#Cryptic crosswords clues professional

'Envelope' clues, meanwhile, use one word inside another. The solution (underlined) is Bath and Wells, and the buried hint is the fact that 'see' is a word referring to a bishopric, of which Bath and Wells is a famed English example. Then there are 'hidden word' clues, such as this rather fiendish example by Brian Greer (aka 'Brendan', 'Virgilius' and 'Jed' for papers like The Times and Independent): 'Some job at hand? We'll soon see' (4, 3, 5). The answer is 'rues', playing on a double meaning combining the French word for street with an English word for regret. An example would be: 'Tours streets,/and wishes one hadn't' (4). One type of clue relies on double definitions. Ritchie summed up the new ethos as: 'You need not mean what you say, but you must say what you mean.'Ī neat primer for wannabe solvers on how this principle works in various kinds of cryptic clues was set out in a BBC Radio 4 podcast by leading contemporary setter Sarah Hayes, noted for the left-wing slant of her clues as The Guardian's 'Arachne'. In response, later setters set about establishing a more level playing field for solvers, by coming up with general 'rules' that would allow anyone to tackle clues relying on their wits and knowledge of English, rather than a posh education.Īlistair Ferguson Ritchie (aka 'Afrit') set out some of these principles of 'fairness' in his 1946 book Armchair Crosswords, which were then honed by acclaimed setter 'Ximenes' (Derrick Somerset Macnutt) in his 1966 book Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword Puzzle.

#Cryptic crosswords clues professional

One reason for their difficulty was Mathers' regular reliance on obscure references that assumed a specific classical education or professional background (Mathers was an Oxford-educated translator, poet and literary critic). A 2013 feature in The Spectator noted how the combined brain power of the entire teaching staff of Oxford's Balliol College failed to finish one particular puzzle. It was an appropriate choice given the devilish difficulty of many of the 'Torquemada' puzzles that ran in The Observer until Mathers' death in 1939. He established the principle, followed by many subsequent setters, of publishing under a pseudonym – in his case, the infamous 15th-Century Spanish Inquisition torturer 'Torquemada'. The first crosswords with purely cryptic clues appeared in the 1920s, pioneered by Edward Powys Mathers. Wikipedia lists nine different spellings, and meanings, just for words pronounced 'air'!' 'This makes it especially well-suited to the wordplay and misdirection of cryptic crosswords. 'English has far more words than many languages,' says Helen Ougham, an expert solver who has twice won The Times National Crossword Championship. The breadth and fluidity of the language in which you're reading this article provides a vital springboard for cryptic crosswords. 'It's a highly pleasurable kick which rewards the solver,' says Friedlander. She calls this the Penny Drop Moment, from the old English expression for that 'Aha!' instant when you suddenly understand something that has been racking your brain. 'Solvers experience a powerful insight moment when they realise how the clue should actually be interpreted,' says Friedlander.

'The solver has to work out which are relevant to any clue before actually solving it.'Īnd three-quarters of solvers in her studies describe cryptic crosswords as a uniquely satisfying puzzle form. 'Cryptic crosswords comprise a compendium of different types of brain teaser, so you get a lot of variety within each puzzle – anagram clues, acronym, puns and riddles,' says Kathryn Friedlander, who does research in cryptics at the University of Buckingham's School of Psychology. In a TED talk at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2013, Halpern described them as a celebration of 'the hidden magic within language'. I see wordplay patterns in the street, on the bus, at parties.'Ĭryptic crosswords uniquely combine creativity, knowledge and logic, with a plentiful dash of style and wit. Instead, my first thought was 'It's the word 'men' inside the word 'aria'. Most normal people would immediately think: 'Interesting – tell me something about Armenia'. 'Instead I asked where the name came from. 'When she told me her name, the first thing I thought was it's an anagram of 'entail' – though I didn't tell her that!' he reveals. Halpern tells me about the day he met his wife. Let's begin a playful language journey with a dip into the mind of John Halpern, whose brain-teasing puzzles grace the UK's top newspapers under various pseudonyms.