Questions tagged [cryptic-crosswords]
Cryptic crosswords are a special type of crossword puzzle where clues combine a definition with wordplay. Use [crosswords] where the clues don't obey the conventions of cryptic crosswords; [cryptic-clues] or [crossword-clues] for clues not assembled into whole crosswords.
273
questions
4
votes
1answer
135 views
The end of a wild ride
This is part 13 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
My long trip is finally over. This is my last destination before ...
10
votes
1answer
366 views
Rich and unique
This is part 12 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
Unfortunately I’m nearing the end of my trip. Next week’s ...
7
votes
1answer
358 views
Going in circles
This is part 11 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
Don’t ask me how or why, but this week I have ended up at almost ...
9
votes
1answer
487 views
Cryptically Coping
Tetchy that jafe just outputs one puzzle per week? Well, think twice! jafe's jamming quite quickly, seemingly superhumanly! However here's my mollification, another attempt. Hearty hopes thou takest ...
10
votes
1answer
684 views
Traveller's fatigue
This is part 10 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
I have noticed that the longer a trip lasts, the harder it is to ...
8
votes
1answer
306 views
Fun Cryptic Crossword
You purchase a tabloid-ish newspaper from a stand at your local station, hoping desperately there's a cryptic in the back to sate your crossword desires. You begin pencilling in some obvious anagrams ...
5
votes
1answer
213 views
Enjoying the ride
This is part 9 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
Nine destinations down, four to go. As you may have noticed, my ...
13
votes
1answer
748 views
Eh, void or something? – Rubbish cryptic crossword
I threw this out in 2020 but then regretted it, so I decided to post it now. Enjoy. I guess.
Across
1. Desert mother with pet, being surrounded by guns which shoot flyers from behind (7)
5. Icon of ...
5
votes
1answer
339 views
Almost interplanetary travel
This is part 8 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
How have you been?. My trip is going really well. Even though you ...
9
votes
1answer
284 views
King Albert VII
This is a themed cryptic crossword, with six answers following the theme. For further instructions and details, scroll past the crossword and clues.
ACROSS
1. Without everyone, head off in area where ...
6
votes
1answer
547 views
She must be tripping
This is part 7 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
As you have probably noticed, I visit quite a lot of different ...
5
votes
1answer
521 views
Take nothing but pictures
This is part 6 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
”Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints.” – unknown
Dear Puzzling,
...
8
votes
1answer
866 views
Endless party… famous last words
Twelve of the clues are missing song titles, all different from one another, substituted by boldface question marks, one question mark per word. Each missing song was, as a single, in the top ten in ...
8
votes
1answer
350 views
The world's best and brightest
This is part 5 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
Hi, it's me again! I don't know if you have noticed, but there are a ...
5
votes
1answer
215 views
Gladys loves Pink Floyd
This is part 4 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
I hope you are well. This week’s puzzle is a little different from ...
7
votes
1answer
289 views
At the Top of Their Game
Do you like cryptic crosswords and new ██████? So do I! Enjoy!
Note: While it's (hopefully) possible to deduce the missing word in the flavour text, doing so is a bonus challenge that isn't required ...
8
votes
1answer
516 views
All-round traveller chickens out
This is part 3 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
As I'm sure you know, I am pretty much an all-round traveller. I'm ...
7
votes
1answer
375 views
Your weekend bite-sized cryptic
Just a mediocre 5x5 cryptic. Nothing fancy, no theme, and hopefully I didn't do anything funky with the conventions of cryptic clues.
Clues:
1A Nothing held by fake-rich group (5)
4A Code from an ...
8
votes
1answer
415 views
Roaring walls of water
This is part 2 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.
Dear Puzzling,
Time really does fly when you are having fun. It seems like only ...
8
votes
1answer
596 views
Living the traveller’s dream
Dear Puzzling,
How have you been? I'm excited to tell you about my new trip. For the next three months or so, I will be visiting a total of 65 exotic destinations. I’m so happy to be travelling again! ...
8
votes
1answer
265 views
Monday Morning Cryptic Crossword
Nothing special, just a cryptic crossword. Hope you enjoy!
ACROSS
1 Small stones accent trail border (6)
4 Deceitful spouse breaks down and admits beginnings of cheating and infidelity (8)
10 ...
7
votes
1answer
319 views
Highlights and group dynamics
There are no horizontal word boundaries in the grid. Answers to "across" clues must be written on their correct row, in the order given, with no spaces.
Six "down" clues have had ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
Communists and Christians
Across
1. Singer Collins is performing leads for Prince (6)
5. Broken spine leads to aches (5)
10. Say, 33 across and Cuiabá's northern tip, described by excellent lyric poems (9)
11. Predecessor to ...
11
votes
1answer
243 views
Awake – a cryptic crossword
This crossword is a tribute to the 1994 album Awake by Dream Theater.1 No knowledge of the music itself is required for solving.
Some clues are missing a part which has been replaced by two question ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Don't mess with Germans
Across
3. High-pitched sound of loud automobile coming around too regularly (8)
7. Old TV show prosecutor's entertaining everyone (6)
9. Town in Arcadia orders one to retire (6)
10. Shake alien's ...
9
votes
1answer
574 views
Africa just kept coming up
No tricks this time, what you see is what you get. The "around" answers are simply written in the coloured cells clockwise.
Across
1. City on the British Isles, excluding the island on which ...
22
votes
1answer
678 views
A cryptic crossword is in order
There are no word boundaries in the grid. Answers are placed on the row or column indicated by their number in the order given (first a, then b etc.). Successive answers on the same row or column are ...
9
votes
1answer
730 views
Fountain of Wealth
Based on the following crossword, find a word to describe those with fancy titles and lots of money.
Across
Down
1. Clear area for brightest star in constellation (6)
1. Refuse time off once at ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
I want to play a game
I've been playing a lot of video games lately. After solving this crossword, you should know which video game I want to play next. Thanks to Deusovi for test-solving and general feedback!
Across
Down
...
6
votes
2answers
117 views
Banding Together
Here is a band-themed cryptic crossword, but instead of the answers being themed, the clues are! Each clue contains the name of (at least) one band, and while this resulted in some... wilder clues (...
8
votes
1answer
505 views
Meat, metal and Mediterraneans
Across
1. One heavy metal group's farewell (5)
5. Actor who won an Oscar for taking off clothes in Ice Age (4)
7. Way to pay for immigration paperwork? (4)
10. Unfinished show makes permanent ...
10
votes
1answer
234 views
Cryptic crossword: a little je ne sais quoi
Ten clues have word-play and definition that appear not to match. The result of the word-play must be entered into the grid. To assist solvers one extra letter appears in the word-play of all other ...
21
votes
1answer
350 views
O Cryptic! My Cryptic!
An entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge #48: Unusual tag mix
Please find below a poetic cryptic crossword. A very tiny cryptic crossword, because each cryptic clue is a poem. I must beg your ...
11
votes
1answer
346 views
Swimming lessons
In eleven clues, contrary to normal cryptic clue rules, the definition part has been placed somewhere in the middle. It divides the wordplay into two separately solvable parts, indicating a place ...
11
votes
1answer
142 views
A full cryptic crossword
Eight clues are thematic and are clued by word-play only. Each of these eight clues' word-play has an extra letter which is not part of the answer. These letters cryptically indicate something, ...
14
votes
1answer
518 views
Chain Puzzle: Video Games #01 - Teleporting Crosswords!
This is the first Chain Puzzle in the Video Games series, in which all puzzles are themed around video games of all genres. The answer to this puzzle is a thematic word or phrase. The solver whose ...
13
votes
1answer
364 views
Infinitely large, definitely cryptic
This is an infinite cryptic crossword. Solve the clues and use the four given grid pieces (each duplicated infinity times) to create a grid that continues endlessly in all directions.
Across
A1. ...
9
votes
1answer
251 views
Encore! : a cryptic crossword
This puzzle was originally formatted as a PDF; the puzzle PDF is available on Dropbox, and a screenshot of said PDF is available on Imgur.If you'd like to solve digitally, there is also a template ...
3
votes
1answer
155 views
Hey John, can you take a quick look?
Every answer to the following cyptic crossword is English. Furthermore, some clues are marked in blue on the grid and don't have the definition as part of the clue and just have the wordplay; instead, ...
8
votes
1answer
196 views
Mystical forces of different kinds
There are no word boundaries in this grid. All empty spaces must be filled and entries can share any number of letters. Fourteen clues have been affected by a mystical force and their entry into the ...
15
votes
1answer
345 views
In Any Case… : a cryptic crossword
This puzzle was originally formatted as a PDF; the puzzle PDF is available on Dropbox. A screenshot of the PDF is available below. This puzzle is an entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge 46, "...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
Simple 4x4 Cryptic Crossword #2
Another simple 4x4 cryptic crossword with no theme. (I added empty space to the image so the grid doesn't take up an unnecessary amount of space.) Enjoy!
ACROSS
DOWN
1. Section of role
1. I am in ...
15
votes
1answer
719 views
Oops! All Acros--
This puzzle was originally formatted as a PDF; the puzzle PDF is available on Dropbox. A screenshot of the PDF is available below. This puzzle is an entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge 46, "...
4
votes
1answer
125 views
Simple 4x4 Cryptic Crossword
Most words are in English (are foreign words allowed?), although some are more obscure than others.
Clue transcription:
ACROSS
DOWN
1. Chicken providers have urges
1. Great spices mixed up after ...
1
vote
1answer
150 views
First time making a cryptic crossword! Feedback appreciated!
Came up with some cryptic clues and I thought I'd put them in a crossword. There isn't a theme, all answers are in English, and this is my first time, so any criticism would be welcomed!
ACROSS
DOWN
...
17
votes
1answer
439 views
Not Bluebeard's Castle
This puzzle was intended to be formatted as a PDF; the puzzle PDF is available on Dropbox, and a screenshot of said PDF is hosted on Imgur. If you'd like to solve digitally, there is also a template ...
12
votes
1answer
314 views
Detective Dad is on the case!
An entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge #46: "Tales From the Cryptic"
The house was quiet... Suspiciously so. The father of the house knew immediately that something was wrong. A crime had ...
5
votes
2answers
576 views
A teeny cryptic crossword
I promise, I had the idea for a 5x5 cryptic before Graylocke!
Clues:
1A Record side conversation. (5)
4A Demand previous show. (5)
5A Butcher lead-free paint. (5)
1D Revolutionary invention is &...
3
votes
1answer
225 views
A 15-minute Cryptic
A hastily-made festive gift for PSE, and a test to see whether it is ever possible to make a puzzle faster than it takes someone here to solve it! :P
Clues:
1A One of us in gold-coated regret
4A ...
12
votes
1answer
274 views
Flagging Interest
An entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge #45: Flags
UPDATE: There was an error in the original version in clue 15-down, which has been fixed.
In this cryptic crossword, there is something funny going ...
