The Stickler Weekly 12 Solution

There are always elements found in cryptic crosswords that may cause division among setters and solvers: cryptic definitions, the use of extraneous words, subtraction techniques, the importance of surface meaning to name just a few. This crossword contained a contentious device in 25-down – the use of capitalisation to deceive – that some won’t agree with. Much of my cluing philosophy is based on my experience as a solver – I don’t use techniques that irk me when I solve – so I’m happy to include things that sit well with me as a solver (I also take note feedback from other solvers). In this particular instance I view the capitalisation of any word as OK, since all words could appear in a book or film title, or a newspaper heading, with a capital without changing the meaning of the word. However, de-capitalising a proper noun changes the meaning of the word – solvers look at it differently and in most cases they will have never seen that word written starting with a lowercase letter. Simply, if a solver sees a capitalised word, they can consider both cases easily as there aren’t many in any crossword, however, I believe it’s unreasonable for a solver to be expected to evaluate every non-capitalised word as a potential proper noun as they make up the bulk of the words in a crossword’s clues.