Cryptic Quiz Guide

General software. From trouble with the Banyan Tree to OCP Art Studio, post any general software chat here. Could include game challenges...
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Rorthron
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Spud wrote: Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:22 am Thanks again for this. I thought these might be easier but couldn't figure out any of them! I nearly got the first one from the straight clue, but I got hung up on the gender of the investigator (keeps her locket boxed), and try as I might I couldn't actually find the investigator that I thought it should be in the text despite it staring back at me. I realise I need to stop being so literal but it is hard :)

I wonder if having these in a real crossword might make things a little easier.
Yes, you have to ignore the meaning of a sentence and just look at it as a code.

A real crossword (in a grid) is easier as you can cross reference letters, but that's beyond my abilities!
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R-Tape
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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I found these okay, if I develop the ability to spot whether it's a hidden word, cryptic or other remains to be seen.

I wanted to have the clues as a set grid for the tape magazine but didn't have time or energy.
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Spud
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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I might splash out this Christmas on a Cryptic Crossword book (for dummies!).
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R-Tape
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Spud wrote: Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:56 am I might splash out this Christmas on a Cryptic Crossword book (for dummies!).
We should convince a certain white bearded, blue robed, magenta skirted chap to write "The Cryptic Spectrum Game Crossword book for dummies".

Some might say it's a bit niche but I think he'd make millions.
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Rorthron
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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R-Tape wrote: Tue Dec 19, 2017 12:16 pmSome might say it's a bit niche but I think he'd make millions.
So that will be two copies at £500,000 each, then. :D
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Rorthron
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Cryptic Quiz Guide, Part 3

HOMOPHONES

In homophone clues, the clue points you to a word or words that sound like the actual answer. They are usually introduced by an expression like "I heard", though there are quite a range of different ways to signify homophones.

Take for example this amalgam of two similar clues by Paradigm Shifter and me:

1. Lovestruck teenager may open doors, I heard. [5]
Spoiler
MIKIE
"Lovestruck teenager" is the straight clue. "I heard" tells you it is a homophone. "May open doors" is MY KEY. MIKIE sounds like MY KEY.
Here is another example:

2. The stooge heard the titillating content. [3, 4]
Spoiler
THE PAWN
"The stooge" is the straight clue. "Heard" tells you it is a homophone. "The titillating content" is THE PORN.
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R-Tape
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

Post by R-Tape »

Eek, I already knew the answer to these but these are HARD. If I ever see 'heard','listen', 'sound' or other synonym I'm going to assume it's a homophone clue and not some low down dirty trick.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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I managed to get the second homophone one and I am rather stoked about it. These are real mind benders and I dread to think what might be next!!
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MatGubbins
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Just waiting for 'Ms Hannigan plays a tree' (6)
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Rorthron
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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R-Tape wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 9:29 am If I ever see 'heard','listen', 'sound' or other synonym I'm going to assume it's a homophone clue.
That's usually a safe bet.
Spud wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:06 am I managed to get the second homophone one and I am rather stoked about it. These are real mind benders and I dread to think what might be next!!
Yay! Don't worry: the next part isn't too tricky.
MatGubbins wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:50 am Just waiting for 'Ms Hannigan plays a tree' (6)
OK, I'm stumped. I looked up Miss Hannigan and learned she is the villain in Annie. So is "Ms Hannigan plays" ANNIES? Or is "plays" an anagram signifier and it's an anagram of her first name AGATHA. But neither of these gets me anywhere near "a tree" or has anything to do with Spectrums or the thread. So I am clearly barking up the wrong tree.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Rorthron wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 12:04 pm
MatGubbins wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:50 am Just waiting for 'Ms Hannigan plays a tree' (6)
OK, I'm stumped. I looked up Miss Hannigan and learned she is the villain in Annie. So is "Ms Hannigan plays" ANNIES? Or is "plays" an anagram signifier and it's an anagram of her first name AGATHA. But neither of these gets me anywhere near "a tree" or has anything to do with Spectrums or the thread. So I am clearly barking up the wrong tree.
It's not a Spectrum game unless the clue is extended to "Ms Hannigan plays a tree, in sequence" (6.7)
You can forget about the Ms bit it you want as it refers Hannigan as being female.

Not spectrum related...
5/8's of Italians turn slowly (5)
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Rorthron
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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MatGubbins wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:56 pm 5/8's of Italians turn slowly (5)
Spoiler
Snail.
I need to work on the other one.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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MatGubbins wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:56 pm
It's not a Spectrum game unless the clue is extended to "Ms Hannigan plays a tree, in sequence" (6.7)
You can forget about the Ms bit it you want as it refers Hannigan as being female.
Spoiler
Willow Pattern
Although I'll admit I had to look up a game title as that's one is a bit obscure....
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Cryptic Quiz Guide, Part 4

COMPOUND CLUES

In some clues the cryptic part involves linking a number of straight clues together. See these examples:

1. An idea: support a deformed man. [9]
Spoiler
HUNCHBACK
The straight clue is "a deformed man". "An idea" is a HUNCH. "Support" is BACK.
2. Thin flat armour. [8]
Spoiler
GAUNTLET
"Armour" is the straight clue. "Thin" is GAUNT. "Flat" is (slightly tenuously) LET. (If you rent a flat, it is a let.)
3. Rogue hip hop Green Onion. [11]
Spoiler
RAPSCALLION
"Rogue" is the straight clue. "Hip hop" is RAP. "Green Onion" is not a track by Booker T and the MGs, but SCALLION.
4. Kebabs handle a spinning wheel. [9]
Spoiler
GYROSCOPE
GYROS ("kebabs"), plus COPE ("handle"). "A spinning wheel" is the straight clue.
5. Miss Peep beneath a cad! [7]
Spoiler
BOUNDER
BO ("Miss Peep", ie Bo Peep from the nursery rhyme) plus UNDER ("beneath"). "Cad" is the straight clue.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Cryptic Quiz Guide, Part 5

CONTAINERS

In container clues, one word is embedded in another. They are usually flagged with words meaning "contain" or "in".

For example:

1. Squad also caught in scheme. [7]
Spoiler
PLATOON
"Squad" is the straight clue. "Caught in" indicates a container clue: TOO ("also") inside PLAN ("scheme"): PLA-TOO-N.
2. The Crash artist was filled with New Zealand excitement. [6]
Spoiler
FRENZY.
"Excitement" is the straight clue. "Was filled with" signifies a container clue: NZ ("New Zealand") inside FREY ("the Crash artist"): FRE-NZ-Y.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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OMG! I'll never guess any! Too difficult for me! :?
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Cryptic Quiz Guide, Part 6

REVERSALS

In reversal clues, letters from the clue need to be written backwards. They can be indicated by words like “back”, “reflected”, “turned” or “going up” (the last one comes from vertical crossword clues).

Here is an example:

1. No lava erupted on legendary isle. [6]
Spoiler
AVALON
"Legendary isle" is the straight clue. "On" is linking text. "Erupted" signals reversal. "No lava" backwards is AVALON.
This example is slightly different:

2. A web of corruption overturned a racquet sport. [6]
Spoiler
TENNIS
"A racquet sport" is the straight clue. "Overturned" indicates reversal, but in this case not of the clue's letters themselves, but of a synonym: "a web of corruption" is SIN NET.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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I remember #1 and it's easy when you know the answer. I managed to get #2 from the straight clue.
Spoiler
I thought web of corruption had to be 'racket', so went down that blind alley.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Cryptic Quiz Guide, Part 7

INITIALS

In this type of clue you take only the first letter of the words to get the answer. It is signalled with an expression like "initially", "at first glance" or "leaders".

For example:

That derrière is, at first glance, best one of the year. [5]
Spoiler
BOOTY
"Derrière" is the straight clue. "At first glance" indicates only initial letters should be considered. The first letters of "best one of the year" give BOOTY.
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Re: Cryptic Quiz Guide

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Cryptic Quiz Guide, Part 8

BITS-AND-PIECES

Bits-and-pieces clues require you to piece together various strings of letters to get to the answer.

Often the letters come from codes and abbreviations:

- standard abbreviations, like DR for "doctor", CO for "company";
- ‎chemical elements, such as CU from "copper";
- ‎Roman numerals, like X from "ten", V from "five";
- ‎compass points, eg N, S, W or E (usually indicated with the word "point");
- ‎other, eg the number "1" can signify the letter "I", "unknown" can mean X (as in algebra).

There are many more codes like this. These are just some of the more common ones. Googling "cryptic crossword guides" will take you to more comprehensive lists.

Another way you can get letters from bits-and-pieces clues is by taking them selectively from a clue word. Here are some of the ways this can happen:

- INITIALS. This was covered in part 7. Words like "initially" or "leaders" can indicate you should only consider the first letter of words.
- ‎ALTERNATE LETTERS. "Alternately", "odd", "even", etc mean you should take every other letter.
- ‎FIRST AND LAST LETTERS. Words like "edges" or "extreme" can indicate you should take the first and last letters of a word.
- ‎PARTS OF WORDS. "Almost", "part", "fraction", etc mean you should use only part of the word.

Usually the letters are then linked sequentially to make a word, but sometimes there can be other arrangements specified. If the arrangement is non-sequential, it will be signified by language in the clue. Some examples of non-sequential arrangements are below:

SUBTRACTIVE. This is a particularly important case. Words like "lacking" require letters to be taken away.

Consider this example, which is a modification of a clue by STeaM:

Canonised pigs lost one Roman wargame. [8]
Spoiler
The answer is STONKERS.
"Canonised" gives you ST, the abbreviation for "saint". "Pigs" are OINKERS. "Lost one Roman" means to take away I (the Roman
numeral 1). "Wargame" is the straight clue.
CONTAINER. See part 5.

REVERSALS. See part 6.

Here are various examples of clues which use the bits-and-pieces approach.

1. The pagan doctor drove under the influence erratically. [5]
Spoiler
DRUID
"The pagan" is the straight clue. "Doctor" is DR. "Drove under the influence" points to the abbreviation DUI. "Erratically" meams you have to rearrange the letters of DUI.
2. Gangster faces youth leader. [5]
Spoiler
MUGSY
"Gangster" is the straight clue. "Faces" is MUGS. "Youth leader" is the first letter of "youth", which is Y.
3. The crème de la crème burned in the outskirts of Edgware. [5]
Spoiler
ELITE
"The crème de la crème" is the straight clue. "Burned" is LIT. "The outskirts of Edware" means the first and last letters of Edgware: E and E. "In" means a container arrangement: LIT should be inserted between the two Es: E-LIT-E.
4. A celestial phenomenon finally drove one of five cattle. [7]
Spoiler
EQUINOX
"A celestial phenomenon" is the straight clue. "Finally drove" means the last letter of "drove": E. "One of five" is a QUIN. "Cattle" is OX.
5. The homeless man almost sank his teeth into the short fellow.
Spoiler
THE HOBBIT
"The homeless man" is THE HOBO. "Almost" means you should shorten this to "THE HOB". "Sank his teeth into" is BIT. "The short fellow" is the straight clue.
That's all, folks. I think I've covered enough in these tutorials. I hope it's been helpful to some of you. Now I have to find the time to come up with a new quiz....
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