Never A Cross Word

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Taking Sides - Quick Crosswords vs Cryptic Crosswords

Quick Crosswords: explore and expand your vocabulary and gen.knowledge OR too easy?

Cryptic Crosswords: test your powers of lateral thinking and your imagination OR set by and done by wankers?

― Tom, Saturday, 27 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The quick ones the best. Not to say that I have ever attempted a cryptic one but one or two words is plenty for the brain.

― David, Saturday, 27 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I find quick crosswords are easyish on the whole, and I can normally complete them. I'm lucky if I can manage more than a third of a proper broadsheet cryptic but I still persist in trying them every so often. The easyness of the Metro's cryptic says something pretty damning about the level at which the paper is pitched. It's easier than the one in the Sun FFS.

― RickyT, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Quick Crosswords - too fucking hard and I hate 'em
Cryptic Crosswords - fucking impossible and I hate 'em (my mum can do them though, warped bitch).

Is it kosher to refer to one's mother a bitch amongst all you "nice" people?

― toraneko, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

cryptic, I just stole one from an indian restaurant newspaper today. I can't actually manage quick ones as well, I have got into the habit of interpreting clues of the cryptic ones. However they are really different depending upon which magazine you take them from which makes things more difficult

― Menelaus Darcy, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cryptic Crosswords: test your powers of lateral thinking and your imagination AND set by and done by wankers.

The two are far from being exclusive. surely quick crosswords are just that, little time fillers on the tube/bus when you're bored off staring at the travel/car insurance ads.

The couple in the admiral insurance ads: classic or dud?

― Alan at home, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

quick, cryptic just fucks with my head.

― Geoff, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Crosswords are such a boring, stupid waste of time. I'd rather have an interesting stupid waste of time, thank you.

― Maria, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Crosswords may be a boring waste of time, but I have a soft spot for them. Esp. the Will Shortz New York Times Sunday puzzles (not that I have ever finished one, mind you).

― turner, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Quick xword = banal test of your ability to produce synonyms; mainly a warm-up for the crypic. In the battle of the word games, cryptic crossword beats Scrabble every time (you get to use all the letters). Observer cryptic is dud for being too easy, but classic training for a real one.

― Ellie, Monday, 29 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the general knowledge crossword in the Daily Mirror always used to be surprisingly difficult, dunno if it still is, there not being a smoking room stocked with papers at my current workplace.

― chris, Monday, 29 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think that I have never been able to get ONE cryptic crossword clue. I once understood how they got to it though. Oh no I lie, I think I got one. Once. I always go for the quick crossword, me. But! TODAY I WILL TAKE THE METRO CHALLENGE. My co-worker has a Metro. Will I be a thickie? Hmmmmm....

― Sarah, Monday, 29 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

I have started doing cryptic crosswords for the first time ever this week (I had a sudden epiphany about them) and I even finished the Metro one yesterday, but apparently that is not good enough for Tunnicliffe.

Anyway, who wants to help me with today's?

"The game is a thing of little importance" (9). Second last letter is "L".

― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 2 May 2003 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

bagatelle

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 2 May 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

It's always a relief somehow to realise that you could never have got it because you just didn't know it. Ta.

― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 2 May 2003 13:02 (twenty-two years ago)

(the game bit of it is a kind of primordial pinball)

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 2 May 2003 13:03 (twenty-two years ago)

what about these:

Jock at the racecourse (5)

Parson's stand...on pornography? (6)

Tax a man north of the border (4)

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 2 May 2003 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Number 3 is scot. (as in scot-free)

― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 2 May 2003 13:07 (twenty-two years ago)

number 1 is ascot, maybe?

― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 2 May 2003 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Yep. Can't get the second one at all though.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 2 May 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

This isn't a game of Dirty Crossword, then?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 2 May 2003 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

has anyone ever done the one in The Nation? i tried once and got like two answers, it was impossible.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 2 May 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.