Australian Crosswords

A few weeks ago I mentioned that if you ask people for their favourite cryptic clues the likely response will be either a cryptic definition or an &lit. This is also true when people are asked for ANY examples of cryptic clues – mainly for the same reason – they are easy to remember. So let’s try an exercise: I’d like to know one of your favourite two-part (wordplay/definition) cryptic clues and the reason(s) why. At this point I’d like to acknowledge that I don’t have favourite clues (of any type) and I don’t write down any clues that particularly take my fancy. In any given puzzle I’ll usually be tickled by a couple of clues that are written well, have good surface, and have some aspect of cleverness about them, either in the wordplay or the definition. To me such clues are all at the same level: top-notch, and there’s very little between any of them.
I will say that there’s one aspect of clues deemed “the best” in a puzzle (as stated by blogging solvers) that confounds me. Why are super-hard clues, ones that need to be explained by others, or those could never by solved by the wordplay ranked so highly? It’s a mystery to me. As a setter a feel as though I’ve failed if I’m guilty of writing such clues and as a solver the clues leave me disappointed. I guess we are all different.

One of the ways I’m trying to keep Australian Crosswords alive is by seeking links from crossword websites across the world. Once The Stickler disappeared from the paper I lost a free form of advertising that is almost impossible to replace. I know I’ll never get that audience back, but at least the world is now my oyster and I’m prepared to make one last push to get my puzzles out there. Some people are happy to link, others treat links like a commodity. I’m constantly surprised by what cryptic stuff is out there – sometimes it’s been there for ages but I haven’t seen it before. As you know, I write The Stickler Weekly for an international audience – I need to if I want anyone overseas to take it seriously – so my web searches regularly take me to websites across the world including to North America where cryptics have a modest following.
Two websites, The Nation Cryptic Crossword Forum (run by Braze) and National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum (run by Falcon), have been kind to me so please take a little time just to have a look. Braze’s blog primarily covers weekly cryptics in The Nation magazine, a US publication, and Falcon’s blog covers daily UK cryptics syndicated from The Daily Telegraph that appear in The National Post, a Canadian newspaper. It’s interesting the note that the US doesn’t have a major paper that publishes daily cryptics. Both bloggers deserve a huge pat on the back for flying the cryptic flag. It’s a thankless task with very little feedback and very few replies from the public. Falcon’s blog is fascinating as lots of research goes into his posts highlighting language differences, covering history and providing cryptic insight. Braze’s blog mentions The Stickler Weekly regularly and Braze actually solves it which gives me hope.
All those cryptic bloggers around the world must be commended for their faithful work.