The 100 year anniversary of the first published crossword (try some puzzles from history here) led a number of bloggers around the world to speculate about the future of the crossword in the digital age. Would it last another 100 years? I think most forms of crosswords translate seamlessly to digital media and they will continue to thrive, but I don’t believe the same can be said about cryptic crosswords. I don’t like interactive cryptic crosswords, and I’m a child of the computer age, in fact, I’ve had a computer screen in my face since I was 18. Cryptic crosswords take time to solve, and a large part of the enjoyment I get from solving comes from the piecemeal way I solve them. Not only don’t I want to spend my free time in front of a computer, but I want somewhere to scribble down an anagram or speculate on possible word endings. It’s not the same with an electronic scratchpad – the romance isn’t there. I want to be away from the temptation of Google and blogs and word pattern-match software. I know there are many out there like me. How? Every week I give solvers the option of choosing a PDF to print or an interactive puzzle to solve. The stats since The Stickler Weekly started show 80% prefer to print and solve. Is this a generational thing? Let’s hope so or cryptic crosswords won’t survive when printed newspapers are no more.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | PEGASUS | |
| Pin down, for instance, American group of stars (7) | PEG + AS + US | |
| 5 | DEPICTS | |
| Outlines disease originally produced by faulty septic (7) | (D)isease + anagram of SEPTIC | |
| 9 | CIVET | |
| Catlike animal caught by one person trained to look after animals (5) | C + I + VET | |
| 10 | REGULARLY | |
| On a river passing through gully often (9) | RE + [ (A + R) inside GULLY] | |
| 11 | MORIBUND | |
| Decaying bone found in a heap of earth (8) | RIB inside MOUND | |
| 12 | DEMOTE | |
| Put down recording sample with a piano part missing (6) | DEMO TAPE minus (A + P) | |
| 14 | RAMS | |
| Computer component connected by lead to secondary drives (4) | RAM + (S)econdary | |
| 15 | SAUCEPAN | |
| Kitchen utensil shaped canapes containing stuff in the middle (8) | Anagram of CANAPES outside st(U)ff | |
| 18 | INFERIOR | |
| Gather outside Brazilian resort strictly for the birds (8) | INFER outside RIO | |
| 19 | HEAR | |
| Judge, at this point, needs to be listened to (4) | Sounds like HERE | |
| 22 | ETHNIC | |
| Cultural etching not finished, not exactly (6) | Anagram of ETCHIN(g) | |
| 23 | SCROLLED | |
| Coders moved around lines and shifted text on screen (8) | Anagram of CODERS outside LL | |
| 25 | EMULATION | |
| Bird, one held by talon, reproduced mimicry (9) | EMU + (I inside anagram of TALON) | |
| 26 | ALERT | |
| Stock warehoused by wholesaler triggered alarm (5) | wholesALER Triggered | |
| 27 | SCENERY | |
| View credentials leaving residency abroad (7) | Anagram of RESIDENCY minus ID | |
| 28 | SWEATER | |
| Jersey sewn in an odd way wanted by consumer (7) | (S)e(W)n + EATER | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | POCKMARK | |
| Policeman climbing 1000m with chest injury (8) | COP reversed + KM + ARK | |
| 2 | GOVERNMENT HOUSE | |
| Those gunmen not normally hanging around unused official residence (10,5) | Anagram of THOSE GUNMEN outside OVER | |
| 3 | SETS BY | |
| Puts aside sum extracted from subsystem erroneously (4,2) | Anagram of SUBSYSTEM minus SUM | |
| 4 | STRONG SUIT | |
| State’s opener got runs in unusual fashion – it is a special talent (6,4) | (S)tate + anagram of GOT RUNS + IT | |
| 5 | DOGS | |
| Activities without popular pets (4) | DOINGS minus IN | |
| 6 | PALTERED | |
| Was evasive head of party changed? (8) | (P)arty + ALTERED | |
| 7 | CORPORATE CLIENT | |
| Big customer arranged poor recital in Australian capital (9,6) | Anagram of POOR RECITAL inside CENT | |
| 8 | STYLED | |
| Designed enclosure for farm animals was at the front (6) | STY + LED | |
| 13 | LUBRICANTS | |
| Star in club reworked stuff like “Grease” (10) | Anagram of STAR IN CLUB | |
| 16 | MEDITATE | |
| Consider friend accepting work on a newspaper (8) | MATE outside EDIT | |
| 17 | CREDITOR | |
| Lender’s car abandoned by a person responsible for leader, perhaps (8) | (CAR minus A) + EDITOR | |
| 20 | LEVEES | |
| Banks reduced charge and forecast in recession (6) | LEV(y) + (SEE reversed) | |
| 21 | DOSAGE | |
| Amount of medicine given to satisfy wise one (6) | DO + SAGE | |
| 24 | WIRY | |
| One involved in mocking is strong (4) | I inside WRY |
Another enjoyable one. My favourite clues were 18a and 13d, particularly the definitions.
Interesting. Never thought of it as either or situation with interactive/pdf. When I’m home I prefer pdf, but when on the move, especially at airports, it is easier to do interactive on a handheld device than hunt for a printer.
18a was the pick of the clues. How about ‘Shows genocide in Scotland’ for 5a?