Advanced Cryptic Crossword Solving: Devious Clues 101

[@rosiefay7283]

Enigmatist! That name rings a bell. He set(s) Guardian crosswords. His first was published in the 1970s with a note: "Enigmatist is our newest and youngest setter: a schoolboy". Back then my parents took the Guardian and I used to try the crossword. Usually I'd get a few of the answers. I remember Enigmatist's as being particularly hard.

[@markgilling2516]

What a beautifully constructed puzzle, making you step back and look at the whole thing to grasp all the connections to the key phrase.

[@benbush1742]

Only solved this by listening to your progress in parallel. Not sure I would have got there unaided, and I can't remember the last time I couldn't finish a regular cryptic. Bloody clever. Also: BOYCOTT can, I think, lay claim to having invented the term "corridor of uncertainty". Another cheeky reference.

[@ahope1]

Amazing puzzle. And brilliant how you got OWL’S CLOVER from the wordplay alone!

[@MissMaraJoy]

Knew the answer to 7-down, just from a scientific standpoint lol, but no idea how to justify it! You've gotta be so clever to solve these

[@Ruddigore]

Another great video. 'SC' (scilicet) is new to me and definitely one to add to my lexicon, thanks.

[@peterjongsma2779]

Simon's solving burns my brain. But believe it or not , Simon's methods help me solve the broadsheet newspaper's Cryptics.

[@HabeKeinMitleid]

Ok. This is insane.

[@kowirichardam3822]

Amazing! However, you seemed unsure of your answer to 6 down. As you mentioned early in the video, both Florida and Maine are on the the East coast of the US or EUS for short. A person travelling from Florida to Maine would be going north or UP the east coast.

[@binaa555]

Only in England is Tea a meal :)

[@simonharrison9034]

and just to add to the themes in this, Geoffrey Boycott would often talk about the 'corridor of uncertainty' in commentary, with it being a recognised phrase for those wishing to play 'Boycott Bingo' while listening to test match special on radio...

[@haka22000]

I wish I had a larger vocabulary or the ability to spell. I think I'll stick to the number puzzles

[@euanmurray3676]

"I hope this isn't some name of a weird cuckoo". Quote of the year so far for me!

[@d4r4butler74]

Wikipedia has Owl's Clover.

[@margaretsim459]

Owls clover a. Plant of the figwort family Webster’s dictionary

[@cycklist]

Very tough indeed.

[@cycklist]

Why does cipher = 'O'?

[@freddiehand6551]

Zero is one of the definitions of cipher, albeit a dated one.

[@addebesi]

Cipher comes from the Arabic sifr, which means "nothing" or "zero."

[@rosiefay7283]

And terms for 0, such as nought, zero, love, are used to clue the letter O.

[@amandasteele9486]

For 16 Down can anyone tell me what the importance of "14" being written twice in the wordplay please? I don't get it.

[@stephentroop7385]

one is telling you to remove an I from the word chime The other is part of the definition "Who knows, not I" . Tough, but lovely.

[@amandasteele9486]

@@stephentroop7385 ah! Noted. Thank you very much! I truly appreciate it! 🙏

[@cz1822]

Not gonna lie, I thought 24 across was a reference to the movie Independence Day.

[@m13kd]

#m13kd #youtube algorithms ci[pH]ered

[@Kurgosh1]

I have such a headache all of a sudden.

[@mikecostanzo35]

What the heck did I just watch?