UKH

Inspired by the Wordle threads, this is for those who like crosswords.

Spoilers are allowed as long as they are at least as cryptic as the clue they hint at.

Any type of crossword is fair game, whether quick, cryptic, British or American style, or anything else. Just don't expect me to follow you very quickly if you go much beyond the standard of the Guardian's Everyman and Monday crosswords.

Disclosure: I cheat with with abandon in that I use Chambers Thesaurus and, if in desperate straights, which is often, a site that gives me all the words that end or start in whatever, but never sites where you put in all the letters you've got so far and see what it gives you. But if you do, that's fine. Crosswords are for fun.

Warning: Crosswords can soak up more of your time than is wise and furrow your brow for days on end.

Enjoy!

You need some kind of scoring system, on-site crossword, flash crossword, flash crossword with beta, seconded crossword and maybe dogged crossword?

These count?

https://regexcrossword.com/

Here's a classic one from The Times cryptic

"Bar of soap" (6,6)

Rover's Return

Onsight btw

Another classic:

Amundsen's forwarding address (4)

Great clue. Took me a while

A recent favourite of mine:

What the King's men did: failed (4,2,3,4)

I occasionally manage a Quick one onsight, but for cryptics I normally end up dogging them to death and getting beta from my mum. She's much better at them than me.

Ah yes Pedro, true classic that one from the mighty Bunthorne if I remember right?

Think I've got that one mbh. Cryptic spoiler alert - Had someone (non climber) had a fall?!

Yes indeed.

"postman's sack"...

(always a classic) 

This is a great thread. 
however it has blown my mind please can people give more spoilers, I’m in desperate need of help in most areas of my life but cryptic crosswords are top. 

Length of solution is considered helpful 🤔 

Ah... You've seen through my ruse.... 

You had me for a moment! 

Tee hee.

I remember one from a while ago which was "lowest digit" (3)

I'm a purist, always go for the onsite. Literally never finished one (back in the days when I used to buy a paper). As for the cryptic ones I'm not sure I ever started one!

Just realised after 20 years of climbing I spelt onsight wrong. No wonder I can't finish a crossword...

Spoiler alert...

Something afoot here?

One from Paul of the Guardian,

"Speeding driver from Scottish isle and town" (5,8)

Anyone interested in crosswords should read this book, and solve the title clue while you're at it.

Reminds me of the old joke about F1 and Ayr Toon Centre.

Only got it from the highlighted letters...

Fans of Drop The Dead Donkey might remember this one:

Gegs (9, 4)

I also needed the highlighted letters. 

My mum gave me an old Araucaria collection of hers. This is the back page. A crossword equivalent of those Einsteinian blackboards full of equations?

They completely passed me by!

I've seen that before. Makes me laugh. I looked for it again and found this:

Clue: HIJKLMO 

Answer:

What a great clue.

See also Alan Connor's Crossword book club. Who knew there was such a thing?

Next up, Len Deighton's Horse Under Water.

https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2022/jun/06/puzzlers-...

I think you missed something out!

Curses! You are right. It should be

HIJKLMNO

Eggcellent! Took a while for the penny to drop for me

@mbh Hats off to your mum for doing the Araucaria skeletons. They really were tough, I could never do them. Lovely clue that H to O, which I'd seen before.

Another Times oldie:

"Decapitate rat-like bats one shot with rabbit" (6)  

COBOL programers might struggle though.

Can someone explain this one please?

Thanks 😊 

Two girls, one on each knee has just arrived. I shall enjoy this.

No gap yet in the fog with this. Clearly I still have a long way to go with this cryptic lark.

On the upside, I have solved Monday's Vulcan. 

Some of my favourites:

there’s no end of cats there (4,2,3)

Erica and how to warm her up (7)

confirms what Goldilocks found (5,3)

First thought

No, I was being too sporty. It is

Here’s one for sports fans:

It’s a game of two halves (5, 8)

Everyman 3948

Seemed easier than usual, no stoppers but good fun.

Yes, I have found it easier this week. Just three to go now.

I like that 😂

Everyman 3948

Done. 13a took the longest.

My last one too.

Girlfriend and I love doing the New Scientist ones, they alternate between a quick and a cryptic each week.  Our neighbour pushes the mags through the letterbox after they are done reading. I'd be gutted if they ever did the puzzles themselves.

A nice one from the one we are doing now:

"Deduces how neanderthals might have dressed" (6)

Sorry mbh, forgot all about this, I've been away for the weekend.

I don't know how to put a spoiler box in this message!

"one shot with rabbit" is the definition and requires some lateral thinking

"bats" is an anagram indicator.

Hope this nudges you in the right direction

Thank you. That helped and I have got it now.

Spoiler boxes are added like this, leaving out the asterisks:

[*spoiler]The answer[*/spoiler]

Thanks mbh, let me just try that out...

Can anybody recommend a good how to for cryptic crosswords? Used to enjoy the graun quickie years ago, but only had very sporadic success with cryptics. 

Not sure about this one, is it...

Enjoyed all the others, especially Goldilocks clue.

"Exchange let phone ring for a trunk caller" (8)

Correct!

Clue should really have been: ""Deduces how Neanderthals might be said to have dressed" (6)"

You're right. There was something to that effect tacked on the end but read a bit more clumsy, and I thought the UKC hivemind would cope without it.  My fault, not the compilers!

King of thieves underwear (8)

Very good and I would like to try those New Scientist crosswords.

The solution makes me giggle. I think of Kenneth Williams.

Alan Connor, he of the excellent book Two Girls, One on Each Knee that Pedro recommended further up the thread, does a blog about cryptic crosswords on the Guardian site. It has several very useful explanatory articles such as this one:

https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2022/may/23/cryptic-c...  

Scroll down for links to others.

Great, thanks.

Struggling with this one.

Got it, I think

The penny dropped for me on the morning dog walk.

Today's Guardian cryptic; completely beyond me:

Climbers: there are five in the Olympic Village but only one in an event (9)

Here's a topical one from today's Grauniad:

Climbers: there are five in the Olympic Village but only one in an event (9)

Took me a while to work out why the answer I had was right.

That's what I took it to be

Sorry, didn't put a spoiler for my last clue, so here it is

Still trying to solve King of thieves underwear. Can anyone give me a hint?

Correct

Just spotted your post, which hadn't appeared when I wrote mine. I suppose I should have refreshed beforehand but who'd have thought the same clue would be posted independently within minutes?!

Here's an alternative clue:

"Footballers wear new underwear"(8)

Just remembered this one:

Award reportedly shock for small hen. (8,5)

John's suggestion is a proper clue. A hint is that it's not about being fans of the Yankees. A crosswordy hint is that the last word is the definition.

If desperate:

Thanks mbh and John. I got there in the end

How does the climbers clue parse? 

Dictionary definition of the answer:

1. a part of a letter that extends above the level of the top of an x (as in b and f ).

The first word is the definition. I guessed the word correctly having got the first letter from another clue but cannot work out how it fits the rest of the clue.

Ah! 

I'd never have parsed that in a million years, a bit crap imho.

I would never have gotten that. I thought it was directly related to the phrase Olympic Village and the word event itself but I could not see what it was. That dictionary definition is a new one on me. Obscure by any standards.

I guessed it likely had nothing to do with the Olympics or villages or events - that's usually true of nonsense sounding phrases like the one in this clue, one way or another (trouble is, there's lots of possible ways..). I was counting vowels and consonants.

Large postman's sack. Edit I see this has been done

Ball bearing mouse trap (3,3)

Blimey, I never would've got that. I'd guessed at the answer but couldn't see a connection.

Thanks John.

Very good!

an oldie from my apprentice days.

Nice one. Here's a couple from Araucaria:

Oppo, perhaps, of Caesar, J.? (7)

and

Top of amazon is wet (3,5,6)

and I don't know where to start with

Of of of of of of of of of of (10)

Is it

No, sorry. You'll have no doubt that the answer is correct once you've got it.

On a slightly different note, people may be interested in a different crossword challenge I usually attempt, generally for quick crosswords but can equally apply to cryptics. The idea is that I try to flash-fill the grid in a very specific order, rather than looking at whatever clue takes my fancy. The order is very simple in practice, but no doubt sounds complicated when trying to describe it unambiguously. A kind of pseudocode seems to work best:

Repeat

     Do the lowest numbered clue remaining, choosing across first if both remain.

     While there is at least one unsolved clue that intersects the one you've just done

          Do the leftmost or uppermost of these.

     endwhile

endrepeat

So always start from 1A, unless there isn't one, then do 1D instead, and keep following the first clue that you've just provided a new letter for. If all intersecting clues are already done, start again with the lowest available number.

What is really important is that you don't look at any other clue than the one you're trying to solve; this is very easy with the Guardian app but requires blinkers on the website. No reason you can't look at other words in the grid though, as long as you don't look at the clues; sometimes this allows you to guess a likely answer that helps with the one you're struggling with.

I mention this now because I just succeeded in the Grauniad Quick this way, something I try almost every day but only succeed very occasionally - maybe once or twice a year. I find it adds an extra challenge and, if I get stuck on a word, I simply revert to trying other clues as normal and haven't lost anything.

Oh blimey...

Ball bearing mouse trap

Had to use the spoiler. That was probably the only ball I hadn't thought of!

Good clue

I always try this, first, with easier crosswords at least. Maybe without so many constraints that you use. Start top left, every answer must intersect with a previous one.

So do I more or less, because it is easier to build on what you have done before than to go for all the across clues first, then all the downs, or something like that.

I usually get the Guardian Quick to within one or two cleanly and then I cheat. So many other things to do all day. For the week, that's why I don't go beyond Sunday's Everyman and maybe the Monday cryptic.

It must be

Just came back to this fun, easy one in this week's Everyman after a weekend of camping with a tribe of progeny.

WW2 general caught on tape in Uruguayan port (10)

Even for a dunce like me that is quite easy. How many Uruguayan ports do you know?

Nice one in today's Guardian:

Socialist up for election hopelessly outperformed (4,8)

Got it eventually. Very good!

Who can do this? It is the only clue of Sunday's Everyman that I cannot do, despite having the first and third letters.

Perhaps writer of Happy Birthday's more friendly not initially (4)

Answers should be hidden until next Sunday, but hefty clues are welcome. I mean, it's almost Wednesday. Anyone who hasn't got it by now is probably also scratching their heads.

Think where would 'happy birthday' be written?

As a last resort:

It took me a while, but I got it. Thanks.

Monday's Vulcan almost now done.

Everyman 3950

A smooth run through today, with this one reminding me of a clue that appeared on here some time ago:

Corroborate order to get some distance from Paddington? (4,3)

Great clue in today's Prize crossword:

Programme that's tedious? (7,9)

Worthy of Araucaria that one 😁

(1,.....,3,2,4,4), as Oates said. 😖

 

Talking of Araucaria, here are 26 of Alan Connor's favourite John Graham clues:  The A-Z of Araucaria
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2013/nov/27/crossword...

Answers at the end if you want them, otherwise, blinkers on!

 

Pulitzer prize

Thank you!

I went for

Great clue, anyway.

Jusr remembered this one:

Large quarry bird (6)

Yep.

How are people doing the 'show spoiler' thing? Would be useful in the joke threads for hiding punchlines.

Like this, but without the asterisks:

[*spoiler]punch line[*/spoiler]

Managed to complete today's Everyman, first time for a couple of weeks.

Well done. Am currently cycling around the Netherlands and haven’t had a chance to get to it this week.

This made me laugh out loud from Saturday:

Accessories for Caroline and Peggy Sue (10)

Is it 

I am thinking probably not given that Caroline isn't a great fit and as yet I've only smirked but so far it's my best shot.

In which three couples get together for sex (5)

Not that. I just looked up the answer and even then took a while to parse it. It makes sense but I'd never have got it.

me too - took ages to understand the answer ! 

It's clever and difficult!

Ok, I give up. I went to the crossword itself (the latest Prize) and got a couple of the  intersecting words, but still no joy. I'll look with interest on Saturday if I still haven't got it by then.

You can Google most popular cryptic clues, Danword or fifteen squared usually have the answers, goodness knows why newspapers persevere with prizes.

especially if you parse out Sue first  (hint - don't)

I know, I was just holding out. As it happens, the answer has just dawned on me. Very good - funny and obviously right.

No, you have to think about singing and girls.

i know i reverse engineered it, eventually

I didnt get that one but just checked it on the guardian page.... brilliant!

Still no idea, but research continues 😖

Everyman completed! 

Best clue: Stroke seabird: that's an order (7)

My favourite was

 Apparitions as may appear after cheese? (7)

That was the last one I got, doh!

Just come across this one in today's Quiptic. Made me smile.

Abracadobra? (8,7)

I stumbled on it while reading about crosswords. It is

In doing so I found

Kiss me, Hardy  (7,5)

With apologies for lowering the tone of this great thread:

Become attentive, or sexual deviation perhaps (5,2,4,4)

Very neat

lovely

I like that!

This was the last to fall from Saturday’s prize crossword - elicited something between a chuckle and a groan

Art of songwriting shown by Elgar furiously penning dance music (9)

(apologies for not doing the spoiler thing - happy to be told how)

I had to look up the answer, but it was worth it!

[*spoiler] insert spoiler here [*/spoiler]

As above without the stars

That's a great clue. I got it, but only after getting the first, third and fifth letters from solving other clues. 

Spoiler alert if you still want to do last week's Prize!

I am impressed that you managed all of that. I finally managed about half of it, and after going through it now that the solutions are out there are still a couple that I cannot parse:

16d: Nibble away at my caviar? Penny tucks into it (7) Answer: CORRODE

Nibble away at, OK, but caviar? Penny?

23d: At intervals, gamely holding jacket for Bob Monkhouse? Answer: ABBEY

Intervals sometimes means every n-th letter, but seemingly not here. And gamely?

16d; The last bit is probably d in roe. I don't really get the "cor".

I think now that 'caviar' is ROE and and 'Penny' is as in Penny CORD which, when tucked into ROE, makes CORRODE. I would never have got that.

Not a big fan of crosswords and useless at cryptic. However I like codewords which enables me to help wife with crosswords if she has a few letters, even if I can't understand the clue.

I don't know Penny Cord! Surely penny is the d (denarius), which is then inserted into roe? That leaves "cor" for "my", which seems very lame.

Neither did I, I had to look I up. Regardless, you are clearly correct! I blame my parents for not moving back to the UK until a month before decimalisation.

So 'Art' means a particular songwriter, not art in general, 'Penny tucks in ' means there's a d in there, not a p. Beware false trails.

A day later, CORRODE now looks so obvious.

The Everyman fell after an absorbing hour or two. Yesterday's Prize as ever is a much tougher proposition.

In a rare turn of events I blitzed most of Saturday's prize with only 4 to go but I fear I will be stuck here unless I get a burst of midweek inspiration as often happens.

That was good progress. I had only managed one until a flurry this morning took me to about half-way. If I get as far you have, that will be a record wit the Prize.

I've also got it down to 4 left now (7d, 10a, 14a and 16d). Lots of ideas for each of these, but none that totally fit the clue and leave me free of seeming dead-ends in other clues.

I liked the long one:

No chance the Prince of Darkness will slip up then? (4,4,7,4)

I think I am done. 7 down I think I am right based on the fact that it is the only word I know that fits.

A bit of subsequent googling makes me think I am right but it is very tenuous and I cannot see how the answer is derived from the clue in total.

I fail financially to support soldier in legion

For 7d I went for

I think I know 10a and 14a, but am happy to be told/find out on Saturday what 16d is. I am Prized out now.

You are correct on 7d. Kicking myself now.