Who here *currently* solves the cryptic crosswords in "Games"

Cafe Society
21

Hey, I’m special!

As touched on in the other thread, I’ve been getting Games Magazine off and on for 20 years now, but only really made an effort into the cryptics in the latter 10 years. Before that, it was less of a crossword puzzle and more of a ‘wtf?’, but that was more my own ignorance. Now I regret that I do not have the old issues so I can go back and solve them.

I’ll be 38 in less than two weeks.

Oh, and they still publish World of Puzzles? I never subscribed, but I would pick up the occasional issue. I WILL subscribe if that is the case.

Not that it has ever come up in conversation, but I always play through in my head how to explain cryptics should anyone ask (yes, this is kind of sad actually). When I have this imaginary conversation, I try to come up with a sample clue. As I was doing this yesterday, I had the following:

4 letters - Lump found inside the apple.

heap

So how does one get into the lucrative business of puzzle creation (any puzzle) anyway?

22

Nice clue!

Constructing totally isn’t lucrative – even as a part-time gig, there are much easier ways to make money.

23

Oddly, my effort at this month’s Games mag cryptic crossword has been my best yet. I only have a couple of clues yet to go!!!

I never do this well. Isn’t that funny?

24

Not necessarily. I think at a certain point the solving skills just “click,” and you suddenly know how to do them.

Well, not so suddenly – it takes a couple of years, IME.

25

I used to love doing cryptics, but I just don’t have that kind of free time anymore. I’m 41 and I know what a [spoilered whatchamacallit] is.

26

But would calling it a “multimedia device” get you there?

27

I myself would replace ‘device’ with ‘publication’. ‘Broadcast’ would be preferred, but not in this case for somewhat obvious reasons. When I think of device, I think the delivery tool, not the medium.

Hope I didn’t give away too much there.

28

There’s one in this month’s issue. Whoo hoo! Plus all sorts of *Games *100 goodness. It’s going to be a good weekend!

29

Yeah, sorry, “device” wasn’t the word. And “broadcast” would be out because of the overlap of the suffix. As I said, I don’t know exactly where she ended up with the clue, and the question is moot at this point – I just wanted to get an idea of what the age range of solvers might be.

Sounds like the young 'uns are mid-30s – so the solver pool skews somewhat older on cryptics than on most other types of puzzles.

30

Just make every answer ‘Matlock’ and ‘Angela Lansbury’ and we’ll do just fine.

31

:smiley:

32

They must be US-style because I can’t do British-style either. Maybe that’s the reason I can’t do DA’s puzzles.

33

I just tried today’s SMH puzzle (dated October 18) and it seems exactly like British puzzles to me. Although I’m not sure what twickster means by “mixed”. Puzzles here are either pure cryptic or straight.

34

oops, double post

Although I have to say, the SMH clueing is a bit loose. “Heartache” = CH? Ouch.

35

Maybe not mixed – maybe you just have looser parameters on cryptic-ness. Whatever, I can’t figure out when the clue is supposed to be functioning the way(s) I expect a cryptic clue to operate, and when it isn’t.

36

35
The cryptics are most of the reason I have both Games and World Of Puzzles subscriptions.

Gnome

  • Have you ever tried doing word based puzzles when your spelling is worse than the average 6 year old? *
37

That was exactly how if felt this month- like it all just suddenly became clear!