I’ve mentioned before a great site called Crossword Unclued that I think is the best crossword website out there. It covers every aspect of cryptic crosswords, slots posts into smart subject groups, and it gets regularly updated. One yearly post is My Top Ten, which lists the site’s author’s choice for the best clues of 2015. They are from “the crosswords I (the author, Shuchismita Upadhyay) have attempted” and they all happen to be from the English dailies. I really love looking through such lists, as I think it reveals a lot about the current state of cryptic crosswords and cryptic solvers. As a setter I obviously like to know what solvers (especially discerning ones) find the most appealing, and I’m often surprised by what’s chosen. Here’s the first clue in the list: PIN number? (4,3). It’s a cryptic definition and the answer is DEAD LEG. Sometimes I think solvers are almost duped by the idea or concept of a clue and fail to see (or are happy to overlook) its inadequacies. A DEAD LEG is a condition that results from a blow to the leg causing numbness. To be accurate, the clue should be PIN numbed defining what a DEAD LEG is, but that wouldn’t work. The idea is good though, so the mismatch of clue an answer is effectively ignored, so much so that it is designated a great clue.
Here’s another from a different list of so-called great clues: Enough clues in fifty puzzles (12) – it’s an anagram of CLUES IN FIFTY using “puzzles” as an anagram indicator. Answer: SUFFICIENTLY. I’d be happy with “puzzled”, but “puzzles” is just wrong as an anagram indicator. How does that work from a language perspective? It doesn’t. Here’s another: Must’ve? (5,7,3,3) This one has no definition and is not solvable without first obtaining all the crossing letters. The clue was presented cold in a list – it would be an almost impossible task to solve it in those circumstances. Even if I told you the answer, there’s a good chance you might not be able to easily match it to the clue. (THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX – MUSE outside TV). However, it’s clear that this type of clue appeals to some, enough for it to be celebrated.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CASTOR | |
| Spread or top cover made of fur (6) | CAST + OR | |
| 4 | SPECIMEN | |
| Exhibit glasses mostly given by one firm’s employees (8) | (SPEC)S + I + MEN | |
| 9 | PRUDENT | |
| Sensible puritan not giving up love (7) | PRUDE + (NOT minus O) | |
| 11 | REINS IN | |
| Checks on accommodation about Spanish agreement (5,2) | RE + (INN outside SI) | |
| 12 | BREATHES FREELY | |
| Relaxes by consuming brewed fresh tea and roll (8,6) | BY outside (anagram of FRESH TEA + REEL) | |
| 14 | LETHAL | |
| Formation of heat in middle of galley could be destructive (6) | Anagram of HEAT inside GA(LL)EY | |
| 15 | OINTMENT | |
| Lotion worked into hands and feet ultimately (8) | Anagram of INTO + MEN + FEE(T) | |
| 18 | TENON SAW | |
| Fine cutter wasn’t holding one back (5,3) | (WASNT outside ONE) reversed | |
| 20 | BISTRO | |
| Selection offered in club is troubling food provider (6) | cluB IS TROubling | |
| 23 | GROUNDBREAKING | |
| Innovative course taken by barge confused person in charge (14) | (ROUND inside anagram of BARGE) + KING | |
| 26 | ADOPTEE | |
| One taken in by a school recalled feature of course (7) | A + (POD reversed) + TEE | |
| 27 | MAESTRO | |
| Accomplished performer or playing group turned around opening of show (7) | (OR + TEAM) reversed outside (S)HOW | |
| 28 | DISPERSE | |
| Broadcast is essentially shown after start of December (8) | (IS + PER SE) after (D)ECEMBER | |
| 29 | PEERED | |
| Waste matter, the colour of blood, looked hard (6) | PEE + RED | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CAPABILITY | |
| AC/DC appearing in new building of a typical faculty (10) | BI inside anagram of A TYPICAL | |
| 2 | STUDENT | |
| Apprentice died oddly in a dare-devil act (7) | (D)I(E)D inside STUNT | |
| 3 | OVERTRAIN | |
| One in public managed to exercise too much (9) | I inside (OVERT + RAN) | |
| 5 | PARAFFIN | |
| Fuel’s standard established by a fluorine stabiliser (8) | PAR + A + F + FIN | |
| 6 | CRIME | |
| Part of the Ukraine peninsula cleared of a law violation (5) | CRIMEA minus A | |
| 7 | MOSELLE | |
| White growth of hair vendor cut short (7) | MO + (SELLE)R | |
| 8 | NO-NO | |
| Touching up more than once – it can’t be done (2-2) | (ON + ON) reversed | |
| 10 | TREK | |
| Mother leaving market prepared for a long walk (4) | Anagram of MARKET minus MA | |
| 13 | STRONGHOLD | |
| “Keep right wearing thongs” – drunken veteran (10) | R inside anagram of THONGS + OLD | |
| 16 | TAIWANESE | |
| Asian person drops in a tie especially made (9) | WANES inside anagram of A TIE | |
| 17 | BALDNESS | |
| A number of retired doctors send laboratory evidence of ageing perhaps (8) | doctorS SEND LABoratory | |
| 19 | NERVOUS | |
| Vow not totally kept by troubled nurse suffering from anxiety (7) | (VO)W inside anagram of NURSE | |
| 21 | ||
| One stupid term almost finished off social network (7) | TWIT + (TER)M | |
| 22 | TRIM | |
| Endless fun – running around spruce? (4) | (MIRT)H reversed | |
| 24 | UNTIE | |
| Relative not securing a release (5) | AUNTIE minus A | |
| 25 | LAND | |
| 50+ acres? (4) | L + AND |
Hi David,
I totally agree re puzzles/puzzled, and also agree re the clue for MUST’VE, but I wonder if there isn’t some salvation for DEAD LEG.
I’ve always thought of a dead leg as a *procedure*, and giving someone a dead leg is akin to giving them a Chinese burn. A Chinese burn is a procedure that produces a burning sensation on the arm, but I don’t think that ‘Chinese burn’ is the result. For a start there’s nothing Chinese about the result.
Likewise with the dead leg: the result is indeed a numb or deadened leg, but I also call the procedure – a knee to the thigh muscle – a ‘dead leg’ and the sentence “I gave him a dead leg but it didn’t work” makes complete sense to me, even though there was no deadened leg.
So to me, a dead leg may well be a ‘pin number’. I can’t see any justification for capitalising “PIN” (and the fact that the ‘N’ in PIN stands for “number” anyway takes a bit of the shine off, though “PIN number” is common enough in usage).
Just my 2¢.
Thanks,
Steve = : ^ )