Please explain this crossword answer

[Norton Canes]

Game show (3,2,1)

[Maurice Yeatman]

^ Heh.

The worst kind of cryptic crosswords - the ones set by hobbyists or local newspaper ones that are produced from an unreliable database of clues - do give off a 3-2-1 vibe, but the proper professional cryptics that are written by clever bastards for the Times, Guardian, Indy, Telegraph etc are completely logical and provable once you learn the principles. A 3-2-1 clue is baffling and ungettable even after it's been explained.

This is a good guide for beginners, cheap for Kindle - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Times-How-Crack-Cryptic-Crosswords-ebook/dp/B07D251V1R?ref_=ast_author_mpb

[Maurice Yeatman]

CaB mod struggling with odd knob - similar sufferers here (5,3,5)

[Dex Sawash]

Normal xword chat-

Fertility clinic supply _ _ _

Spoiler alert

ova, sadly

[close]

[phantom_power]

Dusty Bin (7,4,5)

fucking cunt chops?

[dontpaintyourteeth]

fucking cunt chops?

Close!

The answer we were looking for was

...

fucking cunt robot

[Zero Gravitas]

the proper professional cryptics that are written by clever bastards for the Times, Guardian, Indy, Telegraph etc are completely logical and provable

You see!! They have their myseries and their archigalli!

[Tony Tony Tony]

Weary postman at shift end. (How many letters?)

Spoiler alert

He had feckin hundreds

[close]

[BlodwynPig]

Dusty Bin (7,4,5)

Shitter four cunts

[Shaxberd]

I feel like a traitor to my country for saying so, but I strongly prefer the New York Times crossword over UK cryptics - it relies more on wordplay and lateral thinking than knowing an obtuse set of rules and lingo, and the structure of the crossword itself is usually cleverer too. Have yet to come across any other US newspaper with anything of equal quality, though.

[bomb_dog]

This is a good guide for beginners, cheap for Kindle - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Times-How-Crack-Cryptic-Crosswords-ebook/dp/B07D251V1R?ref_=ast_author_mpb

One for the Christmas list, thanks!

[madhair60]

it's also on Anna's Archive for nowt

[dissolute ocelot]

For a while I posted abuse on the Guardian online crossword every time an answer depended on knowing some stupid cricket terminology or abbreviation. It's definitely targeted at a certain type of person: a lot more sports abbreviations than crochet terminology.

[Spudgun]

If you're serious about wanting learn how they work but don't know where to start, here's some sort of professional quizzer attempting (haven't watched it, so don't know if he's successful) to solve today's Times Cryptic, explaining everything as he goes.

The solve starts around 2:30.

[poodlefaker]

A good one from the Guardian this week:

Hollywood won't listen - it's complicated.(10)

[Maurice Yeatman]

For a while I posted abuse on the Guardian online crossword every time an answer depended on knowing some stupid cricket terminology or abbreviation. It's definitely targeted at a certain type of person: a lot more sports abbreviations than crochet terminology.

The abbreviations are those that appear in reputable dictionaries like Collins and Chambers though, so you get used to them or check them. Eg the first dictionary page for B will have a list like born (genealogy), bass (music), bishop (chess), bowled (cricket) etc - all examples that are shortened as 'b' in contexts away from crosswords. They aren't just random first letters (unless the clue tells you as much: 'first of April' to indicate 'a'). Not surprising that there are more cricket abbreviations from scorecards than crochet in the dictionary.

[Maurice Yeatman]

A good one from the Guardian this week:

Hollywood won't listen - it's complicated.(10)

Yes, that's a neat straightforward one. Anagram clues are a good starting point for solving a cryptic. There are usually 5 or 6 at least.

To go back to my earlier clue, which is the only phimosis-themed clue you're ever likely to see:

CaB mod struggling with odd knob - similar sufferers here (5,3,5)

The definition is 'similar sufferers here'; the anagram fodder is 'Cab mod [with] odd knob'; the anagram indicator is 'struggling'. Fairly straightforward once someone as a beginner can recognise an anagram indicator, a word that suggests some form of movement or rearrangement or wrongness.

[FeederFan500]

I dislike tenuous words for anagram, the cliched "any verb means anagram" complaint.

The good crosswords for me are those where it's not obvious where the simple definition is, I happen to think the Private Eye setter is good for that, and I know he does crosswords elsewhere. My problem with The Cricketer one is just that really, plus the cryptic definition being synonyms for each name separately, although I have obviously exaggerated things in my post above. And the joke is often on me because I don't know any 60s Glamorgan pacemen.

What I like about crosswords is the ability to come back to them and get something you hadn't before, I think there is a degree of creativity involved rather than just the rote element of a sudoku.

[BlodwynPig]

A good one from the Guardian this week:

Hollywood won't listen - it's complicated.(10)

Ha!

[kalowski]

Azed is the master. The words are fucking hard so you need a copy of Chamber's, usually, but he's clues are spot on.

[touchingcloth]

For a while I posted abuse on the Guardian online crossword every time an answer depended on knowing some stupid cricket terminology or abbreviation. It's definitely targeted at a certain type of person: a lot more sports abbreviations than crochet terminology.

We should all go down the QCC Caff.



These are the worst people in the world.

[Maurice Yeatman]

The people who post on crossword forums are mostly weird bores who blame the setter if they get stuck, the Guardian ones in particular. Always the same sorts of comment - got stuck in the top right, typical Thursday fare, too hard for a Monday, some chewy clues in the south-west, eminently tractable puzzle, needed extra caffeine for this, not for me. Who logs in to post "not for me"?
At least they're just a small, unrepresentative percentage of solvers.

[touchingcloth]

Those particular bores have their own separate website and everything, and it's the tweest thing possible,

Peter's making a wonderful plan,
For layout, he's really the man,
With just finger and touch pad
He's really not half bad -
Well - he's doing the best that he can!

But - we're quite a demanding lot,
There were some things that PK forgot,
So he's added some stores
More rooms and more doors
And the Caff was soon filling the plot.

Some wanted it 'cosy and quaint'
Others showed no such signs of restraint
They wanted it bigger
It engulfed the digger
And cost us a fortune in paint. (Beige obvs.)

Then, where was the step for the naughty?
And Russian count, ever so haughty?
And what about P'ong?
And a second chaise longue?
But it's BARS that are really Pete's forte.

There are 2 bars, with drinks that are free
And a cabinet for cocktails, I see
We've kitchens and CAKES
And all of this makes
Up our magical QCC.

All the splothering you could ever hope for, right here - http://qcckaff.weebly.com/

[Dr Rock]

I once did a cryptic crossword. With Lee Mavers out of The Las. He's very good!

Salt Eh? Confused Band from Liverpool (3,3)

[dissolute ocelot]

If you're trying to learn cryptic crosswords, or just want to read a slightly higher standard of comment than on the Guardian, fifteensquared.net is a good site. Annotated solutions to all the major UK newspaper crosswords.

[Ferris]

That's me also (2,1,6)

[MojoJojo]

If you're serious about wanting learn how they work but don't know where to start, here's some sort of professional quizzer attempting (haven't watched it, so don't know if he's successful) to solve today's Times Cryptic, explaining everything as he goes.

The solve starts around 2:30.

I like his videos, but wouldn't recommend them as an introduction to beginners. The proper Times cryptic is just too hard with too many steps to start with.

The key thing with cryptics is knowing either the beginning or end is a straight clue. Normally, once you get going you just work out the straight clue from the letters you have, then work backwards to work out how the cryptic part works, which ultimately serves as a check that you have the right answer.

[Maurice Yeatman]

This is a beauty from Anax in today's Sunday Times:

As 33 is here, No 102 is too (8,5)

[pancreas]

This is a beauty from Anax in today's Sunday Times:

As 33 is here, No 102 is too (8,5)

Te He He.

[FeederFan500]

Fifteen Squared is very useful for understanding clues, I just have to ignore the "difficult one for me, had even finished my coffee!" or some similar humblebrag. It has now been drilled into me that Eros is not in fact the statue in Piccadilly Circus as is often claimed.