I was told when I released the first Stickler Boxed Set that I was “giving it away” at the price I was asking, but believed I really couldn’t ask for more as the included crosswords had already been published. I did add some value by bringing them up-to-date and globalising them, and by adding clue help and worked solutions to the website, but I saw this as necessary to provide as much cryptic reach as possible. I also made it available according to how it was to be used: individually or in a group. I had to trust that buyers would purchase the appropriate version and that people who did receive it wouldn’t copy it or simply attach it to a email and send it to friends. The pricing strategy was meant to encourage people to buy their own copy rather than trying to source it via alternative means. Trying to protect the product digitally is very expensive unless there’s a good chance of high-volume sales, so this was out of the question. So far I’ve had one U3A crossword course leader pay the group price even though I’m aware of other groups who use the Stickler Boxed Set 1 in their classes. There was always a possibility this might happen as course leaders “try out” the crosswords to make sure they are suitable for their course, but the hope would be that a Stickler contribution would follow if the puzzles ended up being used in class. I’m not too disappointed by what is effectively human nature, but it does bring home to me the lack of money that is in crosswords, the dilution of all things caused by the internet, and that making a living again from crosswords is simply not possible.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CATASTROPHE | |
| Spectator had not totally recollected a disastrous event? (11) | Anagram of (SPECTATOR HA)D | |
| 7 | PRO | |
| Skilled football forward losing final (3) | PRO(P) | |
| 9 | PARKA | |
| Leave a car with a weatherproof cover (5) | PARK + A | |
| 10 | SHRUBBERY | |
| She pruned resilient bushes (9) | SH(E) + RUBBERY | |
| 11 | TRAGEDIAN | |
| Actor partied hard with one sporting buff (9) | (RAGED + I) inside TAN | |
| 12 | WRITE | |
| Author’s claim must be heard (5) | Sounds like RIGHT | |
| 13 | WRINKLE | |
| Gather shellfish found on banks of river (7) | WINKLE outside R | |
| 15 | POOL | |
| Put together circuit wired the wrong way round (4) | LOOP reversed | |
| 18 | LEWD | |
| Substance retrieved from contaminated well is blue (4) | contaminateD WELl reversed | |
| 20 | RAMPART | |
| Forcefully strike division’s defence (7) | RAM + PART | |
| 23 | AD HOC | |
| Commercial wine largely for a special purpose (2,3) | AD + (HOC)K | |
| 24 | EXPERTISE | |
| Special knowledge and time one invested in old friend, as such (9) | (T + I) inside (EX + PER SE) | |
| 26 | ISOBUTANE | |
| Is one filled with just a propellant? (9) | (IS + ONE) outside (BUT + A) | |
| 27 | DENIM | |
| I am after study material (5) | IM after DEN | |
| 28 | GIN | |
| It could be used for drinking game (3) | Double Definition | |
| 29 | TITLE-HOLDER | |
| Champion is thrilled to be in an unusual position without taking bishop (5-6) | Anagram of (THRILLED TO BE) minus B | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CAPE TOWN | |
| Financial restriction new to resettled place in South Africa (4,4) | CAP + anagram of NEW TO | |
| 2 | TERRAPIN | |
| Land providing habitat for soft, edible, freshwater reptile (8) | TERRAIN outside P (piano – soft in music) | |
| 3 | SHADE | |
| Relative darkness experienced in middle of desert (5) | HAD inside DE(SE)RT | |
| 4 | RESPITE | |
| Break especially needed in religious ceremony (7) | ESP inside RITE | |
| 5 | PARSNIP | |
| Standard crop vegetable (7) | PAR + SNIP | |
| 6 | ELBOW-ROOM | |
| Space arranged below before lifting of anchor (5-4) | (Anagram of BELOW) + MOOR reversed | |
| 7 | PREFIX | |
| Game official, posing in photographs, is put at the front (6) | REF inside PIX | |
| 8 | ONYXES | |
| Provocative number influenced by Rolling Stones (6) | (SEXY NO) reversed | |
| 14 | KEEP COUNT | |
| Quickly look up ranked individual’s score (4,5) | PEEK reversed + COUNT | |
| 16 | MALIGNED | |
| Abused and perverted man lied about thug’s termination (8) | Anagram of (MAN LIED) about THU(G) | |
| 17 | STREAMER | |
| Old ship carrying right flag (8) | STEAMER outside R | |
| 19 | DIE-CAST | |
| New cadet is moulded into shape (3-4) | Anagram of CADET IS | |
| 20 | REPLETE | |
| Stuffed salesman rented back section of house (7) | REP + LET + HOUS(E) | |
| 21 | MATING | |
| Coupling made of a metal coated with magnesium (6) | (A + TIN) inside MG | |
| 22 | THROWN | |
| Personnel section in urban centre may be put out (6) | HR (Human Resources) inside TOWN | |
| 25 | RADIO | |
| Broadcaster runs over farewell before the end (5) | R + (ADIO)S |
12-across, expanding the “‘s”, becomes “Author is claim must be heard”, which to me, is ungrammatical. Am I missing something?
I had to pattern-search 8-down, but really appreciated the deception when I got it. 🙂
I thought “sporting buff” for “inside TAN” was brilliant.
Steve = : ^ )
12-across. Indeed, if I had clued it as “Author is claim must be heard”, it would be ungrammatical. But it’s not clued that way. I see the clue as a starting point, and anything that follows as part of the resolution process. So the real question is: Does a clue have to stay grammatical as its various elements are interpreted?
I’m not getting it. How am I to interpret “‘s” if not as a contraction of “is”? For me, “DEFINITION is WORD being spoken” is grammatical in a way that DEFINITION is WORD must be spoken” isn’t, and contracting the “is” to “‘s” doesn’t change anything. I’m clearly missing something.
“I see the clue as a starting point, and anything that follows as part of the resolution process. So the real question is: Does a clue have to stay grammatical as its various elements are interpreted?” Are you saying, then, that “ANAGRAM FODDER explode is DEFINITION” is just as valid as “ANAGRAM FODDER exploded is DEFINITION”? Or am I still missing something? :-S
The clue stuck out to me because, as far as I recollect, your clues are always grammatical to my way of thinking. Can you show me another you’ve used that works in the same way as this one?
Funny thing. I couldn’t work out where you were coming from until I went to explain it a different way and realised you were right. If I break it down into two sides of an equation, A is B, it doesn’t work. Thanks for that. Something to look out for in the future.
David
I’m not going mad? Oh, good.
Surely “author’s claim” is possessive = “the claim of the author”. What are you talking about? Am I missing something?