Puzzling

I've got a special treat for you today, two whole cryptic crosswords by me, for you to download. These are PDF files, which you can print out. The answers are included, too. Nixie Cryptic #1 Nixie Cryptic #2 Griff is tucked up in bed, and doesn't seem that impressed — but hopefully you will enjoy them!

Homophone cryptic clues are rather fun. But first, let's figure out what a homophone is. Homo  means 'same', and phone  means 'sound' — so homophones are words which sound alike, but have different meanings. I'm sure you know a ton of these: ATE & EIGHT. FLOUR & FLOWER. FOWL & FOUL. WRIGHT & RIGHT. And that's just for starters! When a cryptic clue uses a homophone, it tells you that the answer sounds like  some other word. The wordplay tells you this. Homophones must have indicator words that give a sense of something being heard, spoken, broadcast, or audible in some way. Here's a little example: Take bites noisily (6) Now, another word for bites  could be CHEWS. And, look, CHOOSE is also another word for take.  I think we have a winner! Noisily is the homophone indicator, it's telling you that if you say CHEWS aloud, it will sound like CHOOSE, which is the answer. One problem with homophone clues is that sometimes ...

I'm very happy to announce our latest app: Crosswords For Kids ! I noticed a while back that all of the crossword apps for children were aimed at the 5 year olds, with pictures of cats and cars and hats as clues. But what about all the kids older than 5 who like word games? Adult crosswords are too hard for them, but those little kiddie crosswords are way too easy. Enter Crosswords For Kids . I wrote all of the crosswords in this app for kids around 10-13 years old (give or take a few years!). The clues are easier, and the vocabulary is easier. There are clues that mention Adventure Time, My Little Pony, The Simpson, Muppets,  Harry Potter, and other 'pop culture' references.I even know adults who are enjoying solving these. As with our other crossword apps, the interface is completely customisable. You can choose the colours of the background, grid, letters, and highlight. You can choose from five fonts. There are solving aids, too, like having incorrect letters...

Even Griff is amazed ... yesterday I was called by a lovely ABC radio producer, to ask if I would be the new weekly 'captive cruciverbalist' on Statewide Afternoons with Chris Coleman! I quickly said yes, and started immediately — you can now hear me on your local ABC radio throughout regional NSW (so not Canberra or Sydney, but everywhere else), on Wednesday afternoons, just after 2:30 pm. Each week I'll pose one cryptic clue in the session and chat with listeners about their answers, and pose a harder cryptic clue to ponder over the week. The harder clue gets discussed the week after. And so on! I also reveal secrets to solving cryptics, and generally chat about the mad world of crosswords with Chris. The harder clue is posted on the ABC NSW Facebook Page , and my sessions are available to listen to again on the ABC's blog , too.

Here we go again, my analysis of the clues in The Canberra Times' Gemini cryptic crossword. This is the one published on Thursday March 28th 2012. The definitions are underlined (except in double definition and cryptic definition clues). Across 1. Man of action? (8) = LITIGANT Cryptic definition. Someone who takes legal action is a LITIGANT. 5. A sticky appointment? (4) = DATE Double definition, cryptic definition. A DATE can be an appointment , and it's also a sticky fruit. 9. Little girl all round the house (5) = VILLA Abbreviation + reversal. Little girl  = VI (yeah, I know, it could be any  two-letter short name for any  girl's name! Not that fair.) + LLA ( all  run round , or backwards). 10. Rushing madly in great confusion (7) = TEARING Anagram indicated by confusion , the fodder is in great. 11. One in favour of the classics (7,5) = PERSONA GRATA Cryptic definition. This one w as hard! While we're familiar with the term 'person...