Crossword blog
The crossword blog looks at the smartest and wittiest clues from all the cryptics. Come and share the joy and frustration of crossword culture
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Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter, who died on Tuesday, was a prolific creator of crosswords both real and fictional. Here are five clues that sum up his life of witty wordplay
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Today’s cryptic was from a new setter … and the BBC’s horror comedy series might provide some clues to their identity
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Dry Januaries come and go, but alcohol is involved in almost all cryptic crosswords: here’s how to decode references to pubs, wine, beer and even abstention
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Our collection of the cream of the cryptic clues features an eclectic mix of the great and good’s body parts
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A special puzzle, an upcoming event and a Q&A with the editor of crossword magazine 1 Across
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Crosswords offer an unpalatable answer to what lies ahead ...
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A collection of seasonal references, not all of them celebratory, in the best of the cryptic clues
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Hugh Stephenson looks back on 12 months that were too hard and too easy
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Crossword puzzles often use abbreviations from the periodic table to create parts of clues
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When life is very, very frightening, crosswords are there to reflect it – just open your eyes
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One measure of a crossword’s ‘difficulty’ is how long it takes us to solve it. Is it the only measure?
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Crosswords and quizzes: two addictive, head-scratching hobbies. But which will emerge the winner?
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The language and characters of Roald Dahl in the pick of the best of the cryptic clues
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Two unusual puzzles to start the week, one of which you may have helped to compile
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A crossword clue accidentally anticipates an international egg incident in our pick of the best of the broadsheets’ cryptic clues
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Our cryptic crossword solvers seem deeply divided as to whether they have become too difficult or not. Hugh Stephenson looks at some of the evidence.
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The apparent mystery of the great Olympic theme puzzles that never appeared
Meet the setter Crossword blog: meet the setter – Nutmeg