Within the instance clues beneath, I clarify the 2 elements of every one. There's a definition of the reply and there may be some wordplay – a recipe for assembling its letters. In a real puzzle atmosphere, after all, you even have the crossing letters, which massively alleviate your fixing load. Additionally, right here, the setters’ names are inclined to hyperlink to profiles of the people behind the pseudonyms.
I are inclined to assume that if I’ve learn a lot of the remainder of the newspaper, I should know all the things I want to resolve the crossword. And one staple of the “information” sections that seems within the clues repeatedly is politics.
‘Member’ = MP
Right here’s Nutmeg with considered one of her characteristically neat clues …
12aMember behind evaluation of spots to remain beneath canvas (6)
[ wordplay: abbrev. for ‘member’ after (‘behind’) reversed (‘review of’) synonym for ‘spots’ ]
[ MP after reversed ACNE ]
[ definition: to stay under canvas ]
… for ENCAMP. Different phrases in clues which may point out an MP within the reply are “consultant” and, straightforwardly, “politician”. (And it ought to be famous that a “member” may equally point out ARM, LEG and the remainder of it.)
‘Celebration’ = CON
Right here’s Paul with a clue …
18aPressure, say, behind occasion rivalry (10)
[ wordplay: soundalike (‘say’) of synonym for ‘strain’ after (‘behind’ again) abbrev. for a political party ]
[ soundalike of ‘tension’ after CON ]
[ definition: rivalry ]
… for CONTENTION, and a chance to notice that a “occasion” can after all even be LAB, simply as a “prisoner” is usually a completely different (until you’re Jeffrey Archer) form of CON.
‘Staff’ = TU
What about, as they used to ask, the employees? Right here’s Brendan …
4d Legal guidelines in elements of US overlaying organisation of staff (8)
[ wordplay: synonym for ‘parts of US’ containing (‘covering’) abbrev. for ‘organisation of workers’ ]
[ STATES containing TU ]
[ definition: laws ]
… spelling it out as “organisation of staff” in a clue for STATUTES, however that abbreviation for commerce union may equally be indicated by “staff”, simply as these useful letter-strings NUM and NUT may trigger there to be a “miners” or a “lecturers” in your clue.
‘Taxman’ = IR
These days, extra usually “previous taxman”, for the reason that Inland Income merged with HM Customs and Excise in 2005. So right here’s Harpo with a clue …
18dPrevious tax workplace work lastly getting a bit tedious (7)
[ wordplay: abbrev. for ‘old tax office’ + last letter of (‘finally’) WORK + synonym for ‘a little’ ]
[ IR + K + SOME ]
[ definition: tedious ]
… for TEDIOUS and a comment that the letter-string HMRC is way much less helpful to setters.
‘Revolutionary’ = CHE
There’s actually one revolutionary I consider immediately once I see that phrase in a clue. So it goes on this clue from Vulcan …
21dRevolutionary spray dispenser (7)
[ wordplay: familiar name of a revolutionary + synonym for ‘spray’ ]
[ CHE + MIST ]
[ definition: dispenser ]
… for CHEMIST.
Seasoned solvers: any acquainted abbreviations or conventions I’ve missed? Learners: any questions?
Extra steerage
Cryptic gadgets: hidden solutions; double definitions; cryptic definitions; soundalikes; preliminary letters; spoonerisms; containers; reversals; alternate letters; biking; stammering; taking most of a phrase; bare phrases; first and final letters; center letters; defining by instance.
Ins and outs: Roman numerals; Nato alphabet; Greek letters; chemistry; abbreviations for nations; factors of the compass; taking part in playing cards; capital letters; girls and boys; apostrophes; cricket; alcohol; the church; Latin; royals; newspapers; medical doctors; medication; music; animals; vehicles; cities; rivers; boats; when the setter’s title seems; when the solver seems; “dishonest”.
Particular person letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, Ok, L, M.
The Transport Forecast Puzzle E-book by Alan Connor, which is partly however not predominantly cryptic, might be obtained from the Guardian Bookshop.
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