MinuteCryptic

[@edie3982]

I FINALLY GOT ONE THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

[@yertletheturtle5843]

🎉🎉🎉

[@JM-xl3ij]

Agreed

😂

[@RoscopantsAU]

Yeehaw!

[@josephulton]

gg

[@DannBP1]

Worked for me. Got this almost immediately. So well done for inventing a new wordplay indicator that actually makes sense. :)

[@ilovex1981]

Got it instantly. I've never seen this type of clue before but it definitely works. Nice job.

[@hassantahir4152]

The sheer joy of getting a clue right in the way it was intended within the first 10 seconds balances all the frustration at getting them wrong 😅

[@rammedyzam123]

An easy one like this is needed every once in a while. Thanks for making us all feel a bit smarter today!

[@michaelkhng6956]

I think here it's fairly apparent what the wordplay indicator is asking us to do, so I would consider it fair (and nicely creative!). I wonder if variations for this type of indicator could be used too - e.g. "progression/progressive". "sequence/sequential", "ascending/descending", "ordinal/cardinal".

[@andrewy5251]

Agree, pretty clear what this was trying to do, and I found it to be a very fun clue 👏👏

[@MinuteCryptic]

Nice idea!

[@baybee6379]

I think the reason it got obvious is because of the fodder, which was pretty out there, as someone who doesn't think of stocks, i found the company names random and immediately thought of a picking letters clue

[@TheJamesM]

​@@baybee6379 Yes, a list is often a pretty good indication that you'll be picking letters from each word. A meta-indicator, if you like.

[@olivergobrrr2935]

​@@MinuteCryptic I was thinking of sequential-based clues, ones like Fibonacci's sequence (if I were to make indicators, perhaps "Fib" and synonyms of lie, perhaps). Although, this is probably quite a niche indicator, especially since it requires a repeating starting letter.

[@fryeguyvids]

This is definitely the fastest one I got while actually knowing the wordplay. I just discovered this puzzle recently and I'm addicted. I also like how this hint specifically is kind of topical to issues we're having in the modern day with all of the issues in stock. If you know you know, I don't know much about it but I've heard of it. But I liked the hint today. It was clever and straightforward

[@rayscotchcoulton]

Excellent wordplay mechanic for a cryptic clue! I did something like that once when I set a meta crossword (8 alcoholic beverages, moving through letter positions as you do here, spelled "HANGOVER"), but you cracked how to do it so economically, and having "Procter & Gamble" straddle both wordplay and definition was a masterstroke. Well played!

[@Riccc23]

Pretty straightforward. Also loved how Procter & Gamble was part of the wordplay and definition.

[@Pe0ads]

Ah I missed that! Wondered what the definition was and came to find out. Very clever.

[@TheJamesM]

What a fun clue! A novel concept, but building on existing patterns so it's eminently gettable and fair. And having "Procter & Gamble" straddle the wordplay/definition boundary is delightful. Love it!

[@rewboss]

I was actually thinking of jobs rather than stocks: I had in mind somebody starting in a lowly position in one company, then getting a better job in the next company, and so on. Improbable in real life of course, but I think it works.

[@bungaIowbill]

Very cool. Also very neat how the unit "Procter & Gamble" is partly wordplay and partly definition (I barely even saw that there was a definition in the clue, just a very instructive wordplay)

[@juniper_jon]

As a Financial Planner I really appreciated this one, got it quickly and loved the word play.

[@elfakyn]

I got it immediately. Really loved how unique and creative this clue was.

[@alanparker9491]

Got it almost straight away. The idea behind the clue certainly works for me. Well done!!

[@rabbitthing8769]

Great clue! Surface reading makes sense; new type of wordplay for me, but it was pretty clear when you solved it; and the definition was well hidden. Good work!

[@DronedLove]

Never seen this clue type before but understood it immediately and got it first time. Nice.

[@vinaykumarkalakbandi]

It’d be great if you could give us previous days’ stats. Like how long it took on an average for people to figure the answer out, and how many clues on an average did people use, what percentage of people used hints etc!

[@TheJamesM]

That's a nice idea. I think it'd probably be best reserved for the stats page of the website, though I guess he could make reference to anything particularly notable in the videos. The danger with getting too far into the stats in the videos is that some viewers might find it discouraging if they're consistently behind the pack. The best thing Minute Cryptic has to offer is making a traditionally quite intimidating pastime a lot more approachable; anything that would scare off novices (beyond the occasional tricky clue) would be counterproductive, I think.

[@Theakston66]

The first time I worked out the answer using the word play instead of just guessing the definition. Very pleased 😊

[@DesandSam]

Spotted what the word play was about straight away. Took a few minutes to count through the letters. Was very pleased when the revealed word also revealed definition!

[@caesarsalad77]

I only glanced at it from the thumbnail and knew exactly what I had to do. Brilliant.

[@andrewmcmahon6432]

Very clever clue, I'm quite pleased that I solved this one. Increasing positions was a good indicator

[@garmology]

Increasing positions, brilliant.

[@Warlach]

Got it immediately but loved it as a wordplay indicator :)

[@ashleylong123456]

I really enjoyed this clue. It was fantastic, and it's good to see a new kind of wordplay introduced.

[@samcassidy2441]

I have seen this device used before, but not as successfully as in this clue. The clear indicator means even the unusual wordplay isn't too demanding, and the Proctor & Gamble at the end is very nice

[@PaulFisher]

it took me a little bit to figure this out, but once I got to P&G, it Dawn(ed) on me. don’t worry; I’ll keep the answer a Secret. thanks for being my favorite Aussie puzzlers, Head&Shoulders above anything else I’ve seen.

[@robinsinclair5526]

Fantastic! Was thrilled to see a new wordplay indicator.

[@pacopax]

Got it immediately; excellent clue construction! I love that,,even if I find a clue easier, I can still find great appreciation for the setter’s work. Nicely done.

[@HilaryBienstock]

Easy one today!!! And hooray for new wordplay techniques, clearly clued!

[@weemankai]

Reckon this was the easiest one yet! Too obvious. Couldn’t have been anything else but taking a letter. Increasing was just the icing on the cake. Still a solid clue! Kudos

[@lindseymacdonald7179]

Got this instantly! Thought that seemed liked what the word play indicator was going for so started putting the letters in as I read the clue for the first time through!

[@maxlauer7013]

This might be my favorite cryptic yet. I laughed out loud upon figuring it out

[@wiztwas]

It seemed obvious, I got it right away. "Increasing positions" is quite explicit and clear to me.

[@louiseparsons9132]

Got this instantly! So proud of myself - that’s 3 days in a row I’ve got it in seconds. That’s set me up for the day rather nicely, thank you!!

[@arkadye]

I understood the bare meaning of the clue to mean getting promoted. For example: junior CS (Customer Service) at Cisco; mid-level CS at BPH; senior CS at Amazon; CS team leader at Disney; Global CS Co-ordinator at Costco; and then VP in charge Customer Experiences at Proctor & Gamble. Got the clue first try though. My first time doing that.

[@nikbray1845]

Great clue understood it pretty much straight off the bat. Definitely an original. It's better to start trends than follow them. Welldone mate.

[@norraist]

Wordplay indicator completely worked. First one in a while where I knew immediately what to do.

[@merranmontgomery1720]

Got this straight away!! Loved it!!

[@markbrown5671]

Definitely an interesting way of doing it. I was confused initially because I wasn’t sure where the definition was given the P&G was another company, but I quickly realised where it was

[@owennewburn]

This is a beautiful clue and I was so happy to solve it. I've never seen a clue with this kind of solution before but it was very clear. Well done!

[@susansalzberg8771]

Yes, you may take/increase a position on a stock! And this was a clever clue, thanks 😊

[@KoenMatthijs]

My first hole-in-one. The day of this non-native speaker has kicked off very nicely.

[@jayreavy]

I find it astonishing that non-native speakers are cracking cryptic crossword clues! Mightily impressive. Hats off to you!

[@Cheetah626]

This clue is beautiful! The surface read is great, I got the wordplay almost instantly but I still found myself surprised it was working out as I typed in each letter.

[@bhakti235]

Beautiful clue. Totally worked. These are so much fun!!!!!

[@nikitacv1158]

This was so satisfying to solve without using any hints or clues

[@RoscopantsAU]

Understood that quickly as well! I figured that a wordy clue usually only needs a letter from each and the increasing positions bit was a good indicator

[@campuscryptid3020]

You may be interested in Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "A Valentine," which was written as a riddle for a party and hides the name of his beloved in the same way as today's clue!

[@jaktracy]

This was a fun one. It was on the easy side, as there's basically only one way to interpret the clue, but still very neat and a wordplay I haven't seen before

[@Flow1993B]

Super clue ! So funny But I'm almost disappointed I got it so quick 😂 Bravo on finding a new alternating signpost!

[@lindarehill4965]

That was interesting. I got it straight away but I’ve never seen that wordplay before. I like it!

[@paulhoward6905]

Got it straight away, which is unusual for me. Really clever how these mainstream company names combined to spell out the answer, with one of them also being the definition. You didn’t need to find some obscure company or invent one to make it work!

[@PennyLane13]

This was a fantastic one!! Well done Angas 👏👏👏

[@carmenpulinferrer272]

I liked the clue very much! Congrats, it’s not easy to get new ideas that work!🎉

[@Dr.Death8520]

Pretty easy I found (only one clear indicator), but still got a chuckle when I realised that the def was the latter half of Proctor and Gamble 😄

[@charactually]

I really like this wordplay indicator. Very clever idea!

[@matthewmcteigue7347]

Got this one. Good clue! I was trying to find where the last letter of Gamble would fit in, only to realize that was the definition.

[@JM-xl3ij]

Great clue ! and during a rising market ! I think I’m getting the hang of this.

[@johnholz5278]

Struggled yesterday, got today’s in seconds. Funny how that works out! Fun new wordplay!

[@stagemanagercraig]

I like when I see the wordplay straight away! Makes me feel smug 🤣

[@NFTaylor]

Got this one straight away, but loved the wordplay!

[@seancolepeper4410]

I was confused since I didn’t realise that Gamble was the definition. Once I used the hint, the increasing position was an obvious wordplay indicator.

[@joebrown6152]

Really liked this one. Very cool indicator/word play.

[@TerryBrennan-d8m]

Very innovative clue methodology!!

[@SuspenduAuGaffa]

Regarding the surface reading, I took it to mean nothing to do with stocks, but more like, 'to take an increasingly more senior job in each of the companies in turn'. I think that works.

[@bazhill04]

Had the same thought. Great clue.

[@MrKiedis1984]

I saw what was going on straight away with one. 2 under par 💪 Thought of my own cryptic crossword clue the other day, it’s probably an easy one… Gin fairy (6)

[@c.rowlands2511]

❤❤❤❤❤ Great clue; love it!!! Got it right away.

[@Claire-ty6di]

Liked this one! Pleased with myself when it clicked 😊 Thank you

[@BraceBricks]

This was so infuriatingly clever that I’m glad I got it quickly

[@tobyskinner94]

I got this one straight away! After not getting one for so long

[@aarondobbe8400]

This one was delightful!

[@iheartotown]

Boom! 2 Under! I'm a genius! I'm not going to let everyone else in the comments saying they also got immediately make me feel any less exceptional!

[@sarahrobinson1]

Ah, lovely clue. Got it straight away ☺️

[@DanDeebster]

I'm another that understood what was wanted straight away, so it's definitely fair for the solver. I've never seen this done, congrats on a new (afaik) technique.

[@MarkEather-tm1ln]

I got the answer quickly. First I used the first letters of the companies, and realised it meant nothing, but also there are 7 companies and 6 letters in the answer. I reread the clue, and the answer fell into place. Nice that the last company matches the answer.

[@NicolaJohnson-l5t]

Got this one straight away. Great wordplay 😊

[@JillGrun]

Oh this was a fun one, and one I got right away!

[@SandyCat39]

That was a fun one and I’ve never seen a clue like that before. Very clever.

[@elfhiem]

got it instantly. while the absurdly long clue was a bit of a giveaway, i still think that the "take increasing positions" bit is incredibly cool and unique. fun solve!

[@imranino]

Yep, it made sense immediately! Hope to see more of these.

[@sarahheath2816]

yesss!! i got this one right away. increasing positions was fun!

[@gvmcd]

New what to do as soon as I saw "increasing positions". Love it!

[@joowo0]

solving these quickly make me feel so smart

[@drewfm91]

The wordplay indicator was great. I saw it before thinking about the definition and was confused when I had an extra word at the end until I looked at the letters I had already and it struck me that was the definition.

[@sallytolladay4663]

Hahaha love it! Proper funny clue. Nice. And gamble.... nice.

[@piguyn]

got it almost immediately, this is incredible holy moly. so so clever

[@sakhinitinanita]

Loved this clue, so inventive! 😊

[@CeltInClaverack]

A brilliant clue. Took me a moment, but I loved it!

[@JohnDarcy-n4p]

Got it straightaway. A real rarity. One of the few times that the wordplay indicator jumped out at me.

[@jonhurley8925]

Knew what to do on reading the opening 3 words, easy today but a fun clue

[@shivangigarg4056]

Hahaha. Got it in less than a second! Very fun indicator

[@mjstepper6095]

got this one with no hints!!! made me feel so so smart

[@nbartlett6538]

Waiting for the minute cryptic website to come back online so I can type in my answer!

[@ModernStrad]

A fun clue, but worth pointing out that chance is not exactly another word for gamble, although gambling involves games of chance, so it's related and therefore guessable.

[@evanescentella]

new to cryptic crosswords and this is the first one i’ve gotten immediately, i feel so proud of myself lol

[@Elleander1]

My goodness it's the first one I got right away and I feel amazing

[@AndertoonAndertoon]

Wordplay was very clear

[@jean-claudevandal5069]

This was a fun one. I like the idea of it! Good clue!

[@jackbuggins1889]

This was such an entertaining clue!

[@Caitlinm007]

I loved this one. ❤ So much fun!