tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866963654408209077.post5463025798387939141..comments2023-10-24T00:52:30.694+11:00Comments on Puzzling: American vs British crosswordsDenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16137577463781242181noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866963654408209077.post-58404275657431415852022-12-06T22:07:09.120+11:002022-12-06T22:07:09.120+11:00They seem like Cockney rhyming slang — way too obs...They seem like Cockney rhyming slang — way too obscure with impossible threads of logic to followAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866963654408209077.post-39681352594974803742013-01-16T15:05:26.474+11:002013-01-16T15:05:26.474+11:00That's really interesting Chesterley. Why do y...That's really interesting Chesterley. Why do you think Americans have never really grasped cryptic crosswords? Do they take too long to solve, or are they considered elitist?<br /><br />DesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866963654408209077.post-71115769632571969622013-01-16T10:07:38.643+11:002013-01-16T10:07:38.643+11:00Yes, there are differences in cryptic clues in the...Yes, there are differences in cryptic clues in the different countries, as Chesterley has mentioned. The types of cryptic devices used tend to be a little different ... some sorts that are OK in UK cryptics aren't accepted by the USA ones, that sort of thing.<br /><br />I'm in two minds about Libertarian devices, too. I think they can often be unfair to the solver. But some are admittedly rather clever, too.Denisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16137577463781242181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866963654408209077.post-81254345752679776302013-01-15T14:00:07.504+11:002013-01-15T14:00:07.504+11:00American cryptics use British-style grids; barred ...American cryptics use British-style grids; barred grids (for variety puzzles) are also common. Here in the U.S., you'll see all the different wordplay devices, although some are less prevalent (substitutions, letter shifts and spoonerisms) and the wordplay itself tends to be simpler. We also by and large don't have cryptic definitions or reverse wordplay (e.g., a clue can use "second in command" with "resign" as the solution, but not vice versa), and we shy away from libertarian devices such as "indeed" for DE(...)ED.<br /><br />Cryptics used to be common in periodicals such as the <i>Atlantic</i> and <i>New Yorker</i> but most have stopped publishing them. Some puzzle magazines such as <i>Games</i> will feature one per issue but since they cater to a broad audience, they tend to be very simple and rarely use deceptive constructs such as homographs, secondary definitions and grammatical ambiguity. Cryptics that approach the craftiness of their British counterparts are mostly found in one-off volumes.Chesterleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10497854309571093634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866963654408209077.post-20457209157655953582013-01-15T09:26:49.826+11:002013-01-15T09:26:49.826+11:00Interesting observations. I believe there are some...Interesting observations. I believe there are some cryptic crosswords in the US - are they different to British ones?<br /><br /><br />Des<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com