Cryptic crosswords

by **Philellinas** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:14 pm

English as a language could almost have been invented for the setters of cryptic crosswords such is its elasticity and malleability. I quote a recent clue:-
Paddy field contains start of rice (5)
If you think you need to be twisted or warped to enjoy cryptic crosswords you may be right or you may be missing out on one of life's pleasures. There are no prizes, unfortunately, but an apprenticeship at GCHQ may be yours.

by **gary booth** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:10 pm

After some head scratching, pencil chewing and scribbling my guess is SHORT -don't worry I know it's wrong but it obeys some logic:
The word has to have an 'R' in it i.e. start of rice.
field as in Cricket = SHORT - cricket postion.
paddy = SHORT (tempered)
Close but no cigar?

by **kevin** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:52 pm

Strop. Field as in stop containing the first letter of rice.

This is one of my favourite cryptic clues from a long time ago.

H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O. (5)

by **Dominic** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 3:52 am

Water (H to O)

Here's another:
Of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of (10)

by **Con Murphy** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:19 am

Dominic wrote:Water (H to O)

Here's another:
Of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of (10)

Often.

Virtually directed at those camping (2,3,7)

by **NormanD** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:25 am

Con Murphy wrote:
Dominic wrote:Water (H to O)

Here's another:
Of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of (10)

Often.

Con, your answer doesn't fit the clue

A ten letter word is needed, no? Maybe 'oftentimes'?

by **Con Murphy** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:38 am

NormanD wrote:
Con Murphy wrote:
Dominic wrote:Water (H to O)

Here's another:
Of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of (10)

Often.
Con, your answer doesn't fit the clue

A ten letter word is needed, no? Maybe 'oftentimes'?

Oops.

Frozen water sun-beaten and rehabilitated (1, 5, 9)

Never do the x-word before the third coffee's kicked in.

by **Pete Fowler** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 1:06 pm

I used to love Bunthorne in The Guardian:

Gegs? (9,4)

and

IST? (10)

by **NormanD** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 1:08 pm

Pete Fowler wrote:Gegs? (9,4)

Scrambled eggs

I was going to pose that one

by **Con Murphy** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:36 pm

Pete Fowler wrote:IST? (10)

No-one's answering this one because it's too easy, right?

by **Philellinas** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:47 pm

Con Murphy wrote:
Pete Fowler wrote:IST? (10)

No-one's answering this one because it's too easy, right?

I couldn't get beyond CAPITALIST but that did seem rather non-cryptic.

by **Pete Fowler** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 4:55 pm

No, you're right (capitalist) and I thought it was clever - well, it took me bloody ages one Saturday morning. Put me quite off my Brian Matthew, so it did. (Why am I suddenly becoming Jim MacDonald? - tell you why, I just saw him in our local Tescos)

by **Hugh Weldon** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:08 pm

So you did.

A friend appeared in a play with him a year or so back, apparently he throws in all those 'so you dids' and 'so you ares' whatever the script says. He's not heading back to Corrie after the recent bloodbath is he?, can't remember how he was written out last time.

by **David Flower** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 11:30 pm

the Bunthorne clues are slight cheats really. Unless otherwise stated there should be a definition in the clue somewhere. The best setters always manage that, and the best clues are those that are elegant, make sense in themselves and yet are still devilishly misleading

by **Philellinas** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 11:49 am

Three more elegant clues gleaned from yesterday's T------- Toughie:-
Arterial route with a junction in unfinished road repair (5)
Some setters sloppily accepting 'the ultimate in technology' for 'hi-fi' (6,6)
Why Enigma Variation writer isn't Elgar (9)

Please send answers on a post to the usual address. The Big (Unpaid) Society still cannot afford any prizes.