The Times How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords
An updated edition from expert crossword setter and experienced tutor, Tim Moorey, including 24 brand-new annotated practice crosswords.Cryptic crosswords are no longer the preserve of the elite: in this easy-to-use guide, Tim demonstrates that anyone who enjoys words and word play can learn to solve a cryptic crossword clue.With clear pictorially presented explanations for many clues, you can revel in the deep satisfaction that comes from finishing cryptic crossword puzzles.Designed to apply to the solving of any cryptic crossword, this book develops and expands Tim’s first book, How to Master The Times Crossword, and is designed to guide the cryptic crossword beginner to an enriched solving experience.• 24 clearly annotated practice puzzles from different newspaper and magazine sources• Many new hints and tips to help every solver• Greatly expanded lists e.g. of those all-important abbreviations you should know• 10 top tips from a champion solver on how to tackle a typical daily cryptic• Up-to-date sections on the latest help available online eg smartphone and tablet apps• In-depth and clear explanations of every clue and puzzle answer• Suitable for children as an introduction to cryptics
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HarperCollins Publishers
Westerhill Road
Bishopbriggs
Glasgow
G64 2QT
Copyright © Tim Moorey 2018
Puzzles © Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph
The Times® is a registered trademark of Times Newspapers Limited
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Layout by Susie Bell – www.f-12.co.uk
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Source ISBN: 978-0-00-828557-9
Ebook Edition © JUNE 2018 ISBN: 9780008285593
Version: 2018-06-29
HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.
To my dear Pam, partner for over 50 years without whose…
(her no-nonsense modesty prevented me from completing this!)
Contents
2 Overview of Clues and Indicators
3 Clue Types and Indicators in Detail
5 Tips for Solving the Whole Puzzle
7 Ten Things to Consider When Stuck
10 Ten Especially Troublesome Words
11 Ten Ways to Raise Your Game
12 Recommended Books, Websites & Media
“In Victorian times a popular game was Magic Square… In 1913 Arthur Wynne was given the task of devising a new puzzle for the World. He adapted the magic square by blackening in some squares and criss-crossing the words. Thus was the first ever crossword puzzle created.”
The Advertiser, Adelaide
What’s the aim of this book?
I hope to show that, for any daily or weekly crossword puzzle, it is possible to improve your solving skills substantially by the study and application of a few straightforward rules and techniques.
So, is this book only for beginners?
Not at all, it is also for anyone wanting to master crossword puzzles so he or she isn’t regularly left with unfinished clues before the next day’s newspaper arrives. It may also appeal to others happy to enjoy many first-rate clues and practice puzzles from the sources that abound in the book.
Is there a typical person who might benefit?
Whilst I wouldn’t wish to deter others, the person who enjoys a daily struggle with a Quick (non-cryptic) crossword appearing in nearly every newspaper, is an ideal recruit to the world of cryptics. He or she will soon find that they are being given only one way of cracking a clue ie by definition only; cryptics more often than not have two ways, sometimes more, and take full advantage of the delights and richness of the English language.
What are my qualifications?
My experience as:
1 A (not very fast) solver of crosswords for over 60 years, starting with the London Evening News, followed by the Radio Times and the News Chronicle.
2 A crossword setter whose first crossword was published in the Evening News in 1956.
3 Author of How to Master The Times Crossword (HarperCollins 2008) which explained cryptic clues in innovative charts that have been well received and are again used in this book.
4 A tutor of crossword workshops around the country for adults and children for over 20 years.
Is this then an update of How to Master The Times Crossword?
Feedback on this first book showed that it proved useful for solving crosswords other than The Times. This encouraged me to write a generic book, How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords in 2014, applicable to just about any crossword with puzzles and clues from a variety of sources, not only The Times.
Is this then an update of How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords?
Yes it is, for the following reasons:
Practice being crucial, to give more solving opportunity via 24 all new puzzles from a variety of publications. Each is partnered by detailed explanations as to why answers are what they are;
