The Stickler for this week is now available. Please select your preferred solving format.
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The solution to this puzzle will appear next week.
| Solution to The Stickler Weekly 231 | |
| Invest in the Future of The Stickler |
Enjoy!
The Stickler for this week is now available. Please select your preferred solving format.
![]() |
![]() |
The solution to this puzzle will appear next week.
| Solution to The Stickler Weekly 231 | |
| Invest in the Future of The Stickler |
Enjoy!

| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | ROBUSTNESS | |
| Fracture in sensor adversely impacted health (10) | BUST inside anagram of SENSOR | |
| 6 | ICED | |
| Slices of liquorice dessert should be kept cool (4) | liquorICE Dessert | |
| 9 | TUBES | |
| Pipes are finally put inside cleaning units (5) | AR(E) inside TUBS | |
| 10 | CHRISTMAS | |
| Monarchists abroad missing out on holiday (9) | Anagram of MONARCHISTS minus ON | |
| 12 | ILLITERATE | |
| One lacking education is threatening to repeat (10) | ILL + ITERATE | |
| 13 | SEE | |
| Recognise letter read out (3) | Sounds like C | |
| 15 | RENNET | |
| Apple extract used in making cheese (6) | Double Definition | |
| 16 | DEADENED | |
| A study in legal documentation may be toned down (8) | (A + DEN) inside DEED | |
| 18 | MARSH GAS | |
| Methane from planet Mercury, for instance (5,3) | MARS + HG + AS | |
| 20 | UNISON | |
| Tertiary institution’s operating with complete agreement (6) | UNIS + ON | |
| 23 | TUN | |
| Large quantity of beer and fruitcake knocked back (3) | NUT reversed | |
| 24 | PERMISSION | |
| Leave retired agent with high-level assignment (10) | REP reversed + MISSION | |
| 26 | CAVALCADE | |
| Train a large rat captured in cave (9) | (A + L + CAD) inside CAVE | |
| 27 | REACH | |
| Come to a head after end of semester (5) | EACH after SEMESTE(R) | |
| 28 | SURE | |
| Stable land by the sea by the sound of it (4) | Sounds like SHORE | |
| 29 | DENOUEMENT | |
| Outstanding people, holding one, turned back time in final act (10) | (DUE + MEN) outside (ONE reversed) + T | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RATS | |
| Principal recalled an exclamation of annoyance (4) | STAR reversed | |
| 2 | BABYLON | |
| Child left working in historic city in Iraq (7) | BABY + L + ON | |
| 3 | SISTINE CHAPEL | |
| Sister reserved place in the Vatican building? (7,6) | SIS + anagram of PLACE IN THE | |
| 4 | NICKEL | |
| Steal centrepiece of bell metal (6) | NICK + B(EL)L | |
| 5 | SERRATED | |
| River rat tucked into kernel with sharp, forward-pointing teeth (8) | (R + RAT) inside SEED | |
| 7 | COMES ON | |
| Carbon combined with oxygen particle develops (5,2) | C + O + MESON | |
| 8 | DISTENDING | |
| Doctor initially is looking after swelling (10) | (D)OCTOR + IS + TENDING | |
| 11 | SPENDING SPREE | |
| Special resolutions altered peer’s extravagant use of money (8,5) | SP + ENDINGS + anagram of PEER | |
| 14 | DRUMSTICKS | |
| Last drop of methylated spirit penetrates beaters (10) | METHYLATE(D) + RUM + STICKS | |
| 17 | FAIR GAME | |
| Golf following broadcast hosted by celebrity is sport (4,4) | (G after AIR) inside FAME | |
| 19 | RAN OVER | |
| Denial admitted by party animal should be reviewed (3,4) | NO inside RAVER | |
| 21 | STORAGE | |
| Space for keeping stuff held by publicist or agent (7) | publiciST OR AGEnt | |
| 22 | DINERO | |
| One who eats nothing with American bread (6) | DINER + O | |
| 25 | CHAT | |
| Informal talk has not finished in court (4) | (HA)S inside CT |
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 231 | |
| Overseas Help for The Stickler Weekly 231 | |
| Solution to The Stickler Weekly 230 | |
| Insights for this week | |
| Invest in the Future of The Stickler |
Please include comments or discussion about this crossword below.
Request help in the Clue Hints blog entry so all can see.
It’s a weekly crossword, so please don’t give/discuss any full answers until the solution is posted (such posts will be deleted/edited).
Enjoy!
(click on the clue number to see the hint)
Click on underlined text for explanation of terms.
Need more hints for these or other clues? Just leave a reply below.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
A removed letter may be as seen in the clue, an abbreviation for a word in the clue, or the result of another cryptic device like taking the initial letter from a word. Removed letters may be a whole word as seen in a clue, the synonym of a word in the clue (if that synonym is contiguous within the anagram fodder), or the result of another cryptic device like taking the middle two letters from a word.
Example: A indeed (?) could mean to insert A inside deed.
Examples: changed, at sea, confused, all over the place - anything that indicates change or jumbling.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
Welcome all cryptic crossword solvers.
Some cryptic crosswords are tough purely because local lingo is used and not understood by all, especially those living outside of Australia. This post seeks to fill this vernacular gap.
There aren’t any extra hints needed this week.
Like to add something I’ve missed to help others, or comment on a meaning, term or expression? Please leave a reply below.

| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | STARTING POINT | |
| Major can race it on redeveloped base (8,5) | STAR + TIN + GP + anagram of IT ON | |
| 9 | TITANIC | |
| Sunken vessel is intact strangely, apart from bow of ship (7) | Anagram of IS INTACT minus (S)HIP | |
| 10 | SOLOMON | |
| Unaccompanied monk losing support of king, a wise man (7) | SOLO + (MONK minus K) | |
| 11 | LOOSE | |
| Promiscuous ladies, say, curtailed sex (5) | LOO + (SE)X | |
| 12 | OVERTHROW | |
| Crush resistance in obvious manner (9) | R inside (OVERT + HOW) | |
| 13 | DIAGNOSE | |
| Prod proboscis pierced by a pinpoint (8) | (DIG + NOSE) outside A | |
| 15 | CAMPER | |
| Recreational vehicle arrived, taking parking next to river (6) | CAME outside P + R | |
| 18 | PATINA | |
| Bit of butter in a shallow Roman pan (6) | PAT + IN + A | |
| 19 | COVETOUS | |
| Small bay, in our opinion, is wanting (8) | COVE + TO US | |
| 22 | WENT AHEAD | |
| We disrupted heat and took the lead (4,5) | We + anagram of HEAT AND | |
| 24 | ACUTE | |
| A copper tube hollowed out is sharp? (5) | A + CU + T(ub)E | |
| 25 | RETREAT | |
| Go back to doctor again (7) | Double Definition | |
| 26 | NIT-PICK | |
| Be unduly critical returning metal tool (3-4) | TIN reversed + PICK | |
| 27 | SILENT PARTNER | |
| Passive investor, loaned a standard amount in rent, is given backing (6,7) | (LENT + PAR) inside [(RENT IS) reversed] | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | SETTLED | |
| Test requiring a rewrite was first worked out (7) | Anagram of TEST + LED | |
| 2 | ASTRONAUT | |
| One relocated to Saturn? (9) | A + anagram of TO SATURN | |
| 3 | TENSE | |
| A character ejected from unruly Senate is unable to relax (5) | Anagram of SENATE minus A | |
| 4 | NECROPSY | |
| Treatment of corpse in main mortuary ultimately? (8) | Anagram of CORPSE inside [MAI(N) + MORTUAR(Y)] | |
| 5 | PISCES | |
| Sign reformed members of Spice Girls at the end (6) | Anagram of SPICE + GIRL(S) | |
| 6 | ILL AT EASE | |
| Strange guy found behind villa with head cut off (3,2,4) | TEASE after V(ILLA) | |
| 7 | TIMER | |
| Clock-watcher’s area of responsibility in recession (5) | REMIT reversed | |
| 8 | ANSWER | |
| A cross-section of Australians were solvent (6) | australiANS WERe | |
| 14 | NONPAREIL | |
| Nothing limiting about clip is unique (9) | NIL outside (ON + PARE) | |
| 16 | PROFUSION | |
| Abundance of uranium stored in refurbished prison (9) | (OF + U) inside anagram of PRISON | |
| 17 | COLD SNAP | |
| Old vessels tied up following onset of cyclonic period of wintry weather (4,4) | [OLD + (PANS) reversed] after (C)YCLONIC | |
| 18 | POWERS | |
| Influential authorities pressure those in debt? (6) | P + OWERS | |
| 20 | SPEAKER | |
| Orator came away from peacemakers confused (7) | Anagram of PEACEMAKERS minus CAME | |
| 21 | NEWTON | |
| Scientist not familiar with nitrogen? (6) | NEW TO + N | |
| 23 | NATES | |
| Bum had a meal served in tin sent back (5) | ATE inside (SN reversed) | |
| 24 | ALTER | |
| Modify components in general terms (5) | generAL TERms |

The next two Wednesdays will see a couple of original Sticklers appearing instead of The Stickler Weeklys. This will give me a short break to get a couple of important things done.
It was with some trepidation that I opened the crossword files in the Daily Telegraph (DT) folder labelled ds3023 and ds3024. The last time these crosswords were accessed is listed in my DT book as 19/11/2007. Back then I sent a week’s worth of Sticklers the Monday before the week they were published, and these two crosswords were published on the 30/11/2007 and 1/12/2007 respectively. The process involved checking over the next week’s crosswords before the final publishing files were created and sent to the paper. They had been written and initially checked 6 weeks before, so the break before the final sending was enough time for me to “forget” what I’d done and allow for an independent re-checking of sorts. After all, I had written almost 1000 clues in-between. They say you should never check your own work, but I think it’s OK if you can’t remember what you’ve done.
These two (and thousands like them) have sat dormant on successive computers, having done their job at the time. They were never syndicated or put together in crossword collections – just used that once. So when I decided to revisit a couple to cover The Stickler Weekly‘s absence for a short time, I was a little nervous about what I would find. I had been through this before when I put the Stickler Boxed Set together, which gathered crosswords from 2004, but somehow this felt different. How much difference had three years made? How similiar are ds3023 and ds3024 to the crosswords I set today? We are talking about a different type of crossword, as those written today are international and weekly, but fundamentally they should be the same, shouldn’t they?
I’m pleased to say that I have been rather buoyed by revisiting these crosswords – they were done at lightning speed and as part of a huge body of work that continually drained the creative juices, yet I think they still stand up.
I’m sure you’ll tell me if they don’t.
Look out for them in coming weeks.
The Stickler
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 230 | |
| Overseas Help for The Stickler Weekly 230 | |
| Solution to The Stickler Weekly 229 | |
| Insights for this week | |
| Invest in the Future of The Stickler |
Please include comments or discussion about this crossword below.
Request help in the Clue Hints blog entry so all can see.
It’s a weekly crossword, so please don’t give/discuss any full answers until the solution is posted (such posts will be deleted/edited).
Enjoy!
(click on the clue number to see the hint)
Click on underlined text for explanation of terms.
Need more hints for these or other clues? Just leave a reply below.
A removed letter may be as seen in the clue, an abbreviation for a word in the clue, or the result of another cryptic device like taking the initial letter from a word. Removed letters may be a whole word as seen in a clue, the synonym of a word in the clue (if that synonym is contiguous within the anagram fodder), or the result of another cryptic device like taking the middle two letters from a word.
Examples: holding, keeping, embracing - anything that creates the image of containment.
Example: A indeed (?) could mean to insert A inside deed.
To qualify as an &lit, a clue must have no unused components either in the definition or the wordplay - it must be readable one way as a definition, and another as the wordplay.
A removed letter may be as seen in the clue, an abbreviation for a word in the clue, or the result of another cryptic device like taking the initial letter from a word. Removed letters may be a whole word as seen in a clue, the synonym of a word in the clue (if that synonym is contiguous within the anagram fodder), or the result of another cryptic device like taking the middle two letters from a word.
To qualify as an &lit, a clue must have no unused components either in the definition or the wordplay - it must be readable one way as a definition, and another as the wordplay.
Examples: holding, keeping, embracing - anything that creates the image of containment.
Examples: upset, reversed, retired, in withdrawal, over etc.
A removed letter may be as seen in the clue, an abbreviation for a word in the clue, or the result of another cryptic device like taking the initial letter from a word. Removed letters may be a whole word as seen in a clue, the synonym of a word in the clue (if that synonym is contiguous within the anagram fodder), or the result of another cryptic device like taking the middle two letters from a word.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
Welcome all cryptic crossword solvers.
Some cryptic crosswords are tough purely because local lingo is used and not understood by all, especially those living outside of Australia. This post seeks to fill this vernacular gap.
There aren’t any extra hints needed this week.
Like to add something I’ve missed to help others, or comment on a meaning, term or expression? Please leave a reply below.