# Post an original Cryptic Crossword clue **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 24, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635 "2009-03-24T20:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/1 "2009-03-24T20:05:00Z")
There is a post going around: > **[One sentence summaries that miss the point -- The Game](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=511067)** > > Although I didn’t contribute to the zombie portion of One sentence summaries that miss the point which was started 03-16-2003, 03:15 AM by 3trew and which has run for 5 pages up through 03-14-2009 02:48 PM (by The Tofu Kitty) with 236 Replies and... That asks people to give a summary that misses the point. That post has gotten removed from where it once started, and I even posted a “sister thread” to maintain what the first post intended to do: > **[Guess the movie by it's totally random quote.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=511559)** > > This post is in direct response to I fear that, the original purpose of that thread has taken a wrong turn somewhere. That being said, this then is a sister thread to it. Rules are simple: Pick the most absurd quote from a movie you can think... However, In the original thread, I made an offhand comment, about where that thread might end up in the future. ## This then, is a child post, comming from the Original thread. A cryptic crossword is a specialized crossword puzzle that gives a “cryptic” clue. Often involving wordplay, and a definition (standard crossword) clue. Numbers at the end of the clue usually relate to the number of letters in the finished clue. More information here: > **[Cryptic crossword](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword#Clues)** > > A cryptic crossword is a crossword puzzle in which each clue is a word puzzle. Cryptic crosswords are particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where they originated, as well as Ireland, the Netherlands, and in several Commonwealth nations, including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, and South Africa. Compilers of cryptic crosswords are commonly called setters in the UK and constructors in the US. Particularly in the UK, a distinction may be made between cryptics Cryptic c... (Trust me, when I say that I can’t do the introduction to this puzzle type justice to begin to summarize it here.) - I’m not even that great at solving them. But I absolutely love it when I KNOW I got a clue right. That all being said, post a made up cryptic crossword, and let other posters try to solve it. Difficulty is up to you. An **Extremely** easy clue to get started: Cookware collective takes a small tumble after hitting a post. (4) ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/2 "2009-03-24T20:20:52Z")
Jim Carrey represses them, asking in embarassment, “Have you seen my earlier films?” (3, 4) ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/3 "2009-03-24T21:26:48Z")
Great Lakes initially left Calvin Klein swimming for poisonous plants. (8) ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/4 "2009-03-25T03:16:35Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > Great Lakes initially left Calvin Klein swimming for poisonous plants. (8) UGH! Does the second half start with “left Calvin” or with “swimming for” ? 😕 Other than that, I got your clue perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/5 "2009-03-25T03:22:36Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Jim Carrey represses them, asking in embarassment, “Have you seen my earlier films?” > (3, 4) Make that: Jim Carrey represses them, asking in embarassment, “Have you seen \*\*ONE OF \*\*my earlier films?” (3, 4) ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/6 "2009-03-25T11:39:42Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > UGH! > > Does the second half start with “left Calvin” or with “swimming for” ? 😕 > > Other than that, I got your clue perfectly. Neither. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/7 "2009-03-25T11:42:22Z")
Oh, and yours is: “The Mask” ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/8 "2009-03-25T12:38:37Z")
Smart, since Cecil’s here (7) ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/9 "2009-03-25T13:08:07Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Make that: > > Jim Carrey represses them, asking in embarassment, “Have you seen \*\*ONE OF \*\*my earlier films?” > (3, 4) I figured this one out from the definition part of the clue (and the length information), but, being new to cryptic crosswords, I’m not sure how the wordplay part leads to the answer. Would someone mind explaining (in a spoiler box, of course)? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/10 "2009-03-25T13:23:49Z")
> [@MilTan](#): > > I figured this one out from the definition part of the clue (and the length information), but, being new to cryptic crosswords, I’m not sure how the wordplay part leads to the answer. Would someone mind explaining (in a spoiler box, of course)? from the clue: … “ **them, ask** ing…” There should be an indication that the answer is hidden within the text, which is I guess what “represses” is doing, though I don’t think it’s the best possible use. Also not clear what “in embarrassment” is doing there, since there should be no extraneous information. twicks, who, as y’all know, is the test-solver for the _Games_ cryptic crosswords ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/11 "2009-03-25T13:34:54Z")
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young song sounds like it’s rotting. (7) ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/12 "2009-03-25T13:41:04Z")
Former human killing robot kills bugs. (12) ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/13 "2009-03-25T13:57:11Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Cookware collective takes a small tumble after hitting a post. (4) I just got to ask is it pots ? Because that was my first thought, but the clue seems to imply the definition part is anagrammed (i.e. “takes a small tumble”). I think you’ve got too many extraneous parts in the clue. A word or two is usually fine, but usually those should be conjunctive type words. (Occasionally I’ll see extraneous prepositions in some clues, but the problem with that is prepositions frequently indicate containers, so they can be a bit misleading.) ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/14 "2009-03-25T14:09:51Z")
Belief systems consist of one-hundred crimson circles. (6) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/15 "2009-03-25T14:51:01Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > Belief systems consist of one-hundred crimson circles. (6) Nice! (well, other than the surface sense being a little funky). ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/16 "2009-03-25T15:17:09Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > (well, other than the surface sense being a little funky). True. But, maybe somewhere, there is someone currently worshipping the god of Froot Loops, but only the cherry flavored ones. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/17 "2009-03-25T15:36:39Z")
Annoyed group trapped in snare finds manual that can help. (8) ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/18 "2009-03-25T15:42:04Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > Great Lakes initially left Calvin Klein swimming for poisonous plants. (8) Answer: HEMLOCKS Explanation: **Great Lakes** are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior – the mnemonic HOMES thus incorporates their **initials**. The word **Left** is represented by the letter L. **Calvin Klein** is known by his initials, CK. **Swimming** implies an anagram. HOMESLCK can be rearranged to form HEMLOCKS, which are poisonous plants. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/19 "2009-03-25T16:10:19Z")
Correct, sternvogel. ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635/20 "2009-03-25T16:23:36Z")
Idea by Steve Jobs, “no pie mix-ups around the start of Halloween.” (6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-original-cryptic-crossword-clue/490635.md?page=2)