#crypticcrossword — Public Fediverse posts

Cryptic crossword help please.

I'm doing a crossword at the moment and the clue is

Surrogate animal to nose around (5).

and it needs to fit in to _ R _ X _

The answer is "proxy" because that's "surrogate", but I'm a bit stumped on how "animal to nose around" fits in. What am I not getting?

Thanks!
#CrypticCrossword #crossword

Cryptic crossword help please.

I'm doing a crossword at the moment and the clue is

Surrogate animal to nose around (5).

and it needs to fit in to _ R _ X _

The answer is "proxy" because that's "surrogate", but I'm a bit stumped on how "animal to nose around" fits in. What am I not getting?

Thanks!
#CrypticCrossword #crossword

Cryptic crossword help please.

I'm doing a crossword at the moment and the clue is

Surrogate animal to nose around (5).

and it needs to fit in to _ R _ X _

The answer is "proxy" because that's "surrogate", but I'm a bit stumped on how "animal to nose around" fits in. What am I not getting?

Thanks!
#CrypticCrossword #crossword

OK - kinda proud of my second clue for this week's #CrypticCrossword #AOTW clue contest on r/crosswords

'A nat 20! See? Then, we slow down. (4)'

OK - kinda proud of my second clue for this week's #CrypticCrossword #AOTW clue contest on r/crosswords

'A nat 20! See? Then, we slow down. (4)'

OK - kinda proud of my second clue for this week's #CrypticCrossword #AOTW clue contest on r/crosswords

'A nat 20! See? Then, we slow down. (4)'

OK - kinda proud of my second clue for this week's #CrypticCrossword #AOTW clue contest on r/crosswords

'A nat 20! See? Then, we slow down. (4)'

OK - kinda proud of my second clue for this week's #CrypticCrossword #AOTW clue contest on r/crosswords

'A nat 20! See? Then, we slow down. (4)'

🤔 Behold, the revolutionary "Understand Anything" #tool, where code graphs are magically transformed into... even more confusing diagrams! 🌪️ Forget about maps with legends; who needs clarity when you can have a kaleidoscope of chaos? 🎨 Embrace the art of deciphering your codebase like a cryptic crossword puzzle! 🧩
https://understand-anything.com/ #UnderstandAnything #ConfusingDiagrams #CodebaseArt #KaleidoscopeOfChaos #CrypticCrossword #HackerNews #ngated

🤔 Behold, the revolutionary "Understand Anything" #tool, where code graphs are magically transformed into... even more confusing diagrams! 🌪️ Forget about maps with legends; who needs clarity when you can have a kaleidoscope of chaos? 🎨 Embrace the art of deciphering your codebase like a cryptic crossword puzzle! 🧩
https://understand-anything.com/ #UnderstandAnything #ConfusingDiagrams #CodebaseArt #KaleidoscopeOfChaos #CrypticCrossword #HackerNews #ngated

#crossword #crypticcrossword #unch

My edition of episode 2 #unch has arrived!

https://unchcrosswords.com

I've only had a quick look through it, but I'm already impressed. There's a good mixture of cryptic crosswords and even a barred crossword.

I'm almost tempted to order a second one so that I have another one which hasn't been scribbled in!

#crossword #crypticcrossword #unch

My edition of episode 2 #unch has arrived!

https://unchcrosswords.com

I've only had a quick look through it, but I'm already impressed. There's a good mixture of cryptic crosswords and even a barred crossword.

I'm almost tempted to order a second one so that I have another one which hasn't been scribbled in!

On #dictionaries #oed

As I am sure many of you know by now, I love #crypticcrossword -- and I have the relevant associated dictionaries for that: Chambers, Bradmans, etc.

But what I've been thinking about is the Oxford English Dictionary. It ocured to me that I don't own one. Hmm, and it turns out were I to own one, I'd probably use it a lot.

So I looked into this, and found the following:

If I wanted to go top of the line, there's this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-English-Dictionary-second-Volumes/dp/0198611862/ -- I'm not sure I could justify that much money! But if people are recommending it then... maybe!

There's also the second edition:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compact-Oxford-English-Dictionary/dp/0198612583

If I wanted to "slum it", there's this option:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shorter-Oxford-English-Dictionary-Sixth/dp/0199206872 -- this looks interesting, and a but more compreshensive than your average smaller OED.

I guess at this point, I'd love to hear any recommendation people have.

Thanks to @lgsl for sanity-checking this in the first instance. :)

On #dictionaries #oed

As I am sure many of you know by now, I love #crypticcrossword -- and I have the relevant associated dictionaries for that: Chambers, Bradmans, etc.

But what I've been thinking about is the Oxford English Dictionary. It ocured to me that I don't own one. Hmm, and it turns out were I to own one, I'd probably use it a lot.

So I looked into this, and found the following:

If I wanted to go top of the line, there's this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-English-Dictionary-second-Volumes/dp/0198611862/ -- I'm not sure I could justify that much money! But if people are recommending it then... maybe!

There's also the second edition:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compact-Oxford-English-Dictionary/dp/0198612583

If I wanted to "slum it", there's this option:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shorter-Oxford-English-Dictionary-Sixth/dp/0199206872 -- this looks interesting, and a but more compreshensive than your average smaller OED.

I guess at this point, I'd love to hear any recommendation people have.

Thanks to @lgsl for sanity-checking this in the first instance. :)

On #dictionaries #oed

As I am sure many of you know by now, I love #crypticcrossword -- and I have the relevant associated dictionaries for that: Chambers, Bradmans, etc.

But what I've been thinking about is the Oxford English Dictionary. It ocured to me that I don't own one. Hmm, and it turns out were I to own one, I'd probably use it a lot.

So I looked into this, and found the following:

If I wanted to go top of the line, there's this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-English-Dictionary-second-Volumes/dp/0198611862/ -- I'm not sure I could justify that much money! But if people are recommending it then... maybe!

There's also the second edition:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compact-Oxford-English-Dictionary/dp/0198612583

If I wanted to "slum it", there's this option:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shorter-Oxford-English-Dictionary-Sixth/dp/0199206872 -- this looks interesting, and a but more compreshensive than your average smaller OED.

I guess at this point, I'd love to hear any recommendation people have.

Thanks to @lgsl for sanity-checking this in the first instance. :)

#azed #crossword #crypticcrossword

The azed crossword is known for being similar to The Listener in terms of its complexity and wide-ranging vocabulary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azed

But the most recent (2750, "Mixed Foursomes): https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/03/01/AZ_2750_(02nd_March).pdf -- has some of the most bizarre preamble instructions ever:

Clues are of four types:

1 Normal Cryptic

2 Letters Latent

From the answer to each clue the solver must omit one letter wherever it occurs (sometimes more than once) before entry in the diagram. Definitions in the clues refer to the full unmutilated answers: subsidiary indications, such as anagrams etc, refer to the mutilated forms to be entered in the diagram. The nine letters omitted, taken in clue order, spell out an appropriate two-word compound.

3 Misprints

Each clue contains a misprint of one letter, always occurring in the definition part. The misprinted letters (not the misprints themselves), when taken in clue order, spell out the same two-word compound.

4 Definition and Letter Mixture

Each clue contains a definition of the answer and a hidden mixture of its letters plus one additional letter, beginning at the beginning or ending at the end of a word in
the clue. The additional letters, taken in clue order, again spell out the same two-word compound.

Each group of four clues (except the group containing the asterisked one-word definition at 14 Down) contains one of
each of the clue types. Solvers must determine which is which. Numbers in brackets throughout indicate the length of unmutilated answers.

Good luck everyone. You need a PhD just to understand the blasted instructions! ;)

#azed #crossword #crypticcrossword

The azed crossword is known for being similar to The Listener in terms of its complexity and wide-ranging vocabulary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azed

But the most recent (2750, "Mixed Foursomes): https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/03/01/AZ_2750_(02nd_March).pdf -- has some of the most bizarre preamble instructions ever:

Clues are of four types:

1 Normal Cryptic

2 Letters Latent

From the answer to each clue the solver must omit one letter wherever it occurs (sometimes more than once) before entry in the diagram. Definitions in the clues refer to the full unmutilated answers: subsidiary indications, such as anagrams etc, refer to the mutilated forms to be entered in the diagram. The nine letters omitted, taken in clue order, spell out an appropriate two-word compound.

3 Misprints

Each clue contains a misprint of one letter, always occurring in the definition part. The misprinted letters (not the misprints themselves), when taken in clue order, spell out the same two-word compound.

4 Definition and Letter Mixture

Each clue contains a definition of the answer and a hidden mixture of its letters plus one additional letter, beginning at the beginning or ending at the end of a word in
the clue. The additional letters, taken in clue order, again spell out the same two-word compound.

Each group of four clues (except the group containing the asterisked one-word definition at 14 Down) contains one of
each of the clue types. Solvers must determine which is which. Numbers in brackets throughout indicate the length of unmutilated answers.

Good luck everyone. You need a PhD just to understand the blasted instructions! ;)

#azed #crossword #crypticcrossword

The azed crossword is known for being similar to The Listener in terms of its complexity and wide-ranging vocabulary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azed

But the most recent (2750, "Mixed Foursomes): https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/03/01/AZ_2750_(02nd_March).pdf -- has some of the most bizarre preamble instructions ever:

Clues are of four types:

1 Normal Cryptic

2 Letters Latent

From the answer to each clue the solver must omit one letter wherever it occurs (sometimes more than once) before entry in the diagram. Definitions in the clues refer to the full unmutilated answers: subsidiary indications, such as anagrams etc, refer to the mutilated forms to be entered in the diagram. The nine letters omitted, taken in clue order, spell out an appropriate two-word compound.

3 Misprints

Each clue contains a misprint of one letter, always occurring in the definition part. The misprinted letters (not the misprints themselves), when taken in clue order, spell out the same two-word compound.

4 Definition and Letter Mixture

Each clue contains a definition of the answer and a hidden mixture of its letters plus one additional letter, beginning at the beginning or ending at the end of a word in
the clue. The additional letters, taken in clue order, again spell out the same two-word compound.

Each group of four clues (except the group containing the asterisked one-word definition at 14 Down) contains one of
each of the clue types. Solvers must determine which is which. Numbers in brackets throughout indicate the length of unmutilated answers.

Good luck everyone. You need a PhD just to understand the blasted instructions! ;)

#azed #crossword #crypticcrossword

The azed crossword is known for being similar to The Listener in terms of its complexity and wide-ranging vocabulary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azed

But the most recent (2750, "Mixed Foursomes): https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/03/01/AZ_2750_(02nd_March).pdf -- has some of the most bizarre preamble instructions ever:

Clues are of four types:

1 Normal Cryptic

2 Letters Latent

From the answer to each clue the solver must omit one letter wherever it occurs (sometimes more than once) before entry in the diagram. Definitions in the clues refer to the full unmutilated answers: subsidiary indications, such as anagrams etc, refer to the mutilated forms to be entered in the diagram. The nine letters omitted, taken in clue order, spell out an appropriate two-word compound.

3 Misprints

Each clue contains a misprint of one letter, always occurring in the definition part. The misprinted letters (not the misprints themselves), when taken in clue order, spell out the same two-word compound.

4 Definition and Letter Mixture

Each clue contains a definition of the answer and a hidden mixture of its letters plus one additional letter, beginning at the beginning or ending at the end of a word in
the clue. The additional letters, taken in clue order, again spell out the same two-word compound.

Each group of four clues (except the group containing the asterisked one-word definition at 14 Down) contains one of
each of the clue types. Solvers must determine which is which. Numbers in brackets throughout indicate the length of unmutilated answers.

Good luck everyone. You need a PhD just to understand the blasted instructions! ;)

You assume we all speak the same language until you try to do an #American #CrypticCrossword

#anglosphere #EnglishLanguage #NZTwits

I set today's Telegraph Toughie -> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/puzzles/puzzles/?source=crossword#crossword/toughie-crossword/toughie-crossword-20199

Sample clues
Provide with Railway Union fund (5)
Fourth line of pews installed in church before day gets busy (7)
Silicone breast - perhaps one dropping halfway down - firm at first, becoming flexible (9)

No spoilers, ta

#cryptics #crypticcrossword #Crossword #crypticclues #telegraphtoughie

I set today's Telegraph Toughie -> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/puzzles/puzzles/?source=crossword#crossword/toughie-crossword/toughie-crossword-20199

Sample clues
Provide with Railway Union fund (5)
Fourth line of pews installed in church before day gets busy (7)
Silicone breast - perhaps one dropping halfway down - firm at first, becoming flexible (9)

No spoilers, ta

#cryptics #crypticcrossword #Crossword #crypticclues #telegraphtoughie