This is from Chris!
Many of you do the Graun cryptic crossword, I believe, and so I’ve compiled one that has some connections with what goes on in this part of the blogosphere. I’ve used yesterday’s Graun grid (which can be found at this address:http://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/cryptic/25205) but created different clues, which I’ll post below.
I hope it will amuse, entertain and puzzle you. Some answers are very close to individual Spillers but I’ll leave you to discover which they are. This is my first attempt in decades but I rather enjoyed it so, if there is an audience, I may do it again (I have some clues ready…!). Please feed back any comments, groans and plaudits. I’ll supply the solution next year. Happy Holidays!
Across
7 Are eggs an abomination? They split us up, in time (3,6)
8 Reversing vehicles is clever (5)
9 Old coin the Spanish put back into female Jamaican star (3,6)
10 We hear it’s permitted for all to hear (5)
12 Support mistake in London area and in London docklands (6)
13,18 Snitch and drug seekers found in turbulent gulf of French warlocks (8,4)
16 Folk, part two of 23′s note is in bald son (7)
19 Dance around 10 for tot (7)
22 Serial and musical to keep Grease at bay (4,4)
25 Once he was not in shape (6)
27 Plant a severe cut (5)
28,23 Highly considerate in swirling fog on SE range of nominations (5,4,2,4)
29 It’s always hot or cold there (2,3)
30 Where to store your cotton and return, spinning wildly? (5,4)
Down
1 New arrival (missing nothing): the first joyful greetings bloom (1,1,4)
2 Drink in dry, fast hits increasing tension (8)
3 Toughened in uranium (from Cuba?) (6)
4 Get back and turn around, for example, at no time (7)
5 Creamy leek soup contains one who spills stuff (6)
6 Carpet in old city – right? – going back for decider (1,1,4)
11 Groove after Christ’s birthday party is outside (4)
14,15 Accommodate left or accommodate for money (3,3)
16 Metaphorical transport for 18 heads (3)
17 End of jumper in field (3)
18 See 13
20 See 21
21,20 Road next to road opening is blocked by weary Athenian band (5-2,8)
23 See 28
24,25 Before The Beatles’ quiet overthrow of Paddy’s lot? (6,6)
26 14,15 no more now he’s contracted (6)
Can somebody tell me how to do an “after the jump?” I’ll try to hide the clues, so as to take up less space…
Oh, it did it! Excellent. Hope the song is okay, Chris, I can take it off if you want to suggest another one.
No problem, steen. Thank you for posting it all.
Steen – this is fantastic. I plan to spend some quality time with it tomorrow. I already know 24 and 25 down!!!!
Thanks, Toffee…but it’s Chris’s brilliance. I just posted it.
Got ‘em all except one…
Got ‘em all. It certainly IS my week.
Well done, tfd! Does that mean it was too easy or you’re just too good?
Williamsbach was first – on the other thread.
(But I AM good.)
Decidedly not too easy!! I can’t get a single one. And I’m fairly good at (non-cryptic) crosswords.
Took me aaaages to get 24/25, but the answer’s deliciously groanable – not finished yet, though.
Chris, I don’t know whether to kiss your feet or curse you (my flat is supposed to be clean and tidy to see out the old year, and my weakness for an English crossword is NOT helping)!
Excellent, I shall print this out, to puzzle it out on the bus from work to the in-laws’ tomorrow. Thanks Chris and Steen !
And not just deliciously groan-able, but seasonal too !
Probably my favourite ‘Spill post of the year – cheers, Chris. Not a williamsbach/tfd polymath, so still only about halfway through and slightly despairing – but Jolly Good Fun anyway…
(Wonder if 5 down realises she’s been immortalised?)
HNY to all.
First the Ashes, now top dog in the RR Crossword! Life doesn’t get better!
Seriously, well done Chris. Not too easy; hit a break point about half-way through which caused a furrowed brow for half an hour and sent me off in search of more tea. Usually does the trick!
I might have a go at one meself, if that’s not treading on your toes….
Thanks for the comments thus far, people. If I’ve caused WB’s brow to furrow and Debby to groan then it’s all been worthwhile!
Sorry, steen, but cryptics are rather different beasts…. Shiv’s given you an additional clue for 5 down and the fact that TB got 24/25 so quickly may help with that. And, as you know whereabouts in the UK London is, I reckon you should see 12.
Having smashed one of my big ones with a hammer a few weeks ago (don’t ask!), I’ve realised my toes can tolerate a fair amount of pressure, WB. Knock yourself out!
Biggest hint for cryptics is not to read the clue as a sentence, but as a collection of words/letters. An instance:
Clue: Garbled news out East; ring in the weather (4).
‘Garbled news’ means the word ‘news’ twisted around (anagram)
‘out East’ means get rid of the e (cardinal points are used for indicators of single letters)
‘ring in’ means add O (ring = O)
So:
Anagram of ‘news’ with an o instead of the e, to mean ‘weather’…..
Snow!
Simple, see….
Chris, there’s a bit of software called Crossword Compiler that you can buy (or download for a test period) which is quite helpful in providing grids, clue numbering etc. That sounds like I’m a pro at this, but I’m really not!
If you’re still struggling, it’s time to put you out of your misery (sorry, I can’t do anything about a hangover).
The Solution is here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1271975/SpillXword001.jpg (I hope)
A very Happy New Year to you all!
Oh, dropbox is telling me ‘This account’s public links are generating too much traffic and have been temporarily disabled!’
Help!
Clever. Found a few of the more obvious, but am not yet a cryptic puzzler – one of those things I never got around to. Was interesting to find out that there are a lot more rules & conventions to these things than I realized.
Links don’t work anymore. Would suggest copying the solution into the RR folder, so that anyone who wants it can find it.
Happy New Year.
Chris -
Ok, i got it now! I’m touched, thanks! Now i’m tempted to try the whole puzzle soon.
Shiv –
Finally, thanks to Chris giving me the hint in Mitch’s thread.
Happy New Years, gents, and ladies too!
Thanks, shoey. I’ve moved the solution into main RR folder.
amy: there’s one rule about cryptics that applies to most clues. At either the start or the end is a word or phrase that is a straight(-ish) definition (e.g. one who spills stuff) and the rest of the clue is a convoluted way of spelling it out (Creamy leek soup contains). In WB’s example, ‘the weather’ is the definition and the rest is the instructions for building the word, as he explained.
If you’re still interested, 1 down has his photo on tfd’s post.
Chris-
I’m still interested. I just have to find a free hour or two, and cobble a few brain cells together. I got that one because i had some idea of the answer, and WB’s directions helped too. Luckily the Spill isn’t like RR with thread close deadlines. And now i have another clue.
If WB coughs up a puzzle too, i’m guessing this could start to be a regular Spill feature.
Phew – I DID get them all right! Funnily enough the one that flummoxed me was 1 down – because the name I told you wasn’t right, and I’d forgotten I’d told you.
tfd: That sounds like some kind of karmic advantage-remover. Excellent!
amy: to be honest, that’s the usual way I solve these things. I get an idea of the answer from the definition and then use the rest of the clue to see if it works. Of course, time gets wasted on incorrect guesses and incorrect identification of the ‘definition’ part of the clue but I don’t think crosswords are an occupation for those with little time to waste…..
As to whether or not this warrants a regular feature, I’m not sure. I suspect it’s an occasional feature for a few mental masochists/smart arses (like me!)
More excellent still, Chris – because I hadn’t realised that baby Jimmy has my own initials and surname till you made him a clue. Duh. It was his American grandpa (he hasn’t got a British grandpa) who added the extraneous letter.