How to get started with cryptic crosswords
I have been a big fan of cryptic crosswords for several years (even if I am still really a novice), so here's my guide to how to get started with them!
Tips
- Work with a friend - two heads are better than one!
- The thesaurus, dictionary, wikipedia, etc are all fair game. Use hints if you get stuck!
- Practice makes perfect, as you do more puzzles you will gain more knowledge of how clues are written and common indicator words and abbreviations.
Where to start
- MinuteCryptic: the best place to start, they give one medium level clue a day with a very friendly hint system and a video in case you still don't understand the answer. There are also 3 mini courses to introduce you to a bunch of common clue types!
- The New Yorker has a good introduction to some common clue types. They also used to have great multiplayer cryptics, but they've stopped publishing new ones and all the old ones are behind a paywall :/
- Lovatts: the easiest cryptics by far, the wordplay is pretty simple and the definitions are straightforward. The site also tells you immediately if you've gotten the word right or not.
- The Guardian quick cryptic: meant for beginners and learners because the answers are fairly common words and each puzzle is limited to 4 clue types. The clue types change each time so you gradually get practice with many types of clues. There are also great explanations of all the solutions on Fifteensquared!
- Bonus resource: The Guardian beginner's guide, a series of articles giving examples of many different clue types and abbreviations. Very thorough, so I would recommend getting some hours under your belt solving clues before you try to read any of these!
Good luck on your journey to becoming a cryptic crossword master! Also yes, almost any word under the sun can indicate an anagram ;)