Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cryptic Crosswords

I have been doing these since the seventies: as they say, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  Harper's Magazine pioneered them in the US, but the redoubtable classic is the Times of London.  A cryptic gives you clues that are meant to confuse: you must parse them for a primary clue, which is a synonym, and a secondary, which might be a pun, a hidden word, an anagram, another meaning, a homonym, etc.  What am I talking about?  Here is one from the latest edition of The Nation magazine: "Cerf edited article within The Nation (6)."  I miss the 10x10 cryptics The New Yorker published for a few years many years ago: here is their guide to solving cryptics: Guide to Solving Cryptics.  The Nation's cryptics are fairly accessible and manageable, and printed on their inimitable cheap stock--and The Nation might be a good read for those in whom Fox News has instilled brain death.  There are many other cryptics available online.

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