User avatar
immaf
Swimming in the Jeopardy! Pool
Posts: 1047
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:16 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by immaf »

mikebdoss wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 12:36 pm These are a fascinatingly odd thing that I've never heard of before this thread. Are we just expected to know all the shorthand/codes? Or is there an "official" primer somewhere?
On a trip to England once, I picked up a book that was essentially "cryptic crosswords for beginners." It taught some of the basic tricks and codewords for them, gave examples, and then set you loose on some puzzles.
Teems with quiet fun.
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

Need help finishing this. It takes a village, people!
Spoiler
Image
Peter the accountant
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 689
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:13 am

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by Peter the accountant »

Got it. Thank you both. Once again, I'm in the neighborhood, but not in quite the right area.

So "carried by" is going to imply consecutive letters in order. I'm having trouble figuring out when to anagram and when to look for consecutive letters.
--Peter
teapot37
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2054
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:02 pm
Location: Louisville KY

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by teapot37 »

Polish person with a strong desire (6)
Spoiler
In this case "polish" being at the beginning of the clue is a trick, it doesn't refer to the nationality but the glow or sheen or LUSTER of an object.
Not many people can say they've lost four times on Jeopardy!.
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

teapot37 wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:28 pm Polish person with a strong desire (6)
Spoiler
In this case "polish" being at the beginning of the clue is a trick, it doesn't refer to the nationality but the glow or sheen or LUSTER of an object.
Ohhhh. I was never getting that in a million years ;)
teapot37
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2054
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:02 pm
Location: Louisville KY

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by teapot37 »

Carrying out each mascot standing (12)
Spoiler
each = PER, mascot = PET, standing = RATING => carrying out = PERPETRATING
Pronounced gains for people in the forecasting business (8)
Spoiler
PROPHETS is what makes sense as "people in the forecasting business" but I haven't figured out the rest of the clue yet...
Not many people can say they've lost four times on Jeopardy!.
seaborgium
Undefeated in Reruns
Posts: 8941
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:31 am

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by seaborgium »

teapot37 wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:50 pm Pronounced gains for people in the forecasting business (8)
Spoiler
PROPHETS is what makes sense as "people in the forecasting business" but I haven't figured out the rest of the clue yet...
Spoiler
gains = profits = pronounced identically to prophets
teapot37
Watches Jeopardy! Way Too Much
Posts: 2054
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:02 pm
Location: Louisville KY

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by teapot37 »

Thanks, I was trying to have
Spoiler
for = PRO and then couldn't make sense of PHETS.
Not many people can say they've lost four times on Jeopardy!.
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

seaborgium wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 3:13 pm
teapot37 wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:50 pm Pronounced gains for people in the forecasting business (8)
Spoiler
PROPHETS is what makes sense as "people in the forecasting business" but I haven't figured out the rest of the clue yet...
Spoiler
gains = profits = pronounced identically to prophets
Spoiler
Awesome! I figured this was a 'sounds like' clue and immediately translated gains to profits but stopped there
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

teapot37 wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:50 pm Carrying out each mascot standing (12)
Spoiler
each = PER, mascot = PET, standing = RATING => carrying out = PERPETRATING
Yeah. Not in a million years, but it makes sense now :)
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

8-)
Spoiler
Image
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

I started a new puzzle and need some help :?

I think I got this one: One in 3,000 - first-class liberal man, for example
Spoiler
M-a-MM + A + L = mammal (man, for ex.) - but how does liberal translate to just L
User avatar
morbeedo
Loyal Jeopardista
Posts: 3065
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm

Re: Cryptic Crosswords

Post by morbeedo »

This is the puzzle I'm working on, if anyone wants to play along. Just use the spoiler box if posting solutions
Spoiler
Image
I'm going to do as much as I can without asking for help :geek:
Post Reply