Some word puzzle chestnuts just won’t go away. Talk to puzzle solvers long enough and GEGS (Answer: Scrambled eggs) and HIJKLMNO (H to O; Answer: Water) are bound to turn up and be cited as “classic” cryptic clues. I think for some solvers who care little for surface or wordplay and just treat each clue as a puzzle to be worked out, such clues do represent the cryptic genre. I see such things as novelties, a bit of fun, and totally appropriate on a trivia night or as a dinner party distraction, but IMO they have no place in a professional cryptic crossword. Why? They simply miss the cryptic point. No definition, no way of confirming the answer, and no cleverness. Such “clues” are a dime a dozen: many words and phrases can be turned into these types of cryptic clues with just about no effort. ABG – mixed bag, THREA – change of heart, ESARHP – turn of phrase etc etc. These do nothing for me as a setter, and so I don’t use them. Recently in Alan Connor’s blog he mentioned ? (1,6,3,1,4) (Answer: I haven’t got a clue) which every setter would clue the same way due to its nature and is therefore just boring; what about E? (13) = SENSELESSNESS (SENSE minus NESS), clever or just plain wrong? Time to banish these from proper cryptics. What do you think?
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | SIDE | |
| Subordinate expressed disappointment loudly (4) | Sounds like SIGHED | |
| 3 | PROSTHESES | |
| Academic works backing specialists and new members, say (10) | THESES after PROS | |
| 10 | CAMCORDER | |
| Reached outside line with right video equipment (9) | CAME outside CORD + R | |
| 11 | I-BEAM | |
| Technology company securing each piece of construction (1-4) | IBM outside EA | |
| 12 | HOLES | |
| Diggers positioned on the sides of large, empty spaces (5) | HOES outside L | |
| 13 | CAPITALS | |
| Limit revision of A-list’s prominent characters (8) | CAP + anagram of ALIST | |
| 15 | RATION | |
| One posted in desert is helping (6) | I inside (RAT + ON) | |
| 16 | ETERNAL | |
| Permanent cross cut out of surface (7) | EXTERNAL minus X | |
| 18 | CAR | |
| Vehicle’s jack, for example, missing end piece (3) | (CAR)D | |
| 19 | SPOONER | |
| One mostly involved with mangling of prose? (7) | (ON) inside anagram of PROSE | |
| 20 | PROMPT | |
| Fun time in gym is executed without delay (6) | ROMP inside PT | |
| 22 | ODOMETER | |
| Gauge circuit connected in dynamo (8) | O + (MET inside DOER) | |
| 24 | INSET | |
| Advertising material isn’t distributed around here at the end (5) | Anagram of ISNT outside HER(E) | |
| 26 | SHRUG | |
| Silence covering a sign of indifference (5) | SH + RUG | |
| 27 | REARGUARD | |
| Conservative element in an organisation set up distribution of a drug (9) | REAR + anagram of A DRUG | |
| 28 | DRY-CLEANER | |
| Launderer embarrassed about admitting organised larceny (3-7) | RED reversed outside anagram of LARCENY | |
| 29 | SEAS | |
| Marine mammals not needing large bodies of water (4) | SEALS minus L | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | SACCHAROSE | |
| Head of company, in possession of cash, developed and developed sweetener (10) | (C)OMPANY inside anagram of CASH + AROSE | |
| 2 | DEMOLITION DERBY | |
| Audition tape left by editor in arranged event that’s smashing (10,5) | DEMO + L + anagram of BY EDITOR IN | |
| 4 | REDUCE | |
| Strong colour, puce, not taking soft tone down (6) | RED + (PUCE minus P) | |
| 5 | STRAPPER | |
| Agent leaves retired person who’s big and strong (8) | (REP + PARTS) reversed | |
| 6 | HEIST | |
| One female released by thief is implicated in robbery (5) | Anagram of THIEF IS minus (I + F) | |
| 7 | SPELLING MISTAKE | |
| Marketing keeping pressure on male with one investment – it’s a typical problem (8,7) | SELLING outside P + M + I + STAKE | |
| 8 | SUMP | |
| Problem with power in pit where liquid drains (4) | SUM + P | |
| 9 | GOES DOWN | |
| Broadcast of good news is received (4,4) | Anagram of GOOD NEWS | |
| 14 | PLATITUDES | |
| Trite remarks given space in correspondent’s additional material (10) | LATITUDE inside PS | |
| 17 | EARRINGS | |
| Sleepers, say, heard unrestricted calls? (8) | H(EAR)D + RINGS | |
| 18 | CRITERIA | |
| Procedure in clubs backed broadcast standards (8) | RITE inside [C + (AIR reversed)] | |
| 21 | ORNATE | |
| Decorated baronet worked without input of bishop (6) | Anagram of BARONET minus B | |
| 23 | MOGUL | |
| Notable mound of hard snow (5) | Double Definition | |
| 25 | USED | |
| A number of ambitious editors took drugs (4) | ambitioUS EDitors |
Yes! So glad you don’t like these clues either. I find them frustrating. If you’re not on the same wave length as the setter you really have no definition to help find the answer. Thanks for being more professional.
Cheers Joy
Whether there’s any cleverness involved in some of these clues is debatable, but I think you’re right that, fun word puzzles though they may be, they don’t really belong in a cryptic crossword.
Steve = : ^ )
It’s days are numbered! (8) 😉