Crossword
Crosswords
Appropriately named or not?
Hate the ones that are so easy you can do them in the time it takes you to write the answers, no challenge at all
Some you can fill in about half the answers, and then go back and work out the rest with the help of the letters you already have. Sometimes leave it and light dawns when you return later.
BUT, invariably there is one clue you just can't resolve - this is where, for me, the 'cross' part comes in. Short of getting inside the mind of the compiler, what's the solution other than giving up doing crosswords!?
Comments
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Surely SteveL, getting into the mind of the compiler is pretty much essential for normal Crosswords or at least I think so. I don't watch a lot of T.V. as some folk do, and it's a very long time since I visited a
cinema, so loads of clues to the larger crossword in the Mail on Sunday etc are way over my head, and a lot of the clues/answers. are American biassed or so it seems to me. I've started finding much more fun in doing
the "BareBones" style puzzle with a frame, a couple of numbers and say four blanks. Then it's up to you to battle it out with your own wits, but remember with a pencil & eraser First
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Think you've hit the nail on the head ABM. I object to the assumption, on the part of the compiler that we are all, say, soap opera fans, or know who all these American actors are. The answers I can't get are usually related to a clue along these lines,
and I'm not prepared to spend hours on Google to find them. I'll stick to my book of assorted crossword styles with my pencil and paper, dictionary and thesaurus(Like sudoku and word search too - more relaxing)
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The only thing I miss when I travel abroad is my daily fix of the cryptic crossword that I used to do in the Indy and now do in the i. It has a different compiler every day and you have to get used to their idiosyncracies. We don't watch tv a lot and never
in the van and I find the daily challenge very invigorating. I was "over the moon" last Saturday as it was our first day back in the UK and I managed to complete the prize puzzle despite not doing one for 2 months. Oh, the joy! I know, some folk may mock,
but I geniunely enjoy the challenge.Nice post Steve.
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I have a daily battle with the Times cryptic crossword. I only manage to complete it a few times each month but when I do I'm very happy. One thing I have noticed is that if I come back to the crossword after a couple of hours I often manage to put a lot
more words in. One tip I read somewhere is that the 'down' clues are easier to answer than the 'across' ones. It's something to do with the way the puzzle is compiled. My favorite puzzle in Times 2 is the Codeword puzzle, I seem to have a knack for completing
this easily only rarely being stumped.0 -
Seems there are a few of us like to keep the little grey cells working!
thanks for the tip about 'down' clues papgeno, I had noticed that they were often easier to solve, didn't know why. Perhaps I'll start with them next time I do a crossword
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