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In addition to computer training, Andy Brown is also an addict of the Times Crossword. In this blog Andy takes a break from blogging on software to list his 12 favourites clues from the last 5 years of puzzles.
- 12 best Times Cryptic Crossword clues of the last 5 years?
- 12th position (from puzzle number 26670)
- 11th position (from puzzle number 26345)
- 10th position (from Sunday Times puzzle 4698) (this blog)
- 9th position (from puzzle number 26796)
- 8th position (from Jumbo crossword puzzle number 1171)
- 7th position (from puzzle 25442)
- 6th position (from puzzle 26322)
- 5th position (from puzzle number 26111)
- 4th position (from puzzle number 26734)
- 3rd position (from Sunday Times puzzle 4687)
- 2nd position (from Sunday Times puzzle 4659)
- In 1st position (from puzzle 25482)
Posted by Andy Brown on 11 December 2017
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10th position (from Sunday Times puzzle 4698)
The Sunday Times crossword differs from the weekly Times puzzle in two respects: it's allowed to reference living people (there's a convention for the weekly puzzle that no person's name can be included while they're still alive); and the setter is named.
My favourite setter is Dean Mayer, who also composes crosswords for the Guardian under the sobriquet ANAX. At 10th place in my list is this gem from him:
Many of the finest clues are the simplest ones, and it's certainly true that the shorter a clue is, the harder it is to compose usually.
The answer is BLACK DOG (this was what Churchill, among many others, used to call the depression which sometimes overcame him). But also:
- JET is a synonym for BLACK; and
- SETTER is a type of DOG.
The ingenuity of this clue comes from the fact that JET-SETTER is a standard expression in English.
The question-mark in this clue is necessary because there are lots of other types of dog: so a dog could be a setter, but could also be a labrador or a chihuahua or a doberman pinscher ...
Other clever double-definition clues like this:
| Puzzle | Clue | Answer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1146 | Radio or TV (6) | TRANNY | That's TV as in TRANSVESTITE |
| 4755 | Unconditional love, OK? (8,4) | ABSOLUTE ZERO | Read it as 0 degrees Kelvin and it makes sense (love is a sports term for zero, of course) |
| 26460 | Take in? (4-4) | HALF-INCH | If you take something, you half-inch it, and half the word INCH could be IN. |
- 12 best Times Cryptic Crossword clues of the last 5 years?
- 12th position (from puzzle number 26670)
- 11th position (from puzzle number 26345)
- 10th position (from Sunday Times puzzle 4698) (this blog)
- 9th position (from puzzle number 26796)
- 8th position (from Jumbo crossword puzzle number 1171)
- 7th position (from puzzle 25442)
- 6th position (from puzzle 26322)
- 5th position (from puzzle number 26111)
- 4th position (from puzzle number 26734)
- 3rd position (from Sunday Times puzzle 4687)
- 2nd position (from Sunday Times puzzle 4659)
- In 1st position (from puzzle 25482)