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.
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Kings of Centuries Past
This is part 7 of the puzzle series Around the World in Many Days. Each part is solvable on its own.
Deаr Puzzling,
This time I have a shingoki puzzle for you. Draw a single loop that passes through ...
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Colourful Candy Cane Carousel
This is part 2 of the puzzle series Around the World in Many Days. Each part is solvable on its own.
Deаr Puzzling,
Today I walked in an unbelievable tropical palm forest. I have seen black parrots, ...
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PSE Advent Calendar 2022 (Day 10): A Cryptmas Carol
This puzzle is part of the Puzzling Stack Exchange Advent Calendar 2022. The accepted answer to this question will be awarded a bounty worth 50 reputation.< Previous Door Next Door >
The final ...
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Politicians and revolutionaries
Solve on Penpa+
Across
1. Jokes for children (4)
3. Key figures starting a religious service; they're often found in churches (6)
7. Where one might see Homer making Odyssey's ending shorter, for ...
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Across and… um, no
Across
Where one eats chiefly men and women (3)
Bulldog's run backward, endless miles (3)
Ferrari with rear end replaced by young mechanic? I'm concerned, principally, of perhaps causing a breakdown (...
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Generally Occult-Themed Horrifyingly Infernal Cryptic Crossword
This is a themed cryptic crossword, with the theme in either the clue or the answer. The theme is loosely 'gothic horror', with some exceptions for other spooky stuff that fit well.
Beware! There is ...
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Gathering for fraternities and sororities
This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #4: Cross-*non*-words
I've already got two crosswords for the challenge.
Recently, the fraternities, the sororities and I worked together to make a ...
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Hexagonal Topline Crossword
This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #4: Cross-*non*-words
This crossword is a hexagonal one, and it uses a cipher mainly used in geocaching instead of English letters.
The grid ...
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What does the neo-futurist poetry mean?
This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #4: Cross-*non*-words
May 4 be in 6.
May the ...
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Miller's manager was not amused
Solve on Penpa+
Across
1. Communist revolutionary's injector – in short, it might move water from the tap into a sprayer (8)
6. Bone in the arm of cool American shown around India (6)
7. European ...
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Once in a lifetime – A letter from Richard
This geography-themed standalone crossword has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (a city). Each thematic answer is notable enough to have its ...
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Another paradise – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a group of ...
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Barred crossword
Across
1 47 Across writer's signature train (6)
6 A letter to Ms. White (not Ms. Landers) shows initial spirit (6)
11 You call this a party? You are sad (4)
13 Don't need anything crazy (4)
15 ...
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Volcano express – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a chain of ...
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You have my sword – A signed letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, an ...
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Fifty countries – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a desert). ...
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Sun, sea and sand – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a country). ...
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Present and future – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, an island). ...
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Husbands and wives – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a state). ...
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Is there a name for crosswords where the surface of the vertical clues resemble the solutions to the horizontal and vice versa?
Occasionally a crossword (often cryptic ones) would have a twist to them, such as being a 'nina':
A Nina is a special feature of the crossword grid: a word, words or phrase hidden within a pattern of ...
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Turquoise waters – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a peninsula)....
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Island hopping – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, an ...
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Change of pace – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a city). ...
- 68.9k
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Bikini life – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a city). ...
- 68.9k
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Wintering – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a province). ...
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Just thought of you – A letter from Gladys
Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a city). ...
- 68.9k
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PSE Advent Calendar 2021 (Day 23): Gee, I Really Wonder Where We'll Land
This puzzle is part of the Puzzling StackExchange Advent Calendar 2021. The accepted answer to this question will be awarded a bounty worth 50 reputation.< Previous Door Next Door >
To fully ...
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It was someone else
Across
1. "In coordination and cooperation"? The New Yorker uses these strange terms all over article (6)
6. Try to capture a cow, perhaps abruptly – it stands outside (6)
12. Presents ...
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PSE Advent Calendar 2021 (Day 10): The distracted gridsmith
This puzzle is part of the Puzzling StackExchange Advent Calendar 2021. The accepted answer to this question will be awarded a bounty worth 50 reputation.< Previous Door Next Door >
My grid ...
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Cryptic crossword: Hydrophilia
Three answers must be thematically shortened before entry in the grid; wordplay gives the shortened version. The contents of one cell in the completed grid should be suitably replaced to highlight the ...
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Crossword Day puzzle
This article is a stub. You can help StackExchange by expanding it.
Crossword Day is coming! (Maybe a better name for this regional holiday is "cryptic crossword day".)
Here is a themed ...
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How about a crossword featuring Mickey Mouse?
Across
1. Packed and set up a tent around river's bank (7)
5. A crush of Rome? (5)
9. Suppress repeated 7 down taking? We object (4)
11. Soldier in news story, retreating: "Go back!" (7)
12. ...
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Guess the extra rule in this crossword!
Six "across" clues need to be modified in some way before solving. However, I'm not telling you which ones, or what the required modification is. You'll have to figure it out on your own.
...
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How do I get Quinapalus to give me words that are 'anagram of word_a' in 'word_b'?
I would like to use the Quinapalus Matcher to look for words that are made (with some prior jiggerypokery) from two letter sets, let's call them $word_a$ and $word_b$.
The letters in $word_a$ can be ...
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Fanatically following f...?
Eighteen answers are printer's devilry, others are regular cryptic clues. Can you fill in the last word of the title?
Across
1. Kay's satisfied getting fortune (6)
4. Accelerate around place of ...
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Eurasian nomads
Across
1. Theatrical musical interrupted by a tram construction (12)
10. One-time Vatican resident's right to boycott Toyota vehicle (4)
12. Exhausted courier crammed small boxes (6)
13. Hong Kong ...
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Don't know what to call this crossword
I seem to have forgotten the name of this puzzle. The only thing I do remember is that every answer is different. Can you find out what it's called? Why do you think that name is appropriate?
Across
7....
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Criminals and lawsuits
Across
1. Merely suitable or exactly right (4)
4. Throw dance party after Lent? (8)
10. Happening near Alberto Fujimori's home: Eating shaved ice with the last bit of fruit punch (8)
12. Share load of ...
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Trig's amuddle!
As in most cryptic crosswords, each clue here has a wordplay portion and a direct definition. The definition clues the answer that goes into the grid; the wordplay, on the other hand, yields one ...
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Breaking the law
Across
2. Mary Jane is head over heels, pursuing pair of jazz musicians who play in a southern style (2,3)
5. A vote cast by the end of third round (6)
9. In Cabo, Peter missed out on short drive ...
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And the wheel keeps on turning
Across
1. Ask me about glacial landforms (5)
4. Invalidate start of automobile race's first round (7)
9. Luciferous phenomenon shown by conservative TV network, with strong displeasure (7)
10. Someone ...
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Left wanting more
This is part 14 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. This is the final puzzle in the series and solving it requires knowing the answers to the previous puzzles.
Previous ...
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Cryptic Crossword: Askew
Another cryptic crossword, with a twist! Each 2x2 group of yellow tiles forms a room, which are each assigned a number via the Roman numerals found in a room's lower-right corner. More details about ...
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Cryptic Crossword: Parallel Universes
This is my first post! Feel free to let me know of any points of constructive criticism you have.
Cryptic Crossword: Parallel Universes
What you see before is not one puzzle, but four: each from an ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
- 68.9k
6
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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 ...
- 68.9k
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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 ...
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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 ...
- 68.9k
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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 ...
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