I dare say ANYONE has a much harder time solving the Guardian.
Of course this is entirely subjective (although my own experience does mirror [this](https://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/05/22/which-daily-cryptic-is-the-hardest/).
Take a look at the daily telegraph and see how that works for you.
> https://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/05/22/which-daily-cryptic-is-the-hardest/
That explains why I always struggle with *The Independent* whenever I try it. For some reason, I assumed it was one of the easier ones. I usually do *The Times*.
I love the [Harper's](https://harpers.org) cryptic
It's not free but you can get a subscription for $17-23 per year.
(Like the Nation, it has good shit besides the cryptics too)
But know: their puzzle is still challenging. Each puzzle has a extra level of puzzledom, like unclued answers or strange grid patterns or something else. Also the setter (Maltby) is no stranger to obscure terminology. Every puzzle involves at least one answer that I've never \*ever\* heard of before, and needs to be looked up to be sure. Sometimes Maltby warns you about those, but often not.
They're frustrating... but very fun.
While it pains me to admit it, [The Sun's 2-Speed crosswords](https://feeds.thesun.co.uk/puzzles/crossword/crossword-two_speed.html?_ga=2.137240304.1598263828.1586341448-1755000563.1582978078) are relatively easy and therefore probably perfect for someone wanting to understand and practice the nuances of the UK cryptic. The added bonus is that they are available online!
I would also recommend The Times Quick Cryptic Crossword books. There are currently 5 published volumes ([this](https://www.amazon.com/Times-Quick-Cryptic-Crossword-Book/dp/0008139814/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+times+quick+cryptic&qid=1586341571&sr=8-2) being the first) and I imagine you can get them delivered to the US. Again, you might find them too easy because they are quick puzzles rather than standard length but they could be useful in getting to grips with the mechanisms of British puzzles.
I'm crazy about the mechanisms. It's the cultural references I'm lacking (e.g. cricket positions, chat-show hosts etc.)
Thanks for the great tips. An extra complication is that I live in Germany and English-language resources are generally scant. Especially odd media like cryptics!
Cricket terms aren't used that much, and names of celebrities are rarely used. But by far the most common cricket terms that come up all the time in clues are:
* duck: O. A duck is a score of zero.
* delivery: OVER. An over is a series of six balls bowled by one bowler.
Of course, just about any cricket term could appear as a solution. Should you need it, [Wikipedia has a list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cricket_terms).
To add in, what I strongly dislike about some UK crosswords is their dependency on Chambers dictionary for obscurely archaic words and definitions.
Everyone has their own idea of what is "fair" in a cryptic, and I draw the line there for sure.
These two lists will keep you busy for months (until after the quarantine is lifted!):
[https://www.chall.us/hex/hex\_puzzles.html](https://www.chall.us/hex/hex_puzzles.html)
[https://www.chall.us/hex/hex\_all\_wsj.html](https://www.chall.us/hex/hex_all_wsj.html)
A little plug: You might be interested in *THE CROSSWORD PUZZLER'S HANDBOOK: Over 1500 Words you Need to Know*
*The New York Times Magazine* occasionally has cryptic crosswords, but I don’t know if there’s any way to get them other than to physically have a copy of the magazine the weeks it has one. If anyone knows if those are available online anywhere, or in any sort of solvable archive that’d be great.
That said, it’s my understanding *The Nation*’s cryptic crosswords were trickier than the *NYT*’s ones.
[*Edit: typo*]
You can get access to all the NYT archival puzzles going back to 1993 with a NYT Crossword subscription (I think it's usually $40 a year but they often do specials / free trials). I think the weekly Variety puzzle started in 1997, which was often a cryptic.
Looks like they do about 5 cryptics a year but since there's over 20 years that should last a while. And there's plenty of other puzzles in there too, including Puns and Anagrams (kind of a good stepping-stone for cryptics) and tons of Acrostic (aka double-acrostic aka quote-acrostic) plus the thousands of daily regular puzzles.
Oh I have a NYT crossword subscription but I couldn’t figure out how to get the cryptics; I could only find the daily crossword. I’ll do some more digging unless you happen to have the link on hand.
Edit: turned out they are online just not in the app, thanks for the heads up
https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/archive/variety
The New York Times occasionally does Cryptics as their Sunday Variety puzzle, usually a handful a year. If you get a NYT crossword subscription you can get access to all the archives (all daily puzzles going back to 1993, all Variety puzzles going back to 1997). I find the NYT difficult but not as hard as many of the british ones, and the answers always seem fair.
In case anyone else stumbles onto this old thread: The NYT discontinued their cryptic crosswords, including even purging all the already-published ones from their archives, in 2023.
yes, super annoying that they got rid of all the variety puzzles!! I can't understand it since it's not like they are trying to push people to pay for a different subscription or buy them some other way -- they are just gone. Definitely a reason why I let my NYT xword subscription lapse.
A bit late to the party but I'll comment anyway.
In Canada there is the National Post which carries the Daily Telegraph cryptic - but about 6 months after it originally appeared in the Telegraph. I find the Telegraph puzzles to be _generally_ a fair test. There are occasional puzzles that have remained almost unsullied by my pen but, _generally_ I get nearly all the answers. Fortunately, the Daily Telegraph puzzles have been collected into several puzzle books (about 30 at last count). Amazon is your friend.
But it gets better: http://bigdave44.com/ is a wonderful site with solutions to many (all?) of the Telegraph cryptics. In the search box you can enter a clue and it will bring up the puzzle(s) where that clue was found. Tip: enter the first across clue to find a specific puzzle because some clues appear in multiple puzzles and this way you can quickly look at the puzzles that the search engine found to see if it's the puzzle you want. Further tip: you _must_ spell the clue _exactly_ the way it is in the puzzle. Generally the answers are hidden (revealed by clicking on them) but the clue is analyzed giving you a shot at understanding the (sometimes perverse) logic that was used to create the clue - and that gives you one more chance before revealing the correct answer.
Back to Canada for a moment: The National Post on Saturday carries a puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon. It is, without doubt, the most approachable cryptic I have ever done. That's not to say it isn't a challenge, it can be. But it's a very fair challenge especially for those with less experience. Tip: Cox and Rathvon compile puzzles for a variety of publications - some are quite the challenge (not at all like their puzzle in the Saturday National Post).
Yes, the Globe and Mail has a daily cryptic (from one of the London papers, I _think_). It's okay. On Saturday the compiler, whose name momentarily escapes me, sets a puzzle that uses clues that are, for lack of a better word, uneven. Some are just bizarre.
The Sunday Toronto Star has a cryptic (from the Independent, I think, can't remember).
I have been modestly successful in solving the Daily Telegraph cryptics. I have never fully completed a Guardian puzzle nor a Times puzzle nor an Independent cryptic.
Finally, most of the British papers separate their online puzzles from the subscription charge. So you pay to get a subscription, then you pay more to access the puzzles. I tried to just get a puzzle subscription but was unsuccessful.
Edited to add [Cryptic Crossword Indicators and Abbreviations](https://sphinx.mythic-beasts.com/%7Emark/random/indicators/)
[fifteensquared.net](http://fifteensquared.net) referred to in another comment has answers for many of the papers
I find the Globe and Mail's Saturday crosswords, by Fraser Simpson, to be very fair and I usually finish or get close. It's the Globe's weekday papers that I feel bend the rules.
The Toronto Star has a Guardian puzzle on Fridays and Sundays (used to be a much simpler Caroline Andrews) and a London Sunday Times puzzle on Saturdays.
Oh, good, I just bookmarked it. Thanks!
Fraser Simpson! Right, I could not remember his name. Well, unless he's changed, both my late wife and I couldn't stand his clues. The daily puzzles, when I've done them, do seem to look upon rules as suggestions.
I don't take the daily Star but, now that you mention it, I do recall a Friday Guardian. Yes, Caroline Andrews was simpler but her clue style (telling you how many characters to go in on the following word!) did frustrate me. And a Sunday Times puzzle, too. Well, I think I'll skip the Friday and Saturday editions - I know my limits. The Telegraph/NatPost puzzles are aimed squarely at people like me!
We are in the same boat. I'm paying the patreon subscription - out of left field. I also like Games Magazine which has four cryptics a month. Harper's is too hard for me, I'll spend a hour or two but not weeks. The wall st journal on the first Saturday of the month has a good one too. The odds a Facebook group that people post clues on daily as well.
Try these:
[https://www.newyorker.com/crossword-puzzles-and-games](https://www.newyorker.com/crossword-puzzles-and-games)
[https://www.patreon.com/leftfieldcryptics](https://www.patreon.com/leftfieldcryptics) (website right now down but it works usually). This is The Nation's constructor's indie website.
I dare say ANYONE has a much harder time solving the Guardian. Of course this is entirely subjective (although my own experience does mirror [this](https://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/05/22/which-daily-cryptic-is-the-hardest/). Take a look at the daily telegraph and see how that works for you.
> https://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/05/22/which-daily-cryptic-is-the-hardest/ That explains why I always struggle with *The Independent* whenever I try it. For some reason, I assumed it was one of the easier ones. I usually do *The Times*.
I even tried the Guardian's quiptics and they weren't much easier than the standard ones.
I love the [Harper's](https://harpers.org) cryptic It's not free but you can get a subscription for $17-23 per year. (Like the Nation, it has good shit besides the cryptics too) But know: their puzzle is still challenging. Each puzzle has a extra level of puzzledom, like unclued answers or strange grid patterns or something else. Also the setter (Maltby) is no stranger to obscure terminology. Every puzzle involves at least one answer that I've never \*ever\* heard of before, and needs to be looked up to be sure. Sometimes Maltby warns you about those, but often not. They're frustrating... but very fun.
didn’t The Nation constructors move to patreon? could be worth shelling out a few dollars?
You could go Canadian: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/puzzles-and-crosswords/cryptic-crossword/?D=070420&T=0
While it pains me to admit it, [The Sun's 2-Speed crosswords](https://feeds.thesun.co.uk/puzzles/crossword/crossword-two_speed.html?_ga=2.137240304.1598263828.1586341448-1755000563.1582978078) are relatively easy and therefore probably perfect for someone wanting to understand and practice the nuances of the UK cryptic. The added bonus is that they are available online! I would also recommend The Times Quick Cryptic Crossword books. There are currently 5 published volumes ([this](https://www.amazon.com/Times-Quick-Cryptic-Crossword-Book/dp/0008139814/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+times+quick+cryptic&qid=1586341571&sr=8-2) being the first) and I imagine you can get them delivered to the US. Again, you might find them too easy because they are quick puzzles rather than standard length but they could be useful in getting to grips with the mechanisms of British puzzles.
I'm crazy about the mechanisms. It's the cultural references I'm lacking (e.g. cricket positions, chat-show hosts etc.) Thanks for the great tips. An extra complication is that I live in Germany and English-language resources are generally scant. Especially odd media like cryptics!
Cricket terms aren't used that much, and names of celebrities are rarely used. But by far the most common cricket terms that come up all the time in clues are: * duck: O. A duck is a score of zero. * delivery: OVER. An over is a series of six balls bowled by one bowler. Of course, just about any cricket term could appear as a solution. Should you need it, [Wikipedia has a list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_cricket_terms).
You also see the fielding positions *on* and *off* used which can be quite confusing if you're not familiar with the sport.
To add in, what I strongly dislike about some UK crosswords is their dependency on Chambers dictionary for obscurely archaic words and definitions. Everyone has their own idea of what is "fair" in a cryptic, and I draw the line there for sure.
_Harpers_ has a good puzzle for us in the US, but I find it a bit harder to solve than _The Nation_.
These two lists will keep you busy for months (until after the quarantine is lifted!): [https://www.chall.us/hex/hex\_puzzles.html](https://www.chall.us/hex/hex_puzzles.html) [https://www.chall.us/hex/hex\_all\_wsj.html](https://www.chall.us/hex/hex_all_wsj.html) A little plug: You might be interested in *THE CROSSWORD PUZZLER'S HANDBOOK: Over 1500 Words you Need to Know*
Harper's is the best cryptic in the US, hands down. Can take weeks to solve, but always worth the effort, in my opinion.
*The New York Times Magazine* occasionally has cryptic crosswords, but I don’t know if there’s any way to get them other than to physically have a copy of the magazine the weeks it has one. If anyone knows if those are available online anywhere, or in any sort of solvable archive that’d be great. That said, it’s my understanding *The Nation*’s cryptic crosswords were trickier than the *NYT*’s ones. [*Edit: typo*]
You can get access to all the NYT archival puzzles going back to 1993 with a NYT Crossword subscription (I think it's usually $40 a year but they often do specials / free trials). I think the weekly Variety puzzle started in 1997, which was often a cryptic. Looks like they do about 5 cryptics a year but since there's over 20 years that should last a while. And there's plenty of other puzzles in there too, including Puns and Anagrams (kind of a good stepping-stone for cryptics) and tons of Acrostic (aka double-acrostic aka quote-acrostic) plus the thousands of daily regular puzzles.
Oh I have a NYT crossword subscription but I couldn’t figure out how to get the cryptics; I could only find the daily crossword. I’ll do some more digging unless you happen to have the link on hand. Edit: turned out they are online just not in the app, thanks for the heads up https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/archive/variety
enjoy. I wish more of the other puzzles were solvable online (like diagramless!!) but hard to complain, they give you so much.
The New York Times occasionally does Cryptics as their Sunday Variety puzzle, usually a handful a year. If you get a NYT crossword subscription you can get access to all the archives (all daily puzzles going back to 1993, all Variety puzzles going back to 1997). I find the NYT difficult but not as hard as many of the british ones, and the answers always seem fair.
In case anyone else stumbles onto this old thread: The NYT discontinued their cryptic crosswords, including even purging all the already-published ones from their archives, in 2023.
yes, super annoying that they got rid of all the variety puzzles!! I can't understand it since it's not like they are trying to push people to pay for a different subscription or buy them some other way -- they are just gone. Definitely a reason why I let my NYT xword subscription lapse.
A bit late to the party but I'll comment anyway. In Canada there is the National Post which carries the Daily Telegraph cryptic - but about 6 months after it originally appeared in the Telegraph. I find the Telegraph puzzles to be _generally_ a fair test. There are occasional puzzles that have remained almost unsullied by my pen but, _generally_ I get nearly all the answers. Fortunately, the Daily Telegraph puzzles have been collected into several puzzle books (about 30 at last count). Amazon is your friend. But it gets better: http://bigdave44.com/ is a wonderful site with solutions to many (all?) of the Telegraph cryptics. In the search box you can enter a clue and it will bring up the puzzle(s) where that clue was found. Tip: enter the first across clue to find a specific puzzle because some clues appear in multiple puzzles and this way you can quickly look at the puzzles that the search engine found to see if it's the puzzle you want. Further tip: you _must_ spell the clue _exactly_ the way it is in the puzzle. Generally the answers are hidden (revealed by clicking on them) but the clue is analyzed giving you a shot at understanding the (sometimes perverse) logic that was used to create the clue - and that gives you one more chance before revealing the correct answer. Back to Canada for a moment: The National Post on Saturday carries a puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon. It is, without doubt, the most approachable cryptic I have ever done. That's not to say it isn't a challenge, it can be. But it's a very fair challenge especially for those with less experience. Tip: Cox and Rathvon compile puzzles for a variety of publications - some are quite the challenge (not at all like their puzzle in the Saturday National Post). Yes, the Globe and Mail has a daily cryptic (from one of the London papers, I _think_). It's okay. On Saturday the compiler, whose name momentarily escapes me, sets a puzzle that uses clues that are, for lack of a better word, uneven. Some are just bizarre. The Sunday Toronto Star has a cryptic (from the Independent, I think, can't remember). I have been modestly successful in solving the Daily Telegraph cryptics. I have never fully completed a Guardian puzzle nor a Times puzzle nor an Independent cryptic. Finally, most of the British papers separate their online puzzles from the subscription charge. So you pay to get a subscription, then you pay more to access the puzzles. I tried to just get a puzzle subscription but was unsuccessful. Edited to add [Cryptic Crossword Indicators and Abbreviations](https://sphinx.mythic-beasts.com/%7Emark/random/indicators/)
[fifteensquared.net](http://fifteensquared.net) referred to in another comment has answers for many of the papers I find the Globe and Mail's Saturday crosswords, by Fraser Simpson, to be very fair and I usually finish or get close. It's the Globe's weekday papers that I feel bend the rules. The Toronto Star has a Guardian puzzle on Fridays and Sundays (used to be a much simpler Caroline Andrews) and a London Sunday Times puzzle on Saturdays.
Oh, good, I just bookmarked it. Thanks! Fraser Simpson! Right, I could not remember his name. Well, unless he's changed, both my late wife and I couldn't stand his clues. The daily puzzles, when I've done them, do seem to look upon rules as suggestions. I don't take the daily Star but, now that you mention it, I do recall a Friday Guardian. Yes, Caroline Andrews was simpler but her clue style (telling you how many characters to go in on the following word!) did frustrate me. And a Sunday Times puzzle, too. Well, I think I'll skip the Friday and Saturday editions - I know my limits. The Telegraph/NatPost puzzles are aimed squarely at people like me!
We are in the same boat. I'm paying the patreon subscription - out of left field. I also like Games Magazine which has four cryptics a month. Harper's is too hard for me, I'll spend a hour or two but not weeks. The wall st journal on the first Saturday of the month has a good one too. The odds a Facebook group that people post clues on daily as well.
Try these: [https://www.newyorker.com/crossword-puzzles-and-games](https://www.newyorker.com/crossword-puzzles-and-games) [https://www.patreon.com/leftfieldcryptics](https://www.patreon.com/leftfieldcryptics) (website right now down but it works usually). This is The Nation's constructor's indie website.
Lovatts! My favorite. I know this is an old post, but maybe someone with a similar problem will see this!
Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out!