NEWS FLASH: Mark has recorded a bonus video in which he talks through the astonishing recent Listener crossword "Citation Needed" by Cagey. This will be available on our Patreon site from tomorrow: www.patreon.com/crackingthecryptic
Excellent! I'm so excited about this. I buy the Saturday Times for the Jumbo Crossword - I can occasionally complete it at one sitting, sometimes it takes a few days and at other times I fall short. I always take a look at the Listener but I've never attempted one - the ruleset is usually enough to make one realise that there are more exalted beings who would view me as though through the wrong end of a telescope. The solving of these puzzles is nothing short of miraculous, but the feat fades into insignificance when one considers the extraordinary skill required to set them. I found this channel looking for Listener solves and there are quite a few - there are examples of both Mark and Simon solving them and further examples of them reviewing each other's setting abilities. Please take a look at this. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3Kxqf8xbT_I.html It's so beautifully clever it's scary.
Simon: "It might reach some of you before your lunch break Me: Taking a sleeping pill and getting into bed to listen to as I fall asleep "Much appreciated, Simon. Thank you"
I watch these by pausing the video before you consider each clue. I usually manage to get about half of the clues on my own. This week there were only a few clues I got immediately: Renoir, elm, Maid of Orleans, clean, and Agrippina. I got the last from the word-play, hitting on grippin' being between the articles, and since Agrippina was indeed a Roman empress, it was obviously right. There were some nice clues in this one, but I'm tired thanks to the hot nights, so I was slower than usual. Like you, I really enjoy clues which are specifically designed to mislead the experienced solver. They are harder to craft, and I appreciate the extra effort the setter put in. Please keep 'em coming. Those of us who like crosswords love these videos. If they mess up your stats, you could do what quite a few channels do, and that is to create a second channel. The algorithm likes regular (meaning not erratic, rather than frequent) postings, with consistent viewing figures. Weekly postings meet the regular criterion, and the viewing figures would probably be pretty consistent. If you tag them to identify them as crossword-specific videos, they'll get pushed to people watching other crossword videos, so they may well attract new people who wouldn't normally watch the current channel. Crossword fans who are not also sudoku fans would be more likely to subscribe to the new channel, so you'd see the crossword stats improve, and your main channel stats would be more consistent too. What's not to like?
I got "Priest" but had no idea why. Even after Simon's explanation it seems a remarkably obscure piece of clueing to me. I've no idea how Simon got it, and I know I never, ever would. Excellent as usual, Simon.
Brilliant video as always. Thank you Simon. After months of your tuition, I have gone from zero to managing to get 13 down all by myself today. Usually it's just an educational video of words or phrases I've never heard of. Keep these up, you and Mark are teaching the RU-vid world 1 day at a time.
I have a love hate relationship with these cryptic crosswords. I hate how none of the clues make sense to me and make me feel dumb.😅 But I also want to learn how to solve them and love watching these videos by you! Please don't stop! ❤
A fantastic solve by Simon today. Many, many more cryptic crosswords please. As an opera buff, Handel's 'Agrippina' screamed out to me as soon as Simon bought up the clue.
By a remarkable coincidence, I caught the last two episodes of the old BBC adaptation of I Claudius on TV last night, in which she featured prominently. Christopher Biggins, of all people, played her son Nero!
As a classical scholar, I got that one instantly also. Simon, go read up on her -- it's a great story, if you like family drama. Start with Tacitus Annales, beginning of book 14 (though that is the end of the story).
thank you for doing these even if they’re not the most algorithm friendly content :) english is not my first language but ive watched most of these anyway and have finally started to get some words in. i cherish each one
I live in California, so I do the Friday crossword on Thursday evening my time. Then, in the morning, your solve is up. It is fascinating to see what you find easy and I struggled with, and vice versa. For instance today, PRIEST was my last solution, whereas it was your second entry. I got AGA SAGAS easily (once I had the checkers) whereas you seemed to come close to not seeing it at all. I don't do Sudoku, although I love watching your solves especially the difficult ones where it is often hard to get a break-in. But the crosswords are my favorite (watching Mark solve the insane Club Monthly without a dictionary is a marvel to behold).
I had a myriad WTF moments listening to Simon immediately zeroing in on ridiculously obscure solutions. Not a crosswords guy, coming here because I like the sudoku variants and RU-vid keeps recommending crosswords as well. I may even come back for more of these later, when I'm need of some perplexing.
Managed to complete the bottom half myself, but struggled with the top half. Needed this video to understand the remaining clues. Thanks as always. Keep the crossword solves coming. Glad to hear that the Times Crossword Championship is returning for the first time since 2019. Hope Mark can retain his title! His time for this puzzle is certainly very impressive.
Reminds me of Victor Meldrew … Perhaps I'll have a stab at the cryptic crossword. Now... one across: 'Mad poet mugged by banjo player sees red when eating pickles.' Three and four. 'Mad poet... mugged by banjo player... sees red when eating pickles.' Erm... five across. 'Bag eggnog but get a tad bugged.' Four letters. 'Bag... eggnog... but get a tad bugged.' Two down. Erm... 'Elk's ego gets my goat. Head of MI5 upset the French by reversing into Dad's underpants. It's a doddle.' 'Elk's ego gets my goat...' I'm sorry. I don't seem to be able to do the crossword today as I appear to be temporarily out of mind-bending drugs! Who compiles the thing anyway?
I look forward to these videos. We don't have cryptic crosswords in the U.S. I got 5 or 6 of the answers in this one, which has to be a personal best. Of course, some of them, like 'aga sagas' I would never have figured out in a hundred years.
The crossword content is always exciting and wonderful to watch. Learning this style of word play is so different than North American crosswords, where it is trivia based, is fascinating.
Been watching these since you started doing them. I occasionally am able to get one or two... most of the time I'm astounded - please keep them up as I am at least starting to understand how they're answered (and your explanations always help!). It's been stupidly hot here in North Manchester as well, so no sleep here either!
Great videos guys. Started watching your suduko content but have found myself watching the crosswords recently. As a 'numbers' person, I've really got into the cryptic crosswords and have even attempted a couple myself.. with mixed success. Will have to keep watching! Keep it up.
I see there's a Mr Magoo (let the reader understand) cryptic in this week's Spectator. It seems quite hard to me, but maybe I'm just not in the zone today. So, Simon, I'd love to see you solve this when competition entries close on the 25th.
I enjoy these Friday crossword videos. It always looks so easy when you see it written and explained - occasionally I can solve the odd one or two clues. I guess its practice.
What a fantastic solve Simon! I don’t think I’ve ever been this early either. Really enjoyed it and got a couple after pausing to think them through :)
Very pleased to finish in 9 minutes today but didn’t spot full wordplay on Aga Sagas until watching you struggle with it in the video. Priest was very tricky and it took ages to solve chairwoman. I for newspaper seems to be cropping up quite frequently recently.
Thank you once again Simon. The 23 across clue, answer Renoir, mentions “a colour”. The clue would read perfectly well without the “a”. Perhaps it was intended to steer solvers to the obscure artist Reahue.
🎶 That's P in the corner. That's P in the spotlight. Losing its religion. 🎶 🎶 That's T in the corner. That's T in the spotlight. Losing its religion. 🎶
It's boiling hot here in Edinburgh too - as you may be aware Scottish people spontaeously catch fire when the temperature gets above 20 degrees so I'm staying indoors today!
And once a "matriarch", as she was married to the emperor Claudius. And yes, "Maid of Orleans" was a title for Joan of Arc, in reference to her hometown.
Hi Simon! As always, thank you for another great masterclass -- how I've needed it. Not only have I had my worst week solving in a while (after my best last week) but it's really cheered me up after what I can only describe as a "weekus horribilis". It's fitting that I type this on the 1 year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II passing, who famously used the phrase "annus horribilis" in one of her Christmas speeches. This can be my tribute to her, even though weekus is very unlikely to be week in Latin -- isn't it septem or something or other? Anyway, sorry to you (and all) for the waffle, but thank you again for a wonderful masterclass and some much needed chuckles! PS: I urge my fellow cruciverbalists to consider also taking up codewords, (also to be found on The Times). I've been doing them for a few months now, and I feel they are really helping me to see answers that have letters filled in -- 12A being a fine example! Have a nice weekend! 😀
I couldn't to do these from scratch at all (being German), but once Simon starts filling in some words I can now see some of the solutions earlier than he does... those last two words he solved I got way earlier, plus the Roman matriarch and the painter.
You know the Weltwoche cryptic? I found I could do about half of one recently, being English and having learned fluent German when I was younger (bit rusty now).
More of these please. I watched your very old crossword videos and liked the quick one as well. Have me a chance at least! Any chance you can do quick one as well? Maybe show us a speed solve after the quick to make it a full length video? Love the crossword stuff
Once again you have confirmed the old adage (how to you find out if someone has been to Oxbridge? Dont worry, they will always tell you!) Never heard of Aga Sagas but your explanation is great. I was also thinking that using the dictionary for indicating common synonyms is not necessary for a bunch of cryptic fans eg char, and P = power, and then along comes ounce = cat, which was well worth unfolding the Chambers for.
Regarding 16 down, (after Simon write it), I assumed another explaination that i'm not sure is valid. I read stories as plural of storey instead of story. and therefore a 'going up' indicator. This would probably deserve a question mark at best
I think Simon and I share a lot of musical tastes, but it seems he's not an OMD fan if he doesn't immediately connect the Maid Of Orleans and Joan Of Arc. [Also, one of my favourite word play jokes: What's the difference between Joan of Arc and Noah's Ark? One was Maid of Orleans and the other was made of gopher wood.]
@CrackingTheCryptic Could Renoir have been "Re: noir"? Re = about. As in, the title of the artist's memo to himself or another, about whether to use black or not?
Aga sagas will trip a lot of people up. I thought it must be sagas, but had never heard of aga saga. Not much in the way of checking letters to help either.
Urinate - reminds me of the little Jonny joke. Teacher tells Jonny to use urinate in a sentence. Jonny says "miss urinate, but if your tits were bigger you'd be a 10". Sorry 😂
Absolutely no way I would've ever gotten 1D, so I'll take solace in the fact that I picked up on the trick of "urinated" much earlier. Mostly because I used a similar trick once.
I love these videos and I wish you had a separate channel for them - sudokus just aren't as interesting for me. I'd also love to see cryptics from other publications, eg The Guardian, the Independent, even New Scientist.
