I had the pleasure of talking all things wordplay with Fauziah Ibrahim on ABC Weekend Breakfast. We discussed the joys of finding humour and hidden meanings in your daily word puzzles and how I go about making my crosswords.
Video courtesy of ABC.
VIDEO: LR's step-by-step guide on how to solve this weekend's Saturday Paper cryptic
The Saturday Paper and LR have teamed up to produce a webinar which aims to reveal a few secrets on how to solve cryptic crosswords!
Click to play along with The Saturday Paper’s crossword setter Liam Runnalls (LR) in a special online event. This event is free for everyone to access, you can see instructions of how to join below.
Together you will solve the crossword in the November 27 – December 3 edition of the paper, which Liam has designed especially for this event.
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced cruciverbalist, this is a must-see event to develop your crossword-solving skills.
Attendees will get an insight into the mind of one of Australia’s leading crossword setters and are guaranteed to walk away having learnt something new about the cryptic artform.
How to join
Everyone can watch the stream for free. If you’re not a subscriber, you will be able to access this weekend’s crossword page until November 3. If you are a subscriber to The Saturday Paper, you can log in to view this page at any time. Simply head to the cryptic crossword online and you’ll find the video below this weekend’s crossword.
How it works
LR will read out each clue and you will have an opportunity to work out the answer. Once you think you’ve got the correct answer, press play to hear Liam explain his wordplay.
How to solve cryptic crosswords
In this short video, LR takes us through the basics types of wordplay found in cryptic clues and introduces the concept of anagram signposts. If you’re thinking about giving cryptic crosswords a go, this video is great place to start.
How to solve cryptic crosswords
This may sound crazy, but once you know the basics, cryptics are actually EASIER than regular crosswords.
Wordplay is all around us – in advertising, newspaper headlines, the nicknames we give each other, even the lame jokes in Christmas crackers. Cryptic crossword compilers use all of these familiar lingual tricks in their puzzles – the key to solving a clue is identifying which type of wordplay is being used.
A standard cryptic clue is made up of two elements: wordplay + definition. So, if you’re good at spotting the definition, which always appears at the beginning or end of a clue, then you’re well on your way to breezing through cryptic life. Check out these helpful videos I did with my friends at The Saturday Paper, or continue reading the article below.
Let’s have a look at some of the most common varieties of clues.
Anagrams
Everyone who’s ever drawn letters out of the Scrabble bag understands the challenge of anagrammatical unravelling, and this is probably the most common type of cryptic clue.
As we’ve discussed, clues are made up of definition + wordplay (not necessarily in that order, of course). The wordplay section will often contain a hint to explain what type of wordplay is being used. We call this hint word a signpost or indicator.
Imagine you draw the letters I R A N P E T in Scrabble. If you’re good, you might realise you can make the word PAINTER, using all your letters, which will give you a great score! (You could also make REPAINT or PERTAIN!)
This scenario also could give birth to a cryptic clue. For example: Artist from Iran pet organisation (7)
Artist is the definition
Iran pet organisation is the wordplay
And, you see that organisation is used as a signpost which gives us a hint to “organise” the letters of IRANPET
Anagram signposts come in all shapes and sizes! Any word that suggests chaos, reform, change, damage, disaster or strangeness can act as an anagram indicator. Your challenge is to spot it.
Charades
If you can hold your own at the well-known party game Charades, you probably have good cryptic crossword aptitude. Imagine you had to act out a clue for the movie Top Gun.
First word: *points at woollen jumper* = TOP
Second word: *makes shooting gesture* = GUN
“Charade” cryptic clues work in basically the same way. For example:
Jumper and shooter in action movie (3,3)
Action movie is the definition
Jumper and shooter is the wordplay (charade)
Homophones
Another wordplay device commonly used in cryptics is the homophone - a word that sounds exactly like another word, but with different spelling. For example: calmer, karma; steal, steel; Rex, wrecks.
So, again, if we were playing Charades, and you wanted to act out the classic horror movie Saw, you might gesture to your ear (meaning “sounds like”) and then act out being in pain or “sore”.
We could translate this riddle into cryptic clue form:
Horror movie sounds painful (3)
Horror movie is the definition
Sounds painful is the wordplay
Sounds is used here as an indicator which hints that there is homophonic wordplay being used. There are many words that can act as homophone indicators - depending on how inventive or cruel the compiler is. Some common ones are: heard, listened, eavesdropped, broadcast, reportedly, said, outspoken. See the pattern?
Containers
Most seasoned cryptic solvers will look at the following clue and immediately guess that it is a container clue, because the word “holds” is a very common indicator for that type of wordplay.
Coach holds on for more money (5)
The answer is BONUS!
Coach holds on is the wordplay
more money is the definition
Coach = BUS, and it holds ON.
BONUS
Notice how the clue makes it seem like the clue is about a sports coach? We call this trick "misdirection" and crossword compilers revel in throwing these red herrings to poor old solvers.
So, now you now a little bit about the basic structure of a cryptic clue. This next section is an introduction to possibly the most alienating but important element of mastering cryptic crosswords…..
Abbreviations/symbols
Let’s look at an alternative clue for BONUS.
More money for bishop duty (5)
This is a simple charade clue: bishop = B and duty = ONUS.
Bishop = B? Yep, this is one of thousands of abbreviations or symbols that might pop up in a crossword. Usually they have some logical reasoning behind them. For example, b is a common abbreviation for Bishop in the world of chess.
However, sometimes these abbreviations have obscure or archaic origins, and cryptic crossword solvers just have to suck it up and accept their presence.
You might also find that B could be represented by: beta (Greek alphabet), bachelor (university), bee (the insect), black (chess again), bowled (cricket), bravo (phonetic alphabet).
If you don’t know much about cricket you might be at a slight disadvantage.
Another common trick to represent the letter B might be “Urban centre”, “top bunk”, “first base”. Likewise, “second base” could be A, “third base” could be S and so on.
Some of my most hated common abbreviations are Model = T (as in Model-T Ford), Sailor = ab (short for able seaman), son = s, daughter = d, and many more.
The reason I dislike these is because they aren’t really in common usage and tend to make new solvers befuddled and ask “why?”.
Of course, it’s very subjective. All compilers bring different sorts of knowledge to the table. But if you persevere you will come to know the puzzle setter’s quirks and ideosyncracies.
We’ve only scratched the surface in this article, but you should be better equipped to have a go next time you encounter a cryptic.
How brands and publishers can use puzzles to engage audiences
In a world where consumer eyeball time is increasingly valuable, marketers are obliged to think outside the box - or perhaps inside it - to promote engagement with their branded content.
Puzzles demand a combination of fixation and interaction from the reader, factors which are bound to help a brand’s message sink in if executed tactfully. Just make sure you find a professional compiler - a campaign made in-house by an amateur compiler is most likely not going to have the same impact.
Here are some ways brands and small businesses alike can harness the crossword puzzle for your marketing purposes - online and in print.
1. Sponsor puzzles in an established publication
NYT have published sponsored crosswords in their popular app, partnering with brands like Marriot Bonvoy (pictured) and Universal Pictures.
News publishers like The New York Times and The Sydney Morning Herald have recently twigged that their hugely popular crosswords can be turned into assets for their ad sales team. These organisations have the audience, compilers and designers to put the polish on your campaign.
While the examples above are major publications, there is absolutely no reason why a small local newspaper or niche magazine couldn’t reap the benefits of offering a similar premium product to their advertisers too.
I’ve seen how effective these partnerships can be, when I compiled a giant crossword for the National Museum of Australia in 2019. Not only did it reach a great number of readers in The Canberra Times, but the Museum retained the rights to use the crossword in its in-house marketing and on its website.
If this idea fits your brand ideals, there is no reason why you couldn’t take to the extreme and sponsor an entire puzzles liftout - these are particularly popular in the summer holidays.
2. Publish puzzles in your own publications
Publishers such as the NYT and SMH have long understood the value of the puzzle page. You’ll see crosswords, trivia quizzes and sudokus in nearly every newspaper, and many genres of magazines too.
The beautifully designed Qantas magazine contains a quality crossword
But brands can also benefit by behaving more like publishers. Producing broadly appealing content such as magazines, blogs, video and podcasts can initiate new relationships with potential customers, or build loyalty in existing customers. Airlines and sporting leagues produce magazines which are particularly suited to crosswords - with customers sitting captive for extended periods.
If your company publishes a magazine, online content hub, pamphlet or program then you should consider whether a crossword would be an enhancement. Puzzles won’t suit every publication, but the response to a well-positioned puzzle will certainly increase the lifespan of your material.
3. Have a puzzle on your packaging
The Book Grocer, Northcote Victoria
I recently bought a Christmas gift from The Book Grocer in Northcote and was quite impressed by their packaging idea. It’s eye-catching, memorable and most importantly, on-brand.
4. Commission a puzzle for your event
Crosswords can be designed to fill some down-time during your event, but you’ll be surprised at how memorable the experience can be for your guests, even with people who aren’t usually into puzzles.
Puzzles certainly act as an effective ice-breaker, as well as a nice keepsake, and boy can they stir up the competitive juices! A crossword can be a truly unique part of any private or corporate function, and, if constructed and designed well, will leave an impression.
Speaking of events, when there’s not a pandemic going on, workshops for kids and adults on making/solving puzzles are always popular. If puzzles really align with your brand, you could consider a puzzle-centric event which could also be turned into video assets for your online channels.
5. Competitions
Solving puzzles can be a solitary and relaxing pursuit, but on the flipside they can also get the competitive juices flowing. By publishing puzzles to their social channels with great prizes for those who share and answer correctly, brands can generate earned media and acquire date through the entry process. After the competition is finished, these puzzles can usually live on as evergreen content on the brand’s website.
My favourite crossword coincidences of all time
Thousands upon thousands of crosswords are published every day, and solvers are experts at lateral thinking and finding connections between things. So it’s inevitable that every now and then a puzzle will seem to have an almost supernatural “accidental” theme or a spookily precient clue.
For example, in 1944 a bunch of D-Day operation "code names" appeared in the Daily Telegraph crossword during May, which made British secret agents paranoid that their battle plans had leaked. It was just a fluke.
And 9/11 truthers will be intrigued to take a look at the grid that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on the day of the tragic 2001 WTC attacks. The answer to 1-across was INFERNO, intersecting with 2-down FIRE ALARM. The central answer was STARS AND STRIPES. What did the compiler know that we didn’t? Nothing of course, millions of clues create millions of opportunities for eerie timing every day.
Twitter is always awash with solvers clutching at straws to make connections with topics in the news. On the day Etta James died, one social media user commented “She was a clue in yesterday’s crossword. Coincidence?” Um, well yes of course it’s a coincidence. Did they really think the compiler heard Etta was unwell and tried to coordinate the clue with an estimated day of death? In reality, ETTA is an overused bit of crosswordese that would be in dozens of puzzles worldwide every day.
Anyway, the main reason I’m writing this article is to tell you about a great coincidence that happened in relation to one of my cryptic crosswords. I once had an idea for a crossword, the plan being to publish the same puzzle twice. Well, the same exact answers but completely different clues, roughly a year apart. It was for my own amusement really, and I was curious to see if anyone would have a strange feeling of deja vu when solving the second version. So on January 20, 2014 the first version appeared. Link to the puzzle is here, with spoilers in the next paragraph, so be careful!
The puzzle included answers foreshadowing my secret plan to double it up: DEJA VU, REPLICATE, DOPPELGANGER and GROUNDHOG DAY among them. Just over a year later I executed my plan to create the twin version of the grid. The new-clue version appeared in the paper on February 2, 2015. And, as with the vast majority of my secret themes, not a single person seemed to notice…..
Undeterred, I decided to Tweet “There is something special about today's cryptic, and I sincerely wonder whether anyone will mention it”.
Soon, someone answered “Yeah, today is Groundhog Day”.
What?? By complete coincidence, my Groundhog Day puzzle had been published on the actual Groundhog Day, the traditional day of celebration for some Americans and Canadians - February 2. I had no idea that Groundhog Day was even a real holiday and I certainly didn’t know what the date was. I guess the odds are simply one in 365, but that seems unrepresentative of the magic at play here, don’t you think?
Lastly, there is a Sunday Telegraph wordfind of 2013, which contained the supposedly random letter sequence, backwards, spelling MURDOCHISEVIL. The puzzlemaker apparently tried to claim it was all a billion-zillion-to-one coincidence, but I’d be very surprised if they are still compiling wordfinds for a living.
I'm doing the Golden Plains Music Festival crossword again in 2020
There are a few key aspects that make Golden Plains arguably the best music festival in Australia.
Photo: Twitter@WillHewett
They consistently manage to attract the big acts while limiting the ticket numbers to keep things feeling intimate. Mercifully, they don’t splash sponsor logos everywhere, and the early March sun combines with the summer-yellowed grass in exactly the correct way. They also have some fun and quaint traditions such as “The Meredith Eye” ferris wheel, “The Boot” (where the crowd collectively holds their shoes in the air to communicate approval) and “The Crossword” in the festival program (this is where I come in).
This is the sixth year I’ve been Golden Plains’ resident cruciverbalist, and it is probably the favourite of all my crosswording jobs. Each year I get to construct a cryptic crossword full of musical references, and then I get to walk around the festival watching festival-goers solving and cursing my handiwork. It’s the perfect opportunity for cryptic nerds to show off in front of their mates, and also a great opportunity for music-loving crossword n00bs to get some free tuition. One thing is for sure, it’s a case of social solving at its best, often bringing together neighbouring camps to crack the grid as a team. It’s a great little activity to do in the down-time between bands, but best attempted before the beers render the clues less interpretable.
This year’s puzzle is a little different than the previous five, let’s just say it will be a bit more inclusive for those who aren’t pros at cryptics. The theme is endangered birds of the Golden Plains Shire
But for now, here is a flashback to my 2018 puzzle, which is one of my favourites and possible one of the more difficult ones (especially if you’ve never been to the festival). The theme was 12 because it was the 12th Golden Plains Festival.
Are you the organiser of an event or festival that could do with a killer crossword? Email me and let’s chat!
I revealed my baby's name in a newspaper crossword puzzle
In the age of social media, putting a birth notice in the newspaper is becoming rarer and rarer. And the handful of ads you do see in the births section are now mostly signed from great grandma. But as an excited new father with a regular crossword gig, I knew I had the perfect opportunity to announce my baby’s arrival in the paper, without coughing up for 25 words and an angel icon in the classifieds. By putting it at 1-across in the Sydney Morning Herald cryptic.
Now, before I forge ahead and reveal all the puzzles’ spoilers, here is a link to the puzzle in question.
From a wordplay perspective, the name we chose for our baby isn’t particularly useful. It’s not anagram-friendly, it’s not a palindrome, or reversible like my name. It is six letters long – three of which are Roman numerals – and in Scrabble it would be worth 12 points. It originates from Latin and means “spirit of the wood”, while also being the name of the 8th-largest asteroid in the asteroid belt.
By coincidence, an Australian Ballet production of the very same name was touring in Melbourne and Sydney around the time of the birth, on August 14. It seems her arrival was written in the stars.
The clue for 1-across was:
This girl says love is a regularity (6)
[SaYs LoVe Is A] with regularity = SYLVIA
I couldn’t leave it at just one theme reference, so the rest of the puzzle is littered with other references to baby excitement. See if you can spot the birth celebration references in the solution grid. One thing most people didn’t notice, I’m sure, is that the black part of the grid contains the shapes L and H (for the parents, Liam and Helen!)
I also dropped in this clue for 8-down:
Comprehend first kid at this moment (4)
Sylvia’s first attempt at the cryptic
The last little anecdote about Sylvia’s name comes from when we tried to register her surname. My wife’s surname is Officer, and originally baby Sylvia was intended to take her mum’s last name (hence 4-across solution being OFFICER). However, when we tried to register at Births, Deaths and Marriages we were told Officer was a prohibited surname. Surely this was a mistake. I mean, I know of people with the surnames Sergeant, Constable, King, Judge and Lord! So we called the registry “officer” and he couldn’t help. He told us we had to come into the city to fill out the paperwork in person!
Anyway, that’s the story of how my baby got her lazy dad’s surname and the patrilineage continued for another generation.
Do you think a personalised crossword or clue would be a good gift for the expecting parents in your family? Check out my customised crosswords for special occasions, or send me an email.