Never A Crossed Word

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Sixteen

We have reached the end, well, almost the end, of our tour through the world of cryptic crosswords. Before we hang up our pencils for a while, we just have the small matter of three clues to fill in.

Just Plain Cryptic

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Fifteen

So we have been looking at cryptic crosswords for some considerable time without actually solving any cryptic crossword clues. I see the furrowed brow and look of confusion you are pointing in my direction; but I stand by that statement.

The final type of clue we will be looking at in this crossword is the pure cryptic. The most cryptic of all cryptic crossword clues.

Sounds Like An Answer

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Thirteen

That title needs a comma in it somewhere, I know. This is a relatively short post to give you the answer to the remaining crossword clue from our post on Sounds Like clues.

Give Us A Clue!

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Eleven

Find out how you fared with Charades clues and fill in some more spaces in our Cryptic Crossword as we examine the solutions to the clues I set in the last post.

Charades!

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Ten

In our last post on Cryptic Crosswords we didn't get the chance to fill in any of our master puzzle grid. We're definitely going to make up for that today as we explore a more specific type of wordplay clue; charades.

Cryptic Playtime

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Nine

From dipping our toes into the waters of cryptic crosswords with the relatively simple 'double definition' style of clue we've arrived at the defiantly choppy seas of proper wordplay clues.

We have looked at the manipulation of letters in a source phrase to produce an answer, but true word play clues mix and match all kinds of techniques to hide a solution.

Putting Things In Order

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Eight

It's time to revisit our first steps in the world of wordplay and discover the solutions to our previous eight challenging clues. This will take us beyond the halfway point of our first cryptic crossword.

Starting and Switching

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Seven

Today we're still exploring the exciting world of wordplay in two new types of cryptic crossword clue. As we continue to add more skills to our arsenal it's important to remember that crossword clues aren't usually presented in this fashion, normally of course the clues are all mixed up.

Any Which Way?

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Six

It's time to get into the nitty gritty of Cryptic Crosswords by delving into the wondrous world of wordplay. Of course we are not without considerable skill in this area, we've been tackling word puzzles for a long time and our knowledge and skill with word play will stand us in good stead for the two kinds of clues we're going to look at today.

Lost and Found

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Five

Today we look at the answers to our hidden word clues and look at the working behind them.

The Lost Word

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Four

Today we're looking at 'hidden words', these are clues where the answer is  right before your eyes, although it will be hidden amongst other letters. We've done them before so hidden words should be simple right?

Defining those Definitions

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Three

So, last time we looked at Cryptic Crosswords, we examined one of the simpler types of clue, the double definition. We learned that the key to solving them is to identify where to split the clue into its constituent definitions and then try to solve for each one.

Definitions, Defintitions

Cryptic Crosswords
Part Two

The simplest type of cryptic crossword clue takes a word and gives it's definition, twice. We call them double definitions. Now it might not sound that difficult, but as we've discovered in our adventures in the world of words, many words have multiple meanings.

So what you get with a double definition is often two quite different definitions with the challenge being to find the one word which matches both.

Word Addicts

Word Mechanics
Part Five

We're back onto word puzzles for today's exercise, and exercise is what it's all about. Well, it's about the meanings and properties of words - which will prove good practice for when we delve into the dangerous and mysterious world of cryptic crosswords.

The Mechanics of Words

Word Mechanics
Part Four

We haven't quite finished with looking at words for words sake, but today's post is also about how words work. Don't be frightened off by the word mechanics, we aren't doing mechanics puzzles for a good while yet; although we will be looking at them. I just really thought it was important, after the last post, to get you minds working with a whole string of puzzles, and word mechanics is definitely the way to do this.

Twain had Phony Byproduct

Anagrams
Part Three

This whole post is a test of your anagram skills. Put what you have learned into practice and see if you can decipher what is going on as we pay homage to a very British institution.

The Sound of Letters

Word Mechanics
Part Two

Context and familiarity are you enemies in this puzzling post on the sounds of letters. English is such a ridiculously complex language in terms of pronunciation that many puzzles rely on the way words are said to work.

The Lost Puzzle

Word Mechanics
Part One

A mysterious but true story of a puzzle that disappeared into the æther awaits and we learn that Letter Frequencies are great for Anagrams many word puzzles require a little more subtlety.

The Mathematics of The Multigram

Anagrams
Part Two

I first decided to write a blog about puzzling when I came across a really tough word problem based on anagrams. It's from Mensa's The Genius Test, which is well worth a look if you're looking for a challenge.

Today we learn all about the multigram puzzle and how numbers help us solve puzzles about letters.

Of Numbers of Letters

Anagrams
Part One

Today we stick our toes into the enormous ocean that is word puzzles. From Anagrams to Crosswords, word puzzles differ from riddles in that they rely heavily on our knowledge and understanding of the English language.