120 votes
Accepted

Cryptic Clue Guide

(Throughout this post, I will be using cryptic annotations in code blocks. The answer word is made up of all of the capital letters; the punctuation, lowercase ...
Deusovi's user avatar
  • 145k
51 votes
Accepted

Help! I am infected with the puzzling bug!

This information technology simply never obeys the leaders. Nasal fluid begins a big ugly Indian mountain. A stupid person is the manager of codes. A locker is secure in heavy halogen You are ...
Deusovi's user avatar
  • 145k
41 votes
Accepted

Moderation strike: a tired lunatic (4)

I believe the word you're looking for is Wordplay: Who knows? Maybe this'll be one small step towards progress.
juicifer's user avatar
  • 9,302
40 votes
Accepted

Cryptictionary!

The answers are Using the alphanumerics gives: which are additional wordplays, giving us so:
kayzeroshort's user avatar
33 votes
Accepted

Japanese Fusion Alphabet Soup

The completed dish The reasons why The ultimate message Follow the directions My answer
Deusovi's user avatar
  • 145k
29 votes

Please explain this answer: “Fruit from Panama about 20 times.”

Fruit from Panama about 20 times =
shoover's user avatar
  • 5,201
29 votes

Why is "lion" the answer to "Take the first left turn at the zoo?"

Maybe "the first" is number one or NO. I (Roman numeral 1), followed by L, an abbreviation for "left". We take all that and turn it around to make L I ON. The definition part would ...
Jafe's user avatar
  • 76.2k
26 votes
Accepted

The first Density™ Puzzle!

The dots in between the squares... These can be interpreted There are also some other ways to extract similar arrangements of letters: The data collected: The next step needed heavy hinting for ...
Deusovi's user avatar
  • 145k
26 votes
Accepted

Policeman's large Elvish dagger (5)

This is a double definition. Sting, the musician, was a member of the band The Police, hence a 'Policeman'. Meanwhile there is a 'large Elvish dagger' called 'Sting' that appears in the books The ...
Stiv's user avatar
  • 133k
25 votes
Accepted

re-re-reCAPTCHA

The "gimmick": When you take This sheet has all of the annotations; here's just the list of answers and how they combine. (Various parts solved by jagoandlitefoot, Deusovi, durron597, ffao, ...
Deusovi's user avatar
  • 145k
24 votes
Accepted

Which number am I thinking of?

Most of the hard work has been done by James Webster. I think I have the rest. The first set of clues leads to where I have The second set leads to where I have So despite the coincidence of ...
Gareth McCaughan's user avatar
23 votes

Why is RYE the answer to "Grass over pretty Cambridge backs"?

"Grass" is the definition of the answer. "Over pretty Cambridge backs" is the wordplay, in which "backs" means "last letters of the preceding words." R from &...
Jafe's user avatar
  • 76.2k
22 votes
Accepted

Big star initially shows gratitude (6)

A big possibility is: Explanation:
Tom's user avatar
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22 votes
Accepted

Circuit Diagram

Initial Notes This puzzle was co-solved by Deusovi, ManyPinkHats, Reinier, SKOG, and many hints from phenomist. If you'd like to solve it yourself, here are the errata (in a spoiler-free way): The ...
Deusovi's user avatar
  • 145k
22 votes
Accepted

Insurrection in Britain

The answer is Explanation:
Ankoganit's user avatar
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21 votes
Accepted

Aportion blame for this unsolved cryptic crossword clue

I think it's Always a portion more than required
Will's user avatar
  • 13.9k
21 votes

Cryptic crossword clue: It detailed visually challenged rodents (7,5)

It's a The visually challenged rodents are
Rand al'Thor's user avatar
21 votes
Accepted

The Puzzling Times

Rubio specifically mentioned partial solutions, so I thought I'd start recording information here, starting with the cryptic clues. Unfortunately, I realized that Number 1: For the cryptic clues, ...
Brian Rushton's user avatar
21 votes
Accepted

2020 election: The results are in!

The trick to this puzzle is that At first tolerate, then back winner (5) Party briefly represented by 500 at the side of reem, regularly (3) Extremely jaded Ohio electrician's name (3) Video-...
HTM's user avatar
  • 16.3k
21 votes

Riley Riddle in the game

The Riley Riddle resolves to clue the board game: My first can hold flags. My second lasts three months. My last is your attention. My whole is the game you're playing. We're not done yet. ...
Stiv's user avatar
  • 133k
20 votes
Accepted

The Cryptic Writing On The Wall

I got the easy ones: Note: The cryptic clues have been completely solved in M Oehm's answer with detailed explanation. The wall is : I think Group 1 is: Group 2: Group 3 (from Paul Evans): Group ...
JMP's user avatar
  • 35.6k
20 votes

Explain why "A Fate who didn’t finish the material (5)" is Cloth

One of the Fates of Greek mythology was Clotho. If you don't quite finish that word, you get the word cloth (defined by "the material").
Jafe's user avatar
  • 76.2k
19 votes

The Cryptic Writing On The Wall

Partial answer for the cryptic clues, definitions in bold: The wall is:
M Oehm's user avatar
  • 58.6k
19 votes
Accepted

Attractive when it's in gravy (7)

It's quite a nice and gettable clue: But a couple of comments: EDIT: Similar clue (not quite the same):
boboquack's user avatar
  • 21.9k
19 votes
Accepted

Emojional cryptics (slight return)

The country is ... Solutions to the cryptic clues: Now ... We are looking for ...
M Oehm's user avatar
  • 58.6k
19 votes

Cryptic crossword explanation needed ... pay by a quarter to eight

My explanation is
Weather Vane's user avatar
  • 13.7k
18 votes
Accepted

Cryptic Poem: a study in what?

An ancient man demolished his estate, And therefore, with enthusiasm innate, He was bewildered when a hoax was glued Somewhere beside where he had said adieu. The dome where five lone defects lost ...
Zandar's user avatar
  • 3,592
18 votes
Accepted

Chess Fortnight is finally over!

I'm still curious about this puzzle, so here are a couple more of the clues I think might be right but haven't been solved thus far. Meta 2 Works of parties (6) Small entraces to functions (4) ...
Dan Russell's user avatar
18 votes
Accepted

A printer's imp has run amok

Feral Ulysses S. Grant keeps the troops aroused (6) A giant horrifies Frankenstein’s monster (5) Superstitious people consider finding a penny or seeing a shooting star to be greens (4) After ...
Will's user avatar
  • 13.9k
18 votes
Accepted

Cryptic Mastermind

The final word is: I had missed three of the clues, but Silenius has helped me to fill in the blanks. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 Final
M Oehm's user avatar
  • 58.6k

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