Given this, how can we work out which of these (and other possibilities) is required? Presented with that clue in isolation, we are faced with a challenge that may prove insurmountable: there are many types of dog that are six letters in length: beagle, borzoi, collie, poodle, saluki, setter, Westie… What could be simpler than this? Well, actually quite a lot. To answer this question, we need to take a step back and look at a simpler type of puzzle: the definition-only crossword, or quick crossword.Ī quick crossword does not contain any cryptic elements each clue contains only a definition of the answer, for instance: Anyone can be a cryptic crossword champion! Just what is a cryptic crossword? In this series, we hope to demystify cryptic crosswords and explain in simple terms how they work and how just about anybody can find enjoyment in them.Ĭryptic crosswords are proven to give mental health benefits, to distract from what else is going on in the world and slow mental decline later in life. The reality is that anyone with a reasonable vocabulary can learn to solve them and get great enjoyment from them, given a little bit of time and patience. There’s a tendency to think that the Telegraph crossword is tackled only by retired Army colonels in the Home Counties, Members of Parliament or aged academics in the better colleges at Oxford and Cambridge.
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Join the Telegraph Puzzles Facebook GroupĪsk just about anybody who solves cryptic crosswords what the normal response is when they tell somebody about their hobby, and they’ll almost certainly say that they receive a baffled look and words along the lines of: “Oh, I could never solve cryptic crosswords I just don’t understand how they work.”.