I find cryptic crossword solves to be basically magic. Even when Simon explains the clues, the whole thing sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher in my head. Watching Simon come up with the words is almost literally like watching him pull a rabbit out of his hat.
Simon: Rabbit out of his hat, the hat of Rabbit is a t, leaving us a rabbi without a yarmulke, yarmulke mawp mawp mawp, mawp mawp... and the answer is TORAHTORAHTORAH. Brilliant!
@@patrickshanahan6795 I do the Daily Mail cryptic because it's much easier than anything they do on the channel, but there was indeed a clue this week: "Jewish teacher has time for pet." Rabbi + T for time = rabbit. (The beauty of cryptic crosswords is that even when they're this easy, sometimes you feel REALLY SMART when you get one.)
Cryptic crosswords are a never ending question mark in my head. Even explained, I can't figure them out. I'll stick to normal crosswords. But it is fun to watch Simon do these with such ease.
I love all of your sudokus--easy, hard, long, short, GAS, etc.( Simon you need to do more of the GAP puzzles.) But, I especially love the crosswords. Love the word play. Please do many more.
Do I like watching you and Mark solving cryptic crosswords? As an avid solver of them, It's the very reason I subscribed to your channel when you first started out and your subscribers numbered in their tens. I understand that Sudoku has now more or less taken over but I'm very grateful that from time to time you do feature the odd cryptic. I wish you could make it a regular weekly event. One cryptic and thirteen Sudokus is not a lot to ask.
"Running out of easy clues" 🤣 Yeah - easy if you have a super quick mind and tons of stored cultural references! Sheer delightful genius! The rest of us are just shaking our heads. Thank you for explaining so at least it makes sense after the fact! Love the Mollie cow knock-knock joke!
Even if I could always notice anagram indicators (which, given I've only seen like 3 of these videos, I can't. I don't think I've seen the same one more than once) it would take me forever to figure out the anagrams or even just work out what letters I have to work with. Every time Simon says "oh yes, it's an anagram of these words, so the answer is _____" is astonishing to me. Like, looking carefully, I can see that "green tea" is an anagram of "teenager" but only because I've already been told that it is.
It really is encouraging to read all the other comments about not getting 99% of the things simon explained. English is not my native language so I even had to look up some of the words used if I didn't see Simon solve the crossword I couldn't even imagine someone being able to actually do this
I also love these cryptic crosswords, I could never solve one myself but even if I can figure out a single clue I'm happy. Completely incredible to watch someone just go through and figure out every clue in under a minute each.
This was delightful. I love seeing Mark's solves off the impossible ones, but I'm still trying to get the basics so I can start doing them myself. You've already levelled up my sudoku game considerably. I would be thrilled to see more cryptic content. Maybe I'll finally understand those too!
I found this crossword after reading Simon’s tweet. I completed it in reasonable time, then enjoyed watching Simon get stuck on clues I found easy and sail through clues I found difficult.
I've been watching the sudoku videos for over two years now but this is the first cryptic crossword video I've watched and GOOD GRIEF, this is magic! I'm genuinely baffled as to how all of this works.
I enjoyed that! It wasn't monstrously hard -- I even got a few of the clues a split second ahead of Simon. I'm amazed by the use of words in the clues to send the solver on a fool's errand. 1 across, "area by marsh ground" is just such a solid phrase, you could easily mistake it for the definition -- compare what Simon did with 20 down. "Console" and "nurse" in the same sentence is also a fantastic piece of misdirection. Having another clue in the same puzzle with "Fried food with chilli" leading to "chips hot" and then "chip shot" would have been good enough by itself; but 3 down must be a contender for clue of the year. Fantastic setting and fantastic solving, as we've come to expect from Cracking the Cryptic!
Anyone looking for a gentle introduction to cryptic crosswords might find the Daily Mirror's quite approachable and they have a 12 month archive to practice on.
I started with simpldailypuzzles. I did some of the Lovetts too but didn't love them. Now it's the New Yorker Sunday puzzle. It's doable and has explanations. You don't need a subscription, but you do have to click through an offer or two.
I really enjoyed that. Thanks so much. Are there any more I can watch? So fascinating watching the thought process. Loved it. Off to do a crossword now. 😁
When I read "Console" as in a game console, I started thinking about gaming...but when Simon pronounced it the other way..."to console someone", I immediately said "ya he's probably right, I'm too dumb to make sense of this."
I read through all the across clues and only got GAPE! But got a few of the downs and gradually completed the whole thing in about 25 minutes. There was a lot of very clever misdirection.
The sober as a judge clue reminds me of a joke. I don't remember exactly how it went but the punchline was someone in court stating that the defendant was as drunk as a judge. The judge asked "Don't you mean drunk as Lord?" to which the reply was "Yes, m'Lord".
I just got into cryptics a few months ago. I watched just about every cryptic crossword video on this channel I could find, and on other channels as well, and then I started doing the Guardian Everyman and Quiptic. There's a web page called Fifteensquared that has answers and explanations to every clue in the Guardian cryptic crosswords. And Fifteensquared also has an explanation for the different types of clues. The nice thing about the Guardian crosswords is that you can go really far back in the archives for hundreds of puzzles to practice on. I also do the Daily Mail cryptics because they're fairly easy. There are a lot of times when I might only be able to fill in half or a third of a crossword, but I just count every word I'm able to solve as a win. (And then I shrug my shoulders at the ones I couldn't possibly have known because I'm not familiar enough with British English.) Do keep in mind that the standard for the puzzles they solve on this channel is very high. There are much easier puzzles out there, especially the Daily Mail, which has things like "Jewish teacher has time for pet"... Rabbi + T = rabbit... you can definitely get that one before you can figure out that "lying conservative in number ten endlessly partying" is "recumbent."
@@daconor91 Of course but I’ve looked at them for years in the paper and never gotten anywhere. You can’t do it from first principles like a sudoku because of all the “inside jokes” and unspoken conventions.
I can get about 30% of the clues that just use dictionary definitions and 0% that require any kind of trivia or general knowledge 😅 I need to brush up on my ancient mythology and my knowledge of obscure abbreviations/acronyms that only ever appear in cryptic crosswords and unabridged dictionaries. Other than that I'm right 100% of the time, some of the time!
Was proud to get 17 Across before Simon. I was cackling when he read Console as Console instead of Console. I still would not have got it if Simon hadn't laid out what a nurse does.
Interesting crossword tip-offs are very much appreciated, thank you. I'm not sure why Eimi was so taken with it, so something has clearly gone sailing over my head. Took a little under 12 minutes, which is speedy indeed by my pedestrian standards.
The only one I got before SImon was the cinema one. I used to attempt the Daily Telegraph crossword and would be ecstatic if I could even complete it before the next edition (and it would often take both morning and evening commutes, and lunchbreak) - and that's with using Chambers dictionary liberally. It's a whole skillset just understanding the compiler's twisted minds.
I feel like I need an in-depth explanation about these puzzles, I have no idea how do they work. Does everything go? You can use whatever tools you may find? Random abbreviations, weird word positions, etc?
I've been attempting to solve cryptics for a few years now with varying degrees of success. It is so frustrating to watch this guy stroll through these mind bending clues as though it is just a quick crossword.
I'm pretty terrible at cryptic crosswords. I get the basic logic but tend to read clues too many different ways to find the intended hint. That said I completely nailed 21 across even before Simon did and I was quite proud of myself.
I'm trying to see if I can at least understand the clues, even if I can't work out the answer. [3 Down] - I was right about it being an anagram but I thought it was due to "Lying" rather than "Partying".
Scherzo is pronounced scare-tso and scherzi scare-tsee. Just saying. I managed to get seven answers and came close with a few more before watching the video, but I don't think I would have finished this puzzle in a month. Very entertaining.
@@RobOwenKing No need, thank you, I guess it's a combination of never before seeing this kind of crossword and English not being my 1st language. I'll need some time to wrap my head around this :D
@@PrOzielonek Sure, it normally takes native speakers a while too. I have seen one crossword in Catalan which sometimes used similar style clues, but other than that it seems a peculiarly English-language thing.
So apart from leaving most out of "leave out" = "ovulate", which I got 🤗 , there is nuts = mad = premenstrual/PMS = (because) ovulate? 🤔 I love being able to try to understand things the worst way possible sometimes. My boyfriend isn't always as entertained by it as I am. Poor guy - I wouldn't be either had I been him. 🤭
This is my first time seeing something like this... this was ridiculous. I couldn't follow a thing you were saying. I have no clue how you did it. It literally was magic.
why you shun the community submissions in the discord is beyond me. There are so many setters who wish you would be more accommodating to setters. Especially because many of the aspiring setters started here, and have had to move elsewhere.
It’s infuriating how you effortlessly glide through these clues after I’ve spent an hour with knitted brow and extruded tongue desperately achieving one or two solutions.
I find cryptic crossword solves to be basically magic. Even when Simon explains the clues, the whole thing sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher in my head. Watching Simon come up with the words is almost literally like watching him pull a rabbit out of his hat.
ditto!
Simon: Rabbit out of his hat, the hat of Rabbit is a t, leaving us a rabbi without a yarmulke, yarmulke mawp mawp mawp, mawp mawp... and the answer is TORAHTORAHTORAH. Brilliant!
@@patrickshanahan6795 I do the Daily Mail cryptic because it's much easier than anything they do on the channel, but there was indeed a clue this week: "Jewish teacher has time for pet." Rabbi + T for time = rabbit.
(The beauty of cryptic crosswords is that even when they're this easy, sometimes you feel REALLY SMART when you get one.)
I'm glad there are more of us! Half the time the answer isn't even a word I know.
@@omyyer particularly the one Mark did recently!!
me: watching the video not understanding a single thing
Simon: it's "moo" because cows go "moo"
me: hmm yes, quite
Cryptic crosswords are a never ending question mark in my head. Even explained, I can't figure them out. I'll stick to normal crosswords. But it is fun to watch Simon do these with such ease.
yep! I watch these for entertainment!!! 😄
I love all of your sudokus--easy, hard, long, short, GAS, etc.( Simon you need to do more of the GAP puzzles.) But, I especially love the crosswords. Love the word play. Please do many more.
Do I like watching you and Mark solving cryptic crosswords? As an avid solver of them, It's the very reason I subscribed to your channel when you first started out and your subscribers numbered in their tens. I understand that Sudoku has now more or less taken over but I'm very grateful that from time to time you do feature the odd cryptic. I wish you could make it a regular weekly event. One cryptic and thirteen Sudokus is not a lot to ask.
"Running out of easy clues" 🤣 Yeah - easy if you have a super quick mind and tons of stored cultural references! Sheer delightful genius! The rest of us are just shaking our heads. Thank you for explaining so at least it makes sense after the fact! Love the Mollie cow knock-knock joke!
Even if I could always notice anagram indicators (which, given I've only seen like 3 of these videos, I can't. I don't think I've seen the same one more than once) it would take me forever to figure out the anagrams or even just work out what letters I have to work with. Every time Simon says "oh yes, it's an anagram of these words, so the answer is _____" is astonishing to me. Like, looking carefully, I can see that "green tea" is an anagram of "teenager" but only because I've already been told that it is.
It really is encouraging to read all the other comments about not getting 99% of the things simon explained. English is not my native language so I even had to look up some of the words used if I didn't see Simon solve the crossword I couldn't even imagine someone being able to actually do this
I also love these cryptic crosswords, I could never solve one myself but even if I can figure out a single clue I'm happy. Completely incredible to watch someone just go through and figure out every clue in under a minute each.
This was delightful. I love seeing Mark's solves off the impossible ones, but I'm still trying to get the basics so I can start doing them myself. You've already levelled up my sudoku game considerably. I would be thrilled to see more cryptic content. Maybe I'll finally understand those too!
I found this crossword after reading Simon’s tweet. I completed it in reasonable time, then enjoyed watching Simon get stuck on clues I found easy and sail through clues I found difficult.
I've been watching the sudoku videos for over two years now but this is the first cryptic crossword video I've watched and GOOD GRIEF, this is magic! I'm genuinely baffled as to how all of this works.
I enjoyed that! It wasn't monstrously hard -- I even got a few of the clues a split second ahead of Simon. I'm amazed by the use of words in the clues to send the solver on a fool's errand. 1 across, "area by marsh ground" is just such a solid phrase, you could easily mistake it for the definition -- compare what Simon did with 20 down. "Console" and "nurse" in the same sentence is also a fantastic piece of misdirection. Having another clue in the same puzzle with "Fried food with chilli" leading to "chips hot" and then "chip shot" would have been good enough by itself; but 3 down must be a contender for clue of the year.
Fantastic setting and fantastic solving, as we've come to expect from Cracking the Cryptic!
Still don't understand a single thing, still entertained and delighted! :D
Really enjoy the mid-range cryptics. If you have the energy, one every week or two would be amazing
This is absolutely incredible!! we need more!
This stuff blows my mind; I can't get a single one. So impressive - the balance of lexicon and abstract thinking. Please do more!
Great setting and solving once again, love the cryptic crosswords y’all do on here, you are an immaculate solver Simon.
Yay! More crossword content! Always a fan
Outstanding video! Simon is always a great host
Love the cryptic crossword content and wish for more!!
Learnt loads watching this. Thanks so much.
These videos are great to watch. I only get a few clues by myself p, but so enjoyable.
I loved this, absolutely excellent
Really love these, thanks Simon
Anyone looking for a gentle introduction to cryptic crosswords might find the Daily Mirror's quite approachable and they have a 12 month archive to practice on.
I always found the Daily Telegraph's pretty straightforward. Not that I advocate anyone buying that rag! 😆
I started with simpldailypuzzles. I did some of the Lovetts too but didn't love them. Now it's the New Yorker Sunday puzzle. It's doable and has explanations. You don't need a subscription, but you do have to click through an offer or two.
These just seem like magic to me though I was shouting fleapit at Simon. More of these please
I really enjoyed that. Thanks so much. Are there any more I can watch? So fascinating watching the thought process. Loved it. Off to do a crossword now. 😁
The only one that made any sense at all to me was nintendo, and I was very excited to understand it and work it out on my own!
When I read "Console" as in a game console, I started thinking about gaming...but when Simon pronounced it the other way..."to console someone", I immediately said "ya he's probably right, I'm too dumb to make sense of this."
Can you please play more Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes? I love watching the two of you playing this game, it's so funny. 🙂
I read through all the across clues and only got GAPE! But got a few of the downs and gradually completed the whole thing in about 25 minutes. There was a lot of very clever misdirection.
The sober as a judge clue reminds me of a joke. I don't remember exactly how it went but the punchline was someone in court stating that the defendant was as drunk as a judge. The judge asked "Don't you mean drunk as Lord?" to which the reply was "Yes, m'Lord".
Woohoo, looking forward to it.
How on earth are you supposed to get into cryptic crosswords? It feels like it's totally opaque unless you already know how they work.
I just got into cryptics a few months ago. I watched just about every cryptic crossword video on this channel I could find, and on other channels as well, and then I started doing the Guardian Everyman and Quiptic. There's a web page called Fifteensquared that has answers and explanations to every clue in the Guardian cryptic crosswords. And Fifteensquared also has an explanation for the different types of clues. The nice thing about the Guardian crosswords is that you can go really far back in the archives for hundreds of puzzles to practice on. I also do the Daily Mail cryptics because they're fairly easy. There are a lot of times when I might only be able to fill in half or a third of a crossword, but I just count every word I'm able to solve as a win. (And then I shrug my shoulders at the ones I couldn't possibly have known because I'm not familiar enough with British English.)
Do keep in mind that the standard for the puzzles they solve on this channel is very high. There are much easier puzzles out there, especially the Daily Mail, which has things like "Jewish teacher has time for pet"... Rabbi + T = rabbit... you can definitely get that one before you can figure out that "lying conservative in number ten endlessly partying" is "recumbent."
You don’t start with crosswords like this. Check out some of the videos they’ve done aimed at beginners that look at more straightforward puzzles
I learned from my mum. She learned from her mum I think? It's mums all the way down!
@@emhornerbooks Thanks for all this info!!
@@daconor91 Of course but I’ve looked at them for years in the paper and never gotten anywhere. You can’t do it from first principles like a sudoku because of all the “inside jokes” and unspoken conventions.
Only managed to get conventionalist before Simon. Lovely grid. Recumbent and nintendo were certainly highlights :)
Love it Simon
I can get about 30% of the clues that just use dictionary definitions and 0% that require any kind of trivia or general knowledge 😅 I need to brush up on my ancient mythology and my knowledge of obscure abbreviations/acronyms that only ever appear in cryptic crosswords and unabridged dictionaries. Other than that I'm right 100% of the time, some of the time!
Yep. Enjoyed that a lot!
When Simon said intend and said the wrong console, I almost said Nintendo out loud
Solving cryptic crosswords:
Simon: What is the answer?
Me: Why is the answer?
Drax: How is the answer?
Was proud to get 17 Across before Simon.
I was cackling when he read Console as Console instead of Console.
I still would not have got it if Simon hadn't laid out what a nurse does.
Scherzo was in the guardian quick crossword recently, as was chic!
Please have a go at one of the Private Eye crosswords.
23 across was awesome!
Does anyone remember the clue for BATES MOTEL that was featured on the channel a while ago?
Interesting crossword tip-offs are very much appreciated, thank you. I'm not sure why Eimi was so taken with it, so something has clearly gone sailing over my head. Took a little under 12 minutes, which is speedy indeed by my pedestrian standards.
Thanks, I need the coaching and I need the encouragement!
The only one I got before SImon was the cinema one. I used to attempt the Daily Telegraph crossword and would be ecstatic if I could even complete it before the next edition (and it would often take both morning and evening commutes, and lunchbreak) - and that's with using Chambers dictionary liberally. It's a whole skillset just understanding the compiler's twisted minds.
Well I understood the knock knock joke anyway. I'll bank that for now 😂
Dude I feel dumb watching this. This man is finding clues I didn't even know existed...
I feel like I need an in-depth explanation about these puzzles, I have no idea how do they work. Does everything go? You can use whatever tools you may find? Random abbreviations, weird word positions, etc?
I've been attempting to solve cryptics for a few years now with varying degrees of success. It is so frustrating to watch this guy stroll through these mind bending clues as though it is just a quick crossword.
Let's do these a bit more often.
24:07 Strictly speaking ‘ovulate’ means to release eggs rather than make them.
A fellow pedant. Nice.
After half of the Sunday's cryptic crossword solved: "We're running out of easy clues here." 😂😂
I'm pretty terrible at cryptic crosswords. I get the basic logic but tend to read clues too many different ways to find the intended hint. That said I completely nailed 21 across even before Simon did and I was quite proud of myself.
I'm trying to see if I can at least understand the clues, even if I can't work out the answer.
[3 Down] - I was right about it being an anagram but I thought it was due to "Lying" rather than "Partying".
That one was too easy for you, Simon. How about trying the Azed crossword from The Sunday Observer?
I am way too stupid for Cryptic Crosswords lmao. This is crazy smart.
That looks fun but I can't find cryptic crossword in french, does someone know a french cryptic crossword site?
I have been searching for cryotic crossword puzzles sites..but can't find one... NYT is limited.
Guardian cryptic or quiptic or everyman, Independent cryptic
@@missioncardiac7599 thank alot!!!!
Knock knock
Who's there?
Molly, the cow that forgets to interrupt.
Molly, the cow that forgets to interrupt who?
...
...
Oh. Er. Moo.
Scherzo is pronounced scare-tso and scherzi scare-tsee. Just saying.
I managed to get seven answers and came close with a few more before watching the video, but I don't think I would have finished this puzzle in a month. Very entertaining.
Second time watching one of these and I have to say I still dont understand anything :)
Would you like a more specific explanation of anything in particular?
@@RobOwenKing No need, thank you, I guess it's a combination of never before seeing this kind of crossword and English not being my 1st language. I'll need some time to wrap my head around this :D
@@PrOzielonek Sure, it normally takes native speakers a while too. I have seen one crossword in Catalan which sometimes used similar style clues, but other than that it seems a peculiarly English-language thing.
even your jokes are cryptic o_O
This one had quite a few dirty clues in it.
I have spoken English since my Ipswich birth in 1995, but I will never be able to solve a single cryptic clue. I mean, what even is an ashram?
You would take no time to solve Riddlers clues
So apart from leaving most out of "leave out" = "ovulate", which I got 🤗 , there is nuts = mad = premenstrual/PMS = (because) ovulate? 🤔
I love being able to try to understand things the worst way possible sometimes. My boyfriend isn't always as entertained by it as I am. Poor guy - I wouldn't be either had I been him. 🤭
I got Chic faster than you! Hooray!
This is my first time seeing something like this... this was ridiculous. I couldn't follow a thing you were saying. I have no clue how you did it. It literally was magic.
5:30 what do you mean meth is good
"teetotal which is sometimes abbreviated TT"
Yeah this is why I'll never do these. These abbreviations just don't click with me.
why you shun the community submissions in the discord is beyond me. There are so many setters who wish you would be more accommodating to setters. Especially because many of the aspiring setters started here, and have had to move elsewhere.
It’s infuriating how you effortlessly glide through these clues after I’ve spent an hour with knitted brow and extruded tongue desperately achieving one or two solutions.
Can u take that image off..Its a bit offputting given his disregard for us all
Really love these, thanks Simon