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Crossword roundup: banter with David Bowie
Justifiable confusion and an attempt at a moustache in our pick of the best cryptic cluesUnique solutions?I think often of Paul's clue…25ac Misshapen genitals, funny things? (3,5)… for TAG LINES,...
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Crossword blog: the Times Quick Cryptic
Alan Connor looks at the newest kid on the cryptic block, an 'intermediate' puzzle from the TimesHow do you get a non-solver into cryptic crosswords?One way is to tackle head-on the trepidation felt by...
View ArticleCelebrating 100 years of the crossword
MR James timed his to boiling an egg, Bill Clinton did his on Air Force One and they make John Humphrys cross. On the 100th anniversary of the crossword, Alan Connor argues that cryptics are easier...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: What's it like to star in a clue?
Alan Connor enjoys cameos by famous names in his pick of the best and most explosive cryptic cluesThere was a bonus extended-play edition of this blog on Saturday: Celebrating 100 years of the...
View ArticleCryptic crosswords for beginners: me, myself and I
Alan Connor demystifies the devices used in cryptic crosswords for beginners and asks experienced solvers to share their favourite examples. This time: when setters mention themselvesWith the centenary...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: John and Jane
Alan Connor finds forgetfulness and feminine funds in his pick of the best and hoariest cryptic cluesWhat characteristics are demanded in a newspaper's crossword editor? The most obvious answers are...
View ArticleCrossword blog: The A to Z of Araucaria
We pay tribute to the late John Graham with a selection of 26 of his finest cluesThere are many reasons it's hard to choose a selection of Araucaria clues, but among them is not sadness. The chutzpah...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: Where Bagpuss meets Garbo
Alan Connor finds imperishable puppets and disposable nappies in his pick of cryptic momentsIf you're enamoured of British countercultural heroes, or of children's television, look away now or rather,...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: fooling around
The most ingenious and inadvertent April foolery in this year's cryptic crosswordsPity the new crossword editor at the Times. You don't generally associate the Thunderer with such frivolities as themes...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: two Roys and a Ray
Alan Connor encounters those who omit 'r's, not to mention 'h's, in his pick of the best cryptic clues5ac Relating to sacred festival, not hard for religious philosopher (6)9d Cameronisfurious...
View ArticleCrossword blog: shizzle in the crosswizzle
Alan Connor looks at how the appearance of Snoop Dogg's slang in crosswords can cause uneaseThe sickest collection of argot, for my money, is Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: East v West, and northern drama
Alan Connor finds ancient enmities and protracted policing in his pick of the best cryptic cluesHere's a Times clue ...21d Lawlessnessneararea in European peninsula (6)14d Airmanandcrewinvolved in...
View ArticleCrossword blog: the unsolved mystery of the D-day puzzles
In 1944, headmaster and crossword compiler Leonard Dawe published vital military codewords in a Telegraph puzzle. Will we ever find the answers, or even some fresh clues, to this classic crosswording...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: Lord Byron, Lord Peter, and Mister Hoskins
Alan Connor finds 'tecs and thesps in a cryptic roundup which all ends in tearsA proper tribute to the late Bob Hoskins from Eimi in the Independent. 1ac Avant-garde Somalian painting (4,4)8d My word,...
View ArticleCrossword blog: Leonard Dawe, the man behind the infamous D-day crosswords
Alan Connor looks at a cryptic pioneer who set over 5,000 puzzles and had a sideline in both prog-rock and footballI was mildly startled to note that, until a fortnight ago, these pages had not covered...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: the language of java
Perfect for your coffee break, Alan Connor talks cortados and flat whites in his pick of the best cryptic cluesIt may be that there are Lib Dems who believe that their party would have retained a...
View ArticleCrossword blog: a novel about the D-day crossword enigma
Alan Connor talks to James Cary, author of a book in which crosswords create a wartime mysteryWelcome to the third in a trilogy of D-day posts. We've looked at the mystery of why Overlord codewords...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: Double gold
Alan Connor has deja vu in Normandy in his pick of the cryptic cluesWhat were the odds that the setters of 2014 could let 6 June pass without alluding to the events of 70 years ago? (For more on the...
View ArticleCrossword blog: meet the setter Crucible
Alan Connor turns the tables on the torturers. Under the spotlight this time is RD Anderson, AKA CrucibleDuggie Anderson has been setting as Crucible for the Guardian since 2008. His canvas is broad...
View ArticleCrossword roundup: goodbye Paxo, hello cyan
Alan Connor welcomes a colour to the language in his pick of the best cryptic cluesAre you interested in how the fleshy, fallible human mind can persist with a belief despite the piling-on of evidence...
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