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Catnip

@catnipxword.bsky.social

420 followers 570 following 1.8K posts

Learning to set cryptic crosswords at https://mycrossword.co.uk/Catnip. Lover of wordplay, silliness, awful puns, quizzes, etc. Part-time proofreader. Booklover. Bellringer. Accidental runner. I also have a day job.

mycrossword.co.uk

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · Jan 1

🧵 Some suggestions for anyone who feels like getting into cryptic crosswords this year:

1. Get a good book to cover the basics of cryptics. Times (Tim Mooney) and Telegraph (Chris Lancaster) books are good, and I'd also recommend this by Colin Dexter: www.amazon.co.uk/Cracking-Cry... (1/6)

Cracking Cryptic Crosswords

Cracking Cryptic Crosswords eBook : Dexter, Colin: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

www.amazon.co.uk

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 1d

😁 I'd really like to get into it, but definitely saving it for collaboration. I can say that it looks better than I could have imagined.

May have a touch more feedback next week.

Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 1d

Give me a chance, I've only just got a minute to myself! (Plus, my solving companion is presently abroad)

Without having glanced at a single clue, I love the look, I love the concept. I definitely want to get my hands on #2.

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 1d

Well hello there, you lovely thing.

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 4d

Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 6d

I strongly suspect I'll have written clues that would cause this reaction! 😬

And as I've been slowly learning, synonyms can easily be too clever/obscure/obtuse (delete as appropriate), but this is a general problem, not specific to punning clue types.

Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 6d

Yes, I'd be aiming for solid Dad Joke territory.

Spoonerisms are probably a bit overused but have the big advantage of being telegraphed. Transparent parsing should at least mean all but the most egregious examples are ultimately solvable.

Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 6d

Yes, I'd agree on both counts. The "I don't say it like that" brigade can be annoying, but they also point to a general rule about a clue *feeling* fair.

IMO homophones/puns are ideally universal, and to the extent that they're not, the difficulty should be reduced to compensate.

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 7d

Hm, okay. I confess I was slightly distracted at the time, so it's possible I missed something.

It did get me wondering, though, exactly how it determines whether you know enough to draw a conclusion. I can't see an obvious universal solution.

Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 7d

Oh dear, this might have to go on my growing list. But I found it frustrating, because I made a deduction which I'm sure was entirely valid and I was told I didn't have enough information to say that!

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 7d

Wow, you sound just like one of those anamalytical datamagician people!

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 8d

Yes. A bit loose, but maybe worth it.

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 8d

Cry out "One bad apple"? (6)

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 8d

Well! 🤯

Chambers has either pronunciation for the book, and the variant spelling 'primmer' in that sense.

But it insists on 'PRIMM-er' as the pronunciation for the (obs) printing types 'long primer' and 'great primer'. Apparently taking the lead from 'primarius' rather than 'primary'.

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 9d

Here’s a primer on ‘primer.’

It’s pronounced ‘PRIMM-er’ if you mean “a small book” or “a short informative piece of writing.”

It’s pronounced ‘PRY-mer’ if you mean “an initial coat of paint.”

Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 12d

I had to read this several times before I realised they weren't proposing to relocate unsuccessful benefit claimants to SE England.

Guardian headline, reading: "Tories say people denied benefits in UK can return to home countries"

That's countries, not counties.

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Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 12d

Nice one. 👏

Catnip @catnipxword.bsky.social · 19d

This was TRUSTEE.

SETTERS* -S +U
A substitution anagram, hopefully clear enough.

Something that my brain arrived at as a displacement activity.