Introduction
Doing a daily crossword is one documented way to preserve our mental faculties as we grow older.
Why a cryptic crossword instead of a ‘normal’ crossword?
1. Although the English language has many synonyms, there is still a limited number of normal clues for a given word. Most compilers tend to use only a subset, so the same clue/answer combinations get repeated. This is OK if you want to set a record time for completion, but is not much mental stimulation. Cryptic clues offer huge variety, and therefore much more brain exercise.
2. In a normal crossword you don’t know an answer is right until you have the answers which cross it. I remember one occasion when I had all but one word filled in one corner, and had to change them all to get the last word. With a cryptic clue you mostly (not always) know that an answer is correct without needing cross corroboration.
3. Cryptic clues are much more fun. This is because they are really a specialised form of joke.
So let’s talk about jokes.
On a sliding scale there are jokes told by five-year-olds, jokes told by Benny Hill, and jokes told by Billy Connelly. Most adults wouldn’t want to repeat a five-year-old’s joke; they might repeat a Benny Hill joke once or twice; and they could repeat a joke by Billy Connelly many times.
The problem is that a five-year-old has a very limited store of jokes and wants to repeat them ad nauseum. Benny Hill had a much larger repertoire but repeated each joke many times. Billy Connelly is always looking for new things to say and even when he tells the same story it has so many new wrinkles and insights that it might as well be new.
It’s the same with cryptic crossword compilers.
Do a crossword by a ‘five-year-old’ compiler and by the time you are half way through you are looking back, sure you have seen this clue earlier. And with each clue your most overriding thought is, ‘So?’. With a ‘Benny Hill’ compiler, your enjoyment and interest might last for a few months or a year, but eventually it will seem like ‘same old same old’. A ‘Billy Connelly’ compiler will keep your interest, your intellect, and your funny-bone well oiled for a long long time.
If I were to set an exam for cryptic crossword compilers it would have three questions:
1. Write at least five completely different clues (including three different types) for each of ten words selected from a given list. [Bonus marks for each extra clue.]
2. Write a clue for each of twenty given words, using no clue type more than three times (on its own or in combination).
3. Write a clue for each of twenty given words without using an anagram.
Above all else, this is a test of versatility with the English language and the cryptic forms. Anyone passing this exam would be well on the way to the ‘Billy Connelly’ class.
Why this manual?
Too many ‘How to solve cryptic crosswords’ articles in papers and magazines, very quickly get into specifics of what words in clues mean. I contend that any word in a clue can have so many meanings that this approach is naive of the writer, and frustrating for the reader.
For example, ‘Left is used to indicate the abbreviation L’. Sometimes it is. But consider these possible meanings: went/gone away; remains (the opposite of the previous meaning!); on the left side; to the left - which in terms of writing could mean backwards. Each of these could be used to indicate a completely different type of cryptic clue.
My approach is to begin at the beginning - with the definition of, and rules for, constructing cryptic clues. And to show how understanding these can provide you, the solver, with a method to deconstruct a clue, and therefore be well on the way to solving it.
Then on to the different types of cryptic clues. Here I have tried to be as wide-ranging as possible to show the immense variety available to compilers.
I have also provided quality clues for you to cut your teeth on, with covered up detailed answers so you can check your progress.
Finally, information on specifics and tricks of the trade, with many more examples.
A disclaimer. When we were in England from 1972 to 1974 I read a book on Cryptic Crosswords written by a famous setter. I can't remember his name. It was very readable and his dissertation on what constituted a good clue and the rules it should obey stuck. It forms the basis of this manual.
A disclaimer. When we were in England from 1972 to 1974 I read a book on Cryptic Crosswords written by a famous setter. I can't remember his name. It was very readable and his dissertation on what constituted a good clue and the rules it should obey stuck. It forms the basis of this manual.