I loved it! I was able to get all of the answers (not in any record time, but still!) without any peeking, which is a major victory for me. I think this constructor is just right. I am looking forward to more of his puzzles. Bravo Daniel Raymond!
Womb(at)s!!
I've loved cryptics my whole life, even though I've struggled with many of them over the years -- mostly because I started with the Brits. As Deb points out, British cryptics are much harder. First of all, the lingo, slang, place names, idioms, etc. are unfamiliar to us Yanks. Plus, they're just plain harder. And, I'd maintain, often totally unfair. I thought the London Times was impossible until I tried the puzzles in the Guardian, which were much worse. Brutal. And for me, completely undoable.
Meanwhile, in the USA, along came New York Magazine's Cryptics. There were Sondheim's, which I remember loving and thinking both brilliant and fair. And later Maltby's, which I remember being tortured and torturous and not liking much at all. Probably because I couldn't do them any better than I could do the Brits.
So, oh joy, along comes Daniel Raymon with a completely fair, completely solvable cryptic. You have to work at it very, very hard. You have to think and think and think, and then think some more. But when you finally finish it, you feel like one of puzzledom's great solving GENIUSES. With one notable exception...
Re: 14D. I get that the definition is "Editions". But can someone explain the clue that leads to PRINTINGS? I can't parse it. Thanks in advance.
@Nancy Running is "sprinting;" when you move the beginning (the letter "s") to the end you get "printings." I found this cryptic almost too easy; this may be due to my attempts to solve the cryptics in the Financial Times --- sometimes these are near impossible for me. I find a happy medium in the Australian Stickler.
http://www.australiancrosswords.com.au/WPblog/category/stickler-weekly-puzzles/
1
I don't think the British cryptic puzzles are unfair, but I agree that they are more difficult. I think it's more a question of frustration, when one's puzzle-solving ability is hampered by a lack of experience, practice, or the relevant background knowledge, because of cultural differences. The compilers know that any unfair clues will result in a barrage of complaints, from the likes of
"Disgusted in Tunbridge Wells"* - so I'm sure they try to avoid them!
After years of crossword-solving, I used to complete the Times cryptic relatively easily (though in nowhere near the fifteen minutes or less of the competition winners!) But since I've been in the US, I've rarely had access to it and the lack of practice means that I now find it more difficult. So I understand your irritation, because I find that frustrating! Incidentally, one interesting change I've noticed over the years is that there now seem to be far fewer classical references. A result, I suppose, of the dramatic decline in the teaching of classics in British state schools.
I've written a reply to another post, where I've made one or two more comments on the differences, so I shan't repeat them here.
1
* An additional note: For those who are unfamiliar with it... Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells is name of the archetypal British writer of complaining letters to the newspaper editor. :-) He's old and angry with the world in general. I think the US equivalent is the man who shouts "Get off my lawn!" but I'm open to cultural correction!
challenging puzzle. got a good start with COSTUMIER, INCOGNITO and INTERSPERSE. Somehow anagrams are easier to detect and solve. they then help uncover the other clues!
I love the way Deb invites people in, and Deadline affirms it. This post of mine appeared by accident on the Sunday puzzle comments, but here it goes for real!
I’ve been experimenting with a shorthand notation for Cryptic puzzle clues, as part of my desire to help those who might enjoy Cryptics more if they had a way in.
I was happy to see a Cryptic in this weekend’s puzzles, and it’s a little bit unusual, not a bad thing. I want to test out my notation, and invite feedback from solvers new and experienced.
First, Daniel uses personal names more than is usual in Cryptic puzzles: 1A, 11A, 21A, 2D, 16D require the knowledge of a person’s name.
Second, Daniel uses “filler words” more than I’ve ever seen in a Cryptic – they are all logical and justifiable, but there are many: “is” “for” “of” “and” “from” “with”...
Third, Daniel uses an unusual spelling (Frenchified) in one answer, and a non-Latin plural (Americanized) in another; two of the answers are names.
None of this is a problem. I point them out only to put this weekend’s solving experience in the general context of solving Cryptics.
My following posts will unveil my notation...
1
Across
1 /Playwright/ ‘mom’ ‘was introduced to’
4 /Unidentified/ “gin” & “tonic” {concoction}~ with ‘egg’ {in it}^
9 /Knickknacks/ for ‘book’ ‘binders’
10 Pretty postcard [features] /spelling mistakes/
11 ‘Susan from TV’, ‘film, theater, etc.’ {left}« and /took a different path/
12 /Opens/ {new}~ “sunblock”, {removing}≠ ‘bottle’s cap’
13 {Translated}~ “crude pigeon” for /dessert/
18 {Varied}~ “enterprises” /to scatter here and there/
21 /Fourth/ {incomplete}≠ ‘question’ {about}^ ‘Garfunkel’
22 {Heard}∞ ‘greeting’ ‘a misrepresentation of’ /sport/
24 /Have a home-cooked meal/, ‘simmering’, {after cutting off edges}≠
25 ‘Draft animal’ {among}^ ‘other draft animals’ /two days each year/
26 /Stays the course/, {returning}« ‘little bird’ and ‘venomous snake’ ‘(yikes!)’
27 ‘Marsupials’ {missing}≠ “at” /production sites/
(explanations below!)
1
Down
1 ‘Short skirts’ ‘test’ /clergy/
2 /Nonconformist/ ‘state’ {maintained by}^ ‘Jagger’
3 /Count/’s ‘cross’ ‘friend’
4 {In retrospect}« ‘Surrealist’ {takes to heart}^ ‘one’ /ancient Greek work/
5 “Tom Cruise” {arranged for}~ /theater job/
6 {Raising}« ‘little dog’ ‘send’ ‘$1,000’ and /receive some support/
7 /Influence/ ‘prankster’ and ‘make a scene’
(Grammar fiends: note that the first word and the answer can be construed as nouns equally well.)
8 {Horrible}~ “bosses” /constantly worry/
14 /Editions/ ‘running’ {beginning to end} (letter transposition cue)
15 ‘Scare off’ ‘man who is refined’ and /cleaner/
16 /Test in front of a panel/ “or” ‘Jeopardy! clue giver’, ‘live’
17 ‘Classes’ {including}^ ‘individual’ with /brains/
19 {Tumultuous}~ “quakes” {making}~ /a high-pitched sound/
20 “Arrest” {unhinged}~ /philosopher/
22 /Knight’s battle/ is ‘only’ {about}^ ‘love’
23 /“They already told me”/, {recalled}« ‘expert’ on ‘iodine’
(explanations coming right up!)
1
The words enclosed by slashes are the actual definition of the fill. Note that they are always either first or last in each clue. This is one of the rules of Cryptics.
Words I have in curly braces are cues for manipulation: anagram { }~, reversal { }«, insertion { }^, deletion { }≠, homophone { }∞. Container clues are in square brackets [ ]. Note that these manipulations never apply to the /main clue/ except in the rare case called an &lit clue (“and literally” - none in today's puzzle).
Letters that are to be used in the actual answer or in forming it are in “double quotes.”
Words in ‘single quotes’ are simple clues to parts of the answer.
2
I think this is an ideal puzzle for newbies to cut their cryptic teeth on. It obeys all the rules of the genre, it's clever, but the clues are presented in an easily decipherable way.
Most of them anyway. I had to stare at ORAL EXAM for a while before I was able to parse it correctly.
Some of the anagrams (and anagrams-plus) were things I met for the first time, and I loved them: RICE PUDDING, INCOGNITO.
I love cryptics. I wish we could have them every week.
2
@Deadline I agree with every word of your comment (not for the first time -- blush) and would only add that in addition to being newbie-friendly, I was impressed with the smooth way in which the clues were worded. So natural sounding, so unforced. Finally, I appreciate your mentioning ORAL EXAM, which I also had trouble parsing, until your comment encouraged me to try again. Success!
Deb,
Thanks for including the video demo of the Times (London) cryptic with Mark Goodliffe. I've been trying my hand at their "Quick Cryptics," which are a little more forgiving than the full-strength regular "Cryptic" puzzle, but still can still be a bit frustrating when it uses U.K. cultural references that can leave a U.S. solver mystified even if they get the entry right. (For instance, in the sample puzzle you were solving, I would never have known that "China" meant "mate," as in rhyming slang for "China plate.") Maybe with insights such as Mr. Goodliffe's and a little more practice, I'll feel like tackling the full-fledged "Cryptic." The Times "Concise" puzzles are fun too, and a little less daunting, since they use straight clues only without the cryptic wordplay.
Back home again, I enjoyed this week's NY Times cryptic crossword. It had just about the right level of crunchiness, and definitely had a much cozier, "at home" feeling than the Times of London puzzles. Which is to say, once I had the answers, I knew why.
1
Dante Gabriel Rossetti had a pet WOMBAT that he walked on a leash. Nice Cryptic, Mr. Raymon.
After “Revealing” the Cryptic:
20D was the only answer that I thought I had, and it was wrong! I had COLLAR instead of SARTRE because I thought that “arrest” was the definition part for this six-letter answer.
About 26A: It is interesting to note that now a word like TIT is acceptable here as part of an answer, when it means “a little bird”.
Maybe before long, words that can mean “rooster” or “donkey” will also be permitted.
11A: Susan Who?
@Jerrold
Dey.
1
@Etaoin Shrdlu Thanks!
I was so happy to see Double or Nothing, my absolute favorite among the “middle” puzzles, especially because the Cryptic is something that I’m terrible at.
[MAJOR SPOILER ALERT]
The two immediate gimmes EDWARD LEAR and OTTAWA gave me WA in the rightmost square in the second row.
That served as what I call an “anchor” square to start with.
RUSTLE, DELL, TACO BELL and BEAR made gimmes more the rule than the exception.
By the way, it is very easy to make up a large diagram for this puzzle on paper, very important when you have a visual handicap. The same cannot be said for some middle puzzles
such as Hex Nuts or Freewheeling.
2