Puzzling

Answers to that last lot of clues ... 1) Following Albert to the side (7) = LATERAL Following  = LATER + Albert  = AL 2) Romeo left weird herbalists’ institute (9)  = ESTABLISH Romeo = R. Remove R from herbalists, and jumble up these letters (indicated by weird). Institute , the definition, is a verb, not a noun. 3) Greek character is against red Italian wine (7) = CHIANTI Greek character = CHI + is against  = ANTI 4) Flower occurs randomly (6) = CROCUS Anagram of occurs 5) Beyond a minor role (5) = EXTRA Double definition clue, beyond what you need is extra, and an extra is someone who plays a minor role in a drama. 6) Clever and dynamic   mediator heads off (6) = ADROIT Anagram with a deletion. Take the heads off  the word mediator = DIATOR. Jumbled them up (in a dynamic ) way, to get the answer! How did you get on?

Some new clues for you to try! 1) Following Albert to the side (7) 2) Romeo left weird herbalists’ institute (9) 3) Greek character is against red Italian wine (7) 4) Flower occurs randomly (6) 5) Beyond a minor role (5) 6) Clever and dynamic mediator heads off (6) If you'd like to get my Nixie cryptics on a regular basis, I publish a new cryptic every fortnight (2 weeks) over at the Clue Detective Puzzle Agency . There's a special deal on at the moment, use the code NIXIE in checkout to get a 10% discount on membership.

It's clue writing competition time again!  Griff is eagerly awaiting your entries! Write a cryptic clue of your very own, using an anagram, for the answer word INTERCHANGE.  Write your clue, and then post it in a comment below this post. Don't be scared, you can do it. It's even fun (honest)! Your clue can be silly, weird, funny, serious, whatever you like. It needs to read well, like a mini phrase or sentence (not just a random assortment of words stuck together). Creativity and clue accuracy are what I will be looking for. Here are some tips to help you get started.  Remember that the basic anatomy of a cryptic clue is: Wordplay + Definition = Answer or Definition + Wordplay = Answer So — (a bit of wordplay) (definition) (rest of wordplay) is  not  allowed. The definition has to sit at the start or end of the clue, and not be interrupted by the wordplay. In an anagram clue, the Wordplay = the fodder + the anagram indicator  (or i...

Here are the answers to the first set of Nixie cryptic clues: 1) Gulps down birds (8) = SWALLOWS. Double definition ( gulps down + birds ). 2) Worker has loud grievance (4) = BEEF. Charade of BEE ( worker ) + F ( loud ). A 'beef' is an informal word for 'complaint'. 3) Endless blaze leaves a tree (3) = FIR. A deletion clue; take FIRE ( blaze ) and remove its end (last letter) to get FIR, a type of tree . 4) Relation at the ABC? (6) = AUNTIE. Cryptic definition; Aunty ABC (and Aunty BBC) is the informal nickname for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5) Mourn appropriately if making livery (7) = UNIFORM. Anagram of mourn if.  The anagram indicator here here appropriately.   Livery is a type of uniform. 6) Cable tram stuffed with unrestrained glee (8) = TELEGRAM (a cable ). Container ... TRAM with an anagram ( unrestrained ) of GLEE. 7) Émigré Patrick went after former wife (5) = EXPAT. PAT ( Patrick ) goes after EX ( former wife ). Con...

I have decided to close my 'Twitface' accounts (Twitter and author's page on Facebook) in the interests of less stress, and more simplicity in my life. I will still be posting cryptic clues that you can solve here, and will be updating this blog more frequently too. I look forward to continuing conversations with my friends from those other social networks – welcome! Here's the first batch. Let me know how you get on in the Comments, and I'm happy to provide hints if anyone needs them. I will post answers in a few days  :) ______________________________________________________________________ 1) Gulps down birds (8) 2) Worker has loud grievance (4) 3) Endless blaze leaves a tree (3) 4) Relation at the ABC? (6) 5) Mourn appropriately if making livery (7) 6) Cable tram stuffed with unrestrained glee (8) 7) Émigré Patrick went after former wife (5) ________________________________________________________________________

One of the things I like about cryptics is how — although I write them — I still find cryptics by other setters challenging and enjoyable to solve. I don't do 'quick' crosswords any more, solving one is too much like the work I do in writing them ... another bloody definition? No thanks ... But cryptics are still a fascinating challenge to me, and are still fun for me to solve. I don't classify myself as an expert solver , I can't solve The Times cryptic in record time or anything like that. I don't solve enough cryptics often enough to get the necessary daily practice in. But being a setter does give me a certain advantage! So, I thought you might find it interesting to see the mental process I go through when solving clues by other setters. Here are a few clues by a variety of setters, and my thoughts as I solve them ... Wife given a kiss then getting yen for pasty (4) Hmmm, what are possible abbreviations in this clue? Wife = W, kis...

This is the Gemini Cryptic from The Canberra Times  of 6 August 2013. A quick reminder that this cryptic is from the UK (and isn't Australian). I'm trying a new thing here — I'll put the answer in white text within square brackets, and you can reveal it by selecting it. Give it a try --> [ Peek-a-boo! ]. This way you can have a good try of solving the clue without seeing the answer. So that you can have a chance at solving them, I won't underline the answer, and the 'description' after each clue is more of a set of hints, not a complete reveal. Hopefully this will be more fun for you! So, on with the clues! After yet another dose of CutePuppy™ from Griff. ACROSS 1) It's eaten with cream (7) = [ CRACKER ] Cryptic definition. A UK-centric clue, so dig out your list of British foods, and think of water biscuits. 5) Balance between September and October (50) = [ LIBRA ] A zodiac clue! Cryptic definition. 8) They filled up a form at t...

At the suggestion of dear Chris Coleman (my radio host on ABC Statewide Afternoons), I now have a Twitter account. My handle is @PuzzlingDenise . I'm posting one cryptic clue a day. Plus occasional random content about indexing, funny things, and noms. Please follow me and tweet your solutions, if you're interested, and retweet my clues to your network  :) You can blame Chris.

This is my explanation of the clues from the Gemini Cryptic Crossword #6639, from The Canberra Times  yesterday (6 June 2013). As usual, the definition is underlined, except in cryptic definition and double definition clues. My new app, CrypticGuide, in use ... it will be ready for release in a few weeks. Stay tuned! Across 1) A Royal in Canadian capital surrounded by a crowd (8) = PRINCESS Nothing to do with Ottawa! A container clue — put IN + C (the capital letter of Canadian) inside ( surrounded by ) PRESS ( a crowd ). 5) Book of plays (4) = ACTS Cryptic definition, of sorts. I guess Book  might refer to the Bible, and Acts of the Apostles. And of course, plays are written in acts too. 9) As you can see it forms a ring (5) = ATOLL Charade, A + TOLL ( ring ), as in the tolling of a bell. And an atoll does form a ring. Maybe an &lit clue? What do you think? 10) Twice mother holds the hat for a revered sage (7) = MAHATMA (Ghandi) Twice mother ...

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!

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.