Newbie Corner

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This page is intended to those new (or new-ish) to cryptic crosswords. If a clue has you completely bamboozled then post it here (together with anything you think you may have already determined for yourself) in the hope that one of the more seasoned solvers will assist.

This page is now closed. New comments can be posted here.

Rules:

  1. Queries:
    1. Do not discuss any clue from any non-daily (prize) puzzle for which neither the solution nor blog has been published
    2. And, obviously, don’t expect a full explanation of all the clues – that’s what the blog is for
    3. Please cite where the clue can be found. Failure to do so will result in your query being ignored or deleted
    4. One clue per query please, except when you desperately need help for two intersecting answers
  2. Replies:
    1. When replying to a query please check to see if someone has got there before you unless you strongly disagree with the explanation given or you feel more could be added
    2. Please be polite, patient and understanding. Remember, you were a newbie once

138 comments on “Newbie Corner”

  1. Just what I need. I am not a newbie to Cryptics and managed a few Guardians in the early 2000’s. I followed a good Australian setter for many years. Then the papers switched to Lovatts. Stickler ran a website with a weekly puzzle and a blog where we could share our comments. mostly to assist those who were having troubles. We tried to avoid spoilers.
    I have recently returned to Guardian Cryptics. The only help available reveals words or some letters, or the blog here which gives the solution. I would rather a hint to help me get the answer. I guess that is true for most developing solvers.
    Today I managed to solve, and parse (with the help of google) all clues. I expect increasing difficulty as puzzles seem to be harder as the week progresses. So I hope this blog takes wings, but not just as a mutual admiration society.

  2. Here goes.

    Vulcan Cryptic today, 19/5/25.

    I have no idea how to approach 1a; could someone share a hint please?

  3. @2

    Think of another word for a joke, which can also mean censor
    Then think of someone who supplies jokes, which can also mean correspondent

  4. Thank you Admin. I have so many questions; so many clues are just gibberish to me.

    6a?
    14a?

  5. Steffen, it would help if you gave the clues in full and also any thinking or crossing letters you already have on the clues.

  6. Thank you Jay.

    14a – Submarine at first lacks rust protection (9) _ _ D _ _ _ _ _ L

    I tried inputting ‘S’ (submarine at first) in the first space but incorrect.

  7. No problem…
    6. Terms such as “no longer” or “of old” etc generally imply it’s an old or obsolete word. The other hint here is that “by” most likely indicates something next to something else, so ‘youngsters’ is most likely wordplay and not definition.

    14. The key here is to recognise “at first” as a first letter indication (which I see you have) though it could relate to what goes before it or what comes after. I made a leap of faith into thinking “sub” might equate to “under” which fits with the crossers…

  8. Steffen you have the L for at first lacks , think where a submarine is ; pause after reading lacks .The definition is nearly always the first or last word(s) .

  9. Troops,

    Today’s Guardian cryptic: 19d. Little support for home force arrival (6)

    So far I have I N _ _ _ W, missing 3 letters. The ‘I’ was a guess & check – is this “IN” for HOME?

    The other empty spaces are now taunting me; how do I look at this clue?

  10. It’s a down clue so “support” (in this case) means a synonym for little comes below “home force”.

    IN is indeed home.

  12. When I do a cryptic crossword on paper I enter only the crossing/crosser letters. Why? Because to fill in the other letters is superfluous to the exercise and wastes ink and time. I also harbour a sneaky hope that I might use completed ‘Alphalpha’ versions to lure others into the wonderful world of cryptics – so far only two bites with no feedback. The point here is that often a reasonable guess can be based on the crossers and the novitiate can enjoy the associated parsing and pdm. I honestly believe that a crossword presented with crossers filled in could attract the otherwise sceptical, who might eventually rise to the challenge of an empty grid.

    The (online) Independent crossword is presented in a way that allows individual letters to be revealed. Hint hint.

    [I hope that the above is not at odds with the intention of Admin’s innovation here – if it is please just delete.]

  13. Wickball has provided two barred crosswords, which should be pitched at beginner level. Barred crosswords don’t generally have black squares like traditional blocked crosswords. Instead the ends of words are indicated by heavy black bars. There is usually a theme.
    Oops by Wickball
    Mixed Up by Wickball

  14. I was intrigued by two issues raised by Guardian 29699.
    19d discussed above. I saw the clause as a double definition with verbal diarrhoea. The blogger used the F in force followed by the low for little. Since little precedes force in the clue, surely its should precede the f (force). IMO the first three words in the clue were superfluous.
    Next is 23a in a separate contribution.

  15. Guardian 29699.
    23a Ximenes. On second thought my comment may be inappropriate. So best left unsaid.

  17. Guardian Cryptic 29700

    Stratospherically over my head. I’m only going to ask about one clue, as I find the whole thing impenetrable!

    1a “Newspaper seller in surgery wanting youth back” (7)- I have ***ND** purely because I tried to fit VENDOR into the answer.

    After you’ve finished laughing, what the heck do you do?

  18. Steffen it is survey not surgery . This gives the first part , survey=_ _ _ _ . Youth back ( going backwards gives the second bit .
    Try 19AC , simple anagram , count the letters .

  19. I am also finding Guardian Cryptic today (29700, Paul) really hard. I’ve been doing cryptics for a few months now and this seems much more difficult than usual. I’ve found the ‘key’ answer (29ac), using an online thesaurus so now have a list of cities to go at but it all seems a bit unsatisfying. Not really after any help, mainly sending solidarity to Steffen (haven’t worked out how to tag you).

  20. Stefan @17: it is helpful to start to build in the mind a list of short synonyms. There are only seven letters in the solutions so any element contained therein has to be short. The clue ends with ‘…wanting youth back’. If, as Roz says earlier, the def is nearly always at beginning or end of the clue, does ‘…wanting youth back’ sound as if it might be – or some of it might be – a definition. Unless the def is ‘back’, it’s looking unlikely. More likely that that end of the clue is WP so you are looking for a solution meaning ‘Newspaper’ or maybe ‘newspaper seller’. Now returning to ‘…wanting youth back’ and your list of short synonyms. There are three fairly obvious ones for ‘youth’, all of which are three letters. Play with those and you should be able to get the back end of the word which just leaves you seeking another short synonym to go at the front – which is where ‘survey’ might fit in. Hope that helps.

  23. Steffan. Late in my learning period I was introduced to “Teach yourself crosswords” by Alec Robins published 1975 and “Chambers Crossword manual” by Dan Manley. Robins revealed that the definition should be at the beginning or the end of the clue. There are a limited number of clue types. The word play should include an indicator of the type. EG a two-word clue is most likely a double definition. Any word which indicates movement can be an anagram indicator. and so on.
    Around 20 years ago I thought setters of Guardian puzzles were tops, Then I found a reliable Australian setter Stickler who posted a puzzle weekly and provided the answers and reasons with the next puzzle. As his name says he was a Stickler for the rigid compilers’ code mentioned in 23a. Google Stickler Weekly to check out his puzzles. Working with a friend or group is very helpful. Perhaps check out your local U3A (University of the third age) for a group

  24. Guardian Cryptic 29 702

    9a – Beautiful tree: feel bad with any being cut down in such a manner (9)

    How on earth do you look at this clue?

  25. Hi Steffen @24 – that one I found hard because it wasn’t a word I knew, but I worked it out from the clue and a few crossers. Do you have any crossers?

    You’ve got two choices for the definition – beautiful tree or (in such) a manner

    It’s a charade, so lots of little bits added together.

    Does that give you enough to get started?

  26. I have no crossers for that one (quelle surprise).

    I have, through lucky guesses, solved 13a, 22a, 26a, 27a and 18d.

    So you could argue that I have already overachieved today.

  27. So the definition is “beautiful tree” which various people questioned as it’s called the tree of heaven where most of us found it when we looked it up (and I looked it up because it was a new word to me – a jorum). As it’s a charade, you’re looking for synonyms for:

    feel bad
    (any cut down – an instruction)
    is such a manner

    (This one, most people were commenting, was new to them, so I’m being more helpful than I could be.)

  29. Hi -is this somewhere I can ask about the Guardian codeword? Specifically the one on 20 May which has me totally stumped…

  31. Mel@29. I had a look at the codeword, and initially went wrong by putting in POPE (with code 24 and 10 assigned to O and E respectively) in the bottom RH corner. I soon realised that this left me with no vowel that would fit in the long down light along the RH edge, as it requires a double vowel (code 8) and only O and E would do, to make SEETHING or SOOTHING.

    So I had a rethink and put PUPA where I had POPE and this worked out nicely.

  32. Lucy @19: Guardian crosswords by the setter Paul have a particular style all of their own. In case you are unfamiliar with his work, let me share my experience.

    I was unable to get on his wavelength for a very very long time, and would stare miserably at mostly blank grids week after week. Then one day I found I was able to do them; not always, but most of the time. I find his clues to be artful (in the sense of the “Artful Dodger” of Oliver Twist); and precise in the sense that it’s always clear after solving exactly what he meant. The definitions in his clues are often very sly indeed; once understood they make satisfying sense. At first glance it can be difficult to see how some of his clues can possibly be parsed, and I think that’s a consequence of the sly definitions. Paul is also famously fond of rude words.

    Once you click into his style, you’ll likely find a lot of satisfaction in his puzzles. Meanwhile, it can be helpful to think of his crosswords as belonging to a slightly different species from the norm. They may not be the best barometer for your progress as a solver, so do not let any struggles with Paul discourage you about your crossword-solving skills in general.

  33. Girabra what a thoughtful reply, thankyou. I absolutely was staring at it miserably! I found that the nearly all (maybe, actually, all) the solutions I was getting were by guessing the definition and then parsing with the help of google, which is what I found so unsatisfying. I will stick with it and look forward to that ‘click’, and in the meantime I’ll remove them from my measure of success. Thanks again for taking the time to write such kind encouragement.

  34. Guardian Cryptic 29706

    Through guess and check I have solved 6d, 8a and 24a.

    I’ve got to be honest; I don’t see how any other clue works.

    11a – Old capital, per se? Polish virtually (10)

    How do you approach this?

  35. Hi Steffen @34 – that one leapt out at me because it’s something I knew about (unlike most of the commentators on the blog, apparently), possibly from some of my more eclectic reading material. If you don’t know it and you haven’t got any crossers it’s not going to be obvious.

    Several people are commenting on the blog that they found this Brummie difficult

    Try 15a – it’s an anagram with an extra letter
    17a – another anagram
    2d is the sort of charade you might have come across in the Quick Cryptic
    3d is another Quick Cryptic type charade
    4d is a double definition
    5d is an anagram
    22d is an insertion (but it’s another one that people were commenting was an unknown)

    see if that gives you more of a foothold

  37. Lucy@33, re Paul, I also like Girabra’s post @32. However, just as setters have their preferred styles, so do we solvers have our preferred way of solving. I, for one, don’t enjoy a crossword where I have to solve much of it by retro parsing. I prefer to solve by working from the wordplay, whereas others seem to get pleasure from cracking the definition, and working out the wordplay afterwards. Feel free to have your own preferences.

  38. Steffen, I admire your tenacity with this endeavour of solving cryptic crosswords. The thing to hold on to is this is meant to be fun! I’ve noticed on the daily cryptic crossword blogs that you try to solve them, and go to the comments without looking at the blogger’s explanations, as a way for you to challenge yourself to wrap your head around them first. I understand where you’re coming from, but I wonder if you’re making things harder for yourself than needs to be, and depriving yourself of a valuable learning experience, and fun?

  39. paddymelon- I think you have a real point there.

    I don’t really know what I’m doing anymore/can’t see the wood for the trees etc.

    I feel I’d enjoy it much more if I had a modicum of ability…all the hints and advice are fantastic and I think this particular page is phenomenal.

    It’s all a big struggle currently – but it will change.

  40. Hi Steffen, what tools are you using? I often hear people say that looking things up in dictionaries is “cheating” but who’s cheating who? In my opinion, beginners (especially) should be using every tool at their disposal. A lot of children learn to ride a bicycle using stabilisers and continue to use them long after they really need them until they confidently realise that they’re no longer necessary.

    In crosswordland, dictionaries, anagram solvers, letter pattern matchers (and others) are your stabilisers. Use them for as long as you need.

    The de facto standard dictionary for cryptic crosswords is Chambers and a lot of people use the Chambers app on their phones. Available at: https://www.wordwebsoftware.com.

  41. paddymelon@37 that’s so interesting and helpful . It hadn’t occurred to me here in my little bubble that crossword solvers have different taste in clues. I’m with you, I love building up a word from its pieces. Thankyou, I’ll be less grumpy next time I find myself guessing everything.

  42. Some very sound advice and I will add my two penn’orth . When I was learning I found the most important thing was SYNONYMS , hard to think of and in nearly every clue for wordplay and/or definition . I bought a small Chambers thesaurus with a lot of lists in the back , I found it far more useful than a dictionary which I would use just for checking obscure things .
    With some puzzles it could be very hard without any letters , you need to get started to get started . I would treat it as a QUICK crossword , the definition is nearly always the first or last word(s) . Check the synonyms , find something likely the right length and then see if you can get the wordplay . You can get answers in to help with the grid and learn wordplay as well .

  43. Thankyou Roz @42. I’ve spent much of my life in the presence of people who think using a thesaurus is cheating so your comment is a breath of fresh air!

  44. There is also the Chambers Crossword Dictionary – which has useful introductory articles on solving puzzles, or does in my edition, including suggestions of possible anagram indicators. The bulk of the dictionary lists synonyms arranged by length of word. My dog-eared paperback version is from 2003.

    It’s also worth looking at synonyms for every word in the clue.

    I still find this particularly useful when we have a themed puzzle on, for example, monkeys, as the monkey entry lists synonyms of monkeys, but also a list of different monkeys, such as the pug, sai, cacajoo and durukuli. (Paul set one such in the Guardian a few years back, and I didn’t know half the monkeys listed.)

  45. Guardian cryptic 29708 Paul
    Please could I have a pointer for 17across? I think I have all the crossers (a,c,a,l) but still can’t see it 🙁
    Thank you

  46. Amanda , the definition is at the start , pause after see .
    You need a message , starting with c around “humanity originally” . ( telegrams)
    The first three letters are the monastery bit , temple would have been better .

  47. Lucy@43 , a thesaurus was the most important thing when I was a beginner , helped me get started on many puzzles when I would just have given up otherwise .
    It does not matter what other people think , a crossword is just between you and the setter , use whatever helps and this may change over time , see KenMac@40 and the stabilisers .

  49. Thanks again Roz. I love how much of the advice to newbies on this page is to use all the tools available. I hammered the google thesaurus today you’ll be pleased to hear 😊.

  50. Shanne @44 Re. monkeys, are you perhaps remembering the tribute puzzle set jointly by Enigmatist and Soup on 16th February 2021, which would have been Araucaria’s 100th birthday? As I recall, there was much discontent about having to Google lots of obscure monkeys, making the puzzle, for some, a rather joyless exercise.

  51. Balfour @50 it had pretty obscure puzzles as well , I think combined setters often lead to a bit of a mess , it is usually a solitary exercise . The Hugo puzzle was a disaster , even Biggles was a let-down despite the quality of the four setters . The puzzle you mention was my debut on this site .

    Lucy and Amanda , you are welcome as always , I hope more people start to ask things on here , general points as well as clues .

  52. paddymelon@37, Lucy@41: I tend to go from both ends of that scale and work towards the middle… if the wordplay screams out EX for old/former, and I have a feel for which bit of the clue is the definition (that’s a gut feeling which something which comes with experience, though setters will always find ways to fool us), then I’m going to start thinking of synonyms of that word which begin with EX. That may well lead me to a promising word which I then instantly back-parse the rest of and verify that it all holds up. I assumed everyone did this!

    Sometimes I build the whole word from the charades and it is somehow satisfying, but I would have though that many experienced solvers on here don’t even have mental time to do that… their synonym-finding and charade-interpreting muscles must work so fast that the work from both ends must happen pretty much simultaneously. I don’t think anyone should worry at all about which end of the process they start from (unless they want to), and I certainly don’t think beginners should!

  53. Also, IMO Roz@42 (develop a feel for identifying the def and treat the puzzle like a concise/”quick” crossword, plus use a thesaurus) and paddymelon@38 (read the blogger’s analysis) are really core approaches for beginners.

    Identifying the def is such an important step that Shanne underlines it in the blogs for the Guardian’s Quick Cryptic without giving away any other spoilers, just so that folks can use that a hint.

    I’m now an intermediate and I sometimes enjoy just reading through the blog of a puzzle I’m not even doing, especially if it’s a special or theme. I learn stuff that way and can enjoy the wit/puns/cleverness vicariously. With time, one gets to know which setters are likely to put out some interesting stuff. And if that leaves me with a sense of wishing I’d tackled the puzzle myself, well that’s great motivation for keeping going!

  54. Oh and one extra approach which has worked very well for me: In general I find clues with very short answers to be easier than ones with longer answers, I guess because there are necessarily fewer moving parts to the clues. I routinely start with the three-letter ones, then the fours and the fives. Also the ones whose answers are multi-word and especially if they have hyphens (and the Guardian app is great there because word breaks and hyphens are shown in the grid).

    That said, sometimes the 15-letter ones are easy too, because thw often-complex enumeration gives a hint. Talking of which, clues with enumerations involving “1” are also good starting points.

    After those enumeration-based tricks have been exhausted, go for the clues which provide initial letters for other answers, so the top row and left column etc.

    Pick that low-hanging fruit, then work off the checkers that they give. There’s no requirement at all to do clues in order. (Disclaimer: very occasionally the failure to do so does lead to failing to spot some clever device that the setter has come up with such as rhyming clues and whatnot. It’s a small price to pay IMO.)

  55. Balfour @50 – yes, and my comment at the time was that all but one of the obscure monkeys were in my Chambers Crossword Dictionary.

  56. So as a very new cryptic crossword solver Thanks. Only been doing this since March and -wow – what a learning experience!

    This is what I have gathered and try to do:

    1. Agree about the short clues – 3-4 letters – try to do these first
    2. Hidden words and anagrams – if I can identify them
    3. Cross letters in the crossword to give a clue
    4. Identifying the Definition identifier
    5. Cheating – I look up – on internet; purchased Chambers Crosswod Dictionary; my evolving excel spreadsheet – especially of phrases.

    I find Charades really hard. Cryptic clues they either are easy or horribly hard. Love anagrams, hidden words.

  57. Agree with AP@53 that reading blogs is a useful exercise, especially if you are short of time. The Telegraph blogs are useful in that they give the clue and parsing tips which you can consider before clicking to reveal the answer.
    And do look at the more Ximenean puzzles, particularly the Times and Telegraph. It will help you understand when Guardian setters are pushing boundaries!

  58. Good evening.

    Guardian Cryptic 29710

    Could I please ask for help?

    12a – Great to adhere mostly to soft drink (9)

    – I have ***T*S*I*

    I am completely lost with that one (and many, many others)

  59. Steffen @58 does it help if I tell you that the definition is ‘Great’?

    And I’d have another stab at 2d so you get another letter. I had to reveal it and then kicked myself. The definition for that one is ‘President’.

  61. No particular question here—just needed a space to vent, as I’m feeling like I’ve hit a bit of a slump. I started doing cryptic crosswords in January, beginning with the Guardian Quick cryptic puzzles. Then I moved on to the Everyman and Quiptic puzzles, and by March I was mostly able to complete them or at least get around 90% of the way. After taking a couple of weeks off, I came back and found myself really struggling with both the Quiptic, Everyman, and the Monday puzzle (I moved to these after the Everyman puzzle moved). Most of the time, I’m barely getting halfway through. I’ve been finding it tough to think of synonyms and to recognize when a word is an indicator rather than a synonym. The blogs have been a huge help though, and reading through the comments here has given me some hope of a breakthrough soon.

  62. Hi Lucio! I’m at a similar stage to you and I also sometimes find this a frustrating pastime.

    What’s really helped me on this particular page is the general advice of ‘go easy on yourself’, and that the difficulty of Quiptics, and the weekday cryptics, is variable. More specifically, use all the tools you can.
    For synonyms I find typing “(word) meaning” into Google gives me loads to go at.
    I hadn’t heard of word finders before but they’re a big help too. I like this one https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordfinder.
    I also use this list of common crossword abbreviations, because how else would I know ‘sailor’ could be ‘tar’? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossword_abbreviations.

    For me it’s more satisfying to solve it on my own but I think that will improve with time.

    I also have to remind myself not to be overawed by the incredible solvers on the main page because everyone was a beginner once.

    Having said all of that I’m finding today’s Guardian cryptic particularly brutal!

  63. Thanks Lucy. I think you’re right, and after reading some of the comments on this page I do need to go a little easier on myself. I got to the point where I was trying to do it without any tools, perhaps underestimating how long it takes to build up some of the knowledge needed. Good luck with the rest of today’s Guardian cryptic!

  64. Guardian Cryptic 29713 Yank

    I have been mullered here. Can I ask for guidance please?

    5a – Get hold of jailbird said to be connected (7)

    I have no idea what to do with this clue (and I have no letters in it to help)

  65. Steffen @64 . Get hold of (pause) – think about the telephone .
    Jailbird – 3 letters , only a few options .
    Said to be connected – 4 letters – not easy , a soundalike for connected but not an obvious one ,
    Try 12Ac , look in the middle .
    1Ac , simple anagram , count the letters – arm is a weapon .
    9Ac hidden again

  66. Roz, thank you. That now makes sense (but guess and check needed +++ I thought CONVICT was the word 🤬)

    Remarkably I have got those other clues you mentioned.

    To give you an idea of my cryptic “prowess”, I thought 21a was ARK.

    I’ll do battle with the puzzle again tonight.

  67. I agree with Jay@57. My cryptic journey was going through the ranks of ”conventional” cryptics over years, while finding all sorts of help, books and online, before I even found the Guardian crosswords.
    I believe that jumping into the deep end of Guardian cryptics, without having the grounding, is a bridge too far for newer solvers, and I would love to see this struggle turn into joy. Just have to do the homework, and there’ll be the reward.

  68. paddymelon@67, forgive my ignorance but what do you mean by “conventional” cryptics, where might I find them, and how do the Guardian cryptics differ?

  70. I think one issue with The Guardian is the lack of easier puzzles , for quite a few years now most are very near the middle range , even Vulcan on a Monday .
    Newer solvers should look out for Carpathian , quite infrequent , and Dynamo , we have only had two .
    When I was learning we had Custos , Janus , Quantum , Mercury , Logodaedalus …
    Great setters but very friendly for beginners , maybe these are available somewhere for people to practise on .

  71. This is reassuring to know. It was becoming somewhat demoralising when coming up against even the easier Guardian puzzles (quiptic and Monday puzzles). I’ll checkout the Times and Telegraph puzzles. Thank you.

  73. Lucio@71 – I know that feeling oh too well. Usually complete the Quick Cryptic in short order but then find myself struggling massively with the Quiptic the next day (this weeks effort has so far given me a mighty six answers that I think are correct) which just gets demoralising after a few weeks. Not looked at the Monday Cryptic as I don’t have the time (or the required levels of masochism) available so can’t comment on those.
    All I can say is thank god for the Everyman – at least I can get solve most of the clues in that it seems.

  74. Guardian Cryptic 29716

    10d – It doesn’t come as much of a blow (6,6)

    ***T**/*R***E

    I don’t know what I’m doing.

  75. Thankyou to Paddymelon, Admin and Roz, you prompted me to look at The Times (£1 a month for the first three months!) and it seems much more straightforward. Not necessarily easy, just less ‘quirky’. The app is better too.

  76. Steffen @74 I didn’t get that until I had all the letters from other clues and I think I still used a word finder for one of the words. It’s a cryptic definition so there’s no ‘construction’ to be done. With clues like these I find I either see them or I don’t (and then use a word finder).

  77. Just to say that if you don’t usually venture outside the Monday slot, today’s Carpathian in the Guardian is a nice straightforward one to have a go at.

  79. I have to demur from gladys’ optimism. The NW corner for me was tough, four clues taking as long as the rest of the crossword (5 and 11ac; 2 and 5d)

  81. Well I’ve finished it with some help from a thesaurus! I did find it more straightforward than many Guardian Cryptics. I understand how nearly all of them work and the ones I looked up were, on reflection, getable. One thing I’ve learned from these blogs is that there is no standard for difficulty – it’s so personal. And that’s helped me not feel too useless.

  82. Thank you Lucy @76. I ended up revealing the answer, which I am particularly adept at doing.

    Today’s puzzle isn’t faring much better!

    Too many clues are beyond me.

    16d – Innards initially tossed into bottles (6)

    How do you analyse this?

  83. Oh that one was one of my last ones. Definition is ‘innards’, but that didn’t help me much! Have a look for synonyms for ‘bottles’ and think about what ‘initially tossed’ might mean.

  84. I have skated through all the above comments and, as far as I can see, nobody has recommended Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary. It was recommended to me years ago by Anax (Dean Mayer), a prolofic setter. The word lists are much more comprehensive than those in Chambers Crossword Dictionary. Don’t get the pocket version as this omits the very extensive general heading lists, such as trees, artists, coins, birds…. etc. I wouldn’t be without it. There doesn’t appear to be an on-line version.

  86. Anyone other newbies frowning at today’s Paul in the Guardian, I recommend hopping over to the Times where today’s is much more straightforward.

  87. OK I waited approximately 55 seconds before deciding to get it now. There are two books available: ‘Crossword Dictionary’ and ‘Crossword Lists’. Would anyone recommend one or the other?

  88. I would definitely recommend Bradford’s dictionary. It includes a good many lists but also makes more devious connections you won’t find in a thesaurus or word list. It’s also quite a fun read just to leaf through.

  90. Steffen @ 82. Maybe too late … It is an insertion, which ‘into’ should have indicated. So ‘initially’ applies to ‘tossed’ and ‘bottles’ is a synonym.

  91. Lucy @ 87. Go for the version with the full title: Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary. This includes all the lists and more.

  93. Today’s Quick Cryptic in the Guardian is a good beginner puzzle. They’ve been harder recently but I think this one is pitched at a good level.

  94. Lucy @75 – similarly I went for a Telegraph subscription at just £1 for the year. Clues seem much more straightforward, not easy as such, but you can see how they got to the answer a little easier than clues in the Guardian.

  96. Good evening,

    Guardian 29725. Impenetrable, other than 8a and 11d.

    7a – Twisting words essentially inspired by archaic woman who serves in government (9)

    GIBBERISH to me. Any ideas?

  97. Steffen – ‘Essentially” often directs you to look at the middle letter of a word. ‘Inspired’ { = breathed in) .is often an insertion indicator. Think of an archaic term for a serving woman and insert. The rest {‘in government’), follows easily.

  100. Steffen many people on the main blog said they found that puzzle hard too if it’s any consolation. Tomorrow we go again. 🙂

  102. Today’s Cryptic by Brendan. I have almost no idea what’s going on. I have solved 25a and 3d.

    Impenetrable for me, otherwise.

    Could I please ask for a hint? ANY hint, to ANY clue…

  103. Hi Steffen. There’s a theme today and loads of the clues are more easy to solve when you know what it is. I did think today was not straightforward at all – much more ‘cryptic’ than usual for a Monday. The theme is 20a if you fancy a stab, but I wouldn’t fret if today’s puzzle isnt doing it for you. I’ll have another look and pick out some of the more straightforward clues to get you further forward.

  104. I think these are the most ‘normal’ of the clues today. I thought lots of the other clues relied on hard (for me) synonyms.

    23 is a charade
    26 anagram

    5 is an anagram inside a synonym
    6 charade
    7 indicators are ‘initially’ and ‘spread’
    24 answer hidden and reversed.

  106. Good afternoon,

    Tramp. Guardian 29732

    I have nothing and nowhere to start.

    1a – Characteristic of player chasing female (6) – Any ideas please?

  107. Characteristic is the definition , female is replaced by one letter , player is after this , chasing .
    Player is an older terms for a profession involving plays .

    Try 11 ac – an anagram , count the 12 letters .

  109. Cryptic 29734 Vulcan

    Can I ask for advice please?

    12d – But one’s decision should be anything but capricious (10)

    I have no idea what to do here (surprise, surprise)

    By the way if anybody needs hints or tips from me just ask!

  111. Popping on here to say thankyou to those of you who recommended ‘Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary’. It’s been a game changer for me and (as you promised) a lovely object to own. Onward and upward! 😊

  112. Guardian 29741

    1d – Disparaging remark about a European cut off from communication (8)

    *N*****E

    Can you please give me a nudge?

  113. Steffen@112: The definition is 4 words long. There’s a common abbreviation crossword for European. About can mean surrounding.

  115. Steffen, in case you come back. I got stuck on this one too! A ‘disparaging remark’ is what might earn you a punch in the face (six letters).

  116. Also the answer isn’t the most obvious match for the definition, IMO. I too found that to be a hard clue.

  118. When reading comments after the crosswords in the Guardian, the word ‘tea trolley’ is used by some commenters. What does this mean?

  119. J9@118. Do you mean “tea tray”? This is when the solver realises they’ve been looking at the clue all wrong, and the way that the clue works suddenly becomes apparent. It’s a reference to the clang that would be made if hitting oneself over the head with a tea tray.

    A less violent revelatory expression is “penny drop moment”, usually rendered as pdm.

  121. J9@120. Sometimes after solving one of these tricky Guardian crosswords it would be nice if someone did come round with a tea trolley!

  122. Guardian 29747

    1a: Deity and prince direct (7)

    No idea what I am doing. I have tried GOD, P, ALBERT…

    Any ideas?

  123. Hi Steffen, someone way up there earlier in the comments told me that Paul’s puzzles are a different beast. Sometimes (like today!) I get very few answers and have to sit back, read the blog for fun and treat it as a learning exercise.

    For this specific clue the definition is ‘direct’ and you’re looking for the name of a god. But it was one of the many many I didn’t get today.

    Tomorrow we go again :-).

  126. Steffen@121. Both the deity and the prince require general knowledge, which, if they don’t come to mind, makes the clue very difficult to solve. Also the definition ”direct” may not be closely associated with the answer. Triple whammy.

  128. If you are struggling with today’s Guardian (just about everybody struggles with Enigmatist), Xela’s puzzle in the FT is at the easy end of the scale.

  129. Thanks @Hovis. I wish I’d checked this page this morning! Spent much of today staring and frowning at this puzzle. I’ve just revealed a few and am still mostly lost. But it’s Saturday tomorrow! 😊

  130. Morning Newbies! A new day has dawned and today’s Quick Cryptic in the Guardian is much more approachable than the puzzles from the last few days. Hallelujah!

  131. Thank you for the recommendation @Lucy !
    Apart from 3 clues that I still dont get, I managed the rest of the grid … a first for me !!!
    Is the saturday Quick Cryptic from the Guardian usually this approachable ?

  132. @Paspox nice one! I think the Quick Cryptic has been harder lately, but it’s quite inconsistent. Have had 10 minutes at today’s Quiptic and that seems kinder today too. Looks like they’re going easy on us beginners this weekend 😊.

  133. Guardian Quiptic 20/7/5

    12d – Very eager to describe what it’s like being dead?

    How the heck do you approach this?

  134. I think I might have spoke too soon about the Quiptic! Took a break and now I can’t do any more of it.

    @Steffen I’ve only just got that one – it’s a double definition and for me they either go ‘ping’ in my brain or they don’t (more experienced solvers may have better advice!). I only got it because of other letters I had in, specifically:

    13a (charade)
    17a (anagram)
    23a (double definition)
    25a (charade)

    I can give you better hints for these if you want them.

  136. Today’s Guardian (Dynamo) is, I think, at the kinder end of the Guardian scale. A relief after last week’s collection!

  137. Those who commented that they didn’t enjoy Sunday’s Quiptic by Hectence might like today’s (Tuesday’s) cryptic in the Guardian – it’s by Alia, first seen in the Quiptic slot. Most people also commented that Monday’s Vulcan was accessible. I’d also suggest trying the Prize this week.

  138. Thank you Shanne.

    I’m just back from work so I’ll give them a bash.

    What’s the worst that could happen…?

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