About the Setter
David Stickley has been writing crosswords professionally since 1995. His cryptic puzzle, The Stickler, reached number 4786 before being axed in July 2013 due to cutbacks. In 2024 David and his wife Linda secured a weekly cryptic and quick slot in The SMH and The Age. David has also been published in the NYT, the UK's FT and Church Times.-
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Category Archives: The Stickler
The Stickler Weekly 12 Overseas Help
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Posted in Stickler Weekly Clue Help, The Stickler
Tagged crosswords, cryptic, stickler
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The Stickler Weekly 11 Solution
It’s not uncommon to have a person’s name as an answer in a crossword, but have you thought about, in crossword terms, how different any proper noun (and names especially) is to an everyday word? First and foremost is working … Continue reading
Posted in Stickler Weekly Solutions, The Stickler
Tagged cryptic crossword, solution, The Stickler
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The Stickler 11 Weekly
The Stickler for this week is now available. Please select your preferred solving format. The solution to this puzzle will appear next week. Clue Hints for The Stickler Weekly 11 Overseas Help for The Stickler Weekly 11 Solution … Continue reading
Posted in Stickler Weekly Puzzles, The Stickler
Tagged cryptic crossword, online, printable, The Stickler
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The Stickler Weekly 11 Clue Hints
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Posted in Stickler Weekly Clue Help, The Stickler
Tagged clue hints, crosswords, cryptic, stickler
2 Comments
The Stickler Weekly 11 Overseas Help
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Posted in Stickler Weekly Clue Help, The Stickler
Tagged crosswords, cryptic, stickler
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The Stickler Weekly 10 Solution
I’ve talked about difficulty recently, but only in terms of how a puzzle grid can add its own complexity to the overall crossword. A crossword’s difficulty in general comprises so many factors that it’s almost impossible to get it right … Continue reading
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Tagged cryptic crossword, solution, The Stickler
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The Stickler Weekly 10
The Stickler for this week is now available. Please select your preferred solving format. The solution to this puzzle will appear next week. Clue Hints for The Stickler Weekly 10 Overseas Help for The Stickler Weekly 10 Solution … Continue reading
Posted in Stickler Weekly Puzzles, The Stickler
Tagged cryptic crossword, online, printable, The Stickler
3 Comments
The Stickler Weekly 10 Clue Hints
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Posted in Stickler Weekly Clue Help, The Stickler
Tagged clue hints, crosswords, cryptic, stickler
1 Comment
The Stickler Weekly 10 Overseas Help
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Posted in Stickler Weekly Clue Help, The Stickler
Tagged crosswords, cryptic, stickler
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The Stickler Weekly 9 Solution
I’m often asked about the meaning of a question mark (“?”) at the end of a clue. When I’m solving, I’m struck by a lack of consistency by individual setters and across setters in general when using it. Solvers need … Continue reading
Posted in Stickler Weekly Solutions, The Stickler
Tagged cryptic crossword, solution, The Stickler
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