Word Games

[P.D.X.]

“I found a cure for the plague of the 20th century, and now I've loast it!” - Sean Connery in Medicine Man

[rass]

“I found a cure for the plague of the 20th century, and now I've loast it!” - Sean Connery in Medicine Man

OK, that's very good but he actually says "I've loast him" in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

[rass]

Also, I swear to g-d the actual answer today is a big fat repeat. Is that where we are now, they've just run out of words?

[Giff]

Also, I swear to g-d the actual answer today is a big fat repeat. Is that where we are now, they've just run out of words?

I agree. And it's frustrating because I play the same word to start every time and it hasn't been right yet.

[rass]

Me too, and I was off by just the last letter one time. Longest 2 seconds of my life.

[Giff]

I did have one last week where I had no letters on first guess and got it in 2.

[The Sybian]

Also, I swear to g-d the actual answer today is a big fat repeat. Is that where we are now, they've just run out of words?

I agree. And it's frustrating because I play the same word to start every time and it hasn't been right yet.

I used to use “stare” as my starting word. Got it in one prior to NYTimes taking over. Stare was the answer a second time, when I was alternating my starting word, pissed me off as I went “adieu” that day.

[Giff]

Also, I swear to g-d the actual answer today is a big fat repeat. Is that where we are now, they've just run out of words?

I agree. And it's frustrating because I play the same word to start every time and it hasn't been right yet.

I used to use “stare” as my starting word. Got it in one prior to NYTimes taking over. Stare was the answer a second time, when I was alternating my starting word, pissed me off as I went “adieu” that day.

That was my wife's word until she got it in one.

[Steve of phpBB]

Do any of you do cryptic crosswords? I’ve started them lately and would love someone to explain a few of the answers to me.

I’d bet Pruitt is great at these. Probably Scottie too.

[Nonlinear FC]

Today's Sports Connections:

[+] spoiler

The periodic table meets sports is stupid.

[Giff]

Today's Sports Connections:

[+] spoiler

The periodic table meets sports is stupid.

Easily the dumbest and closest I've been to not getting it. I'd like more challenging ones, but not dumb ones.

[Giff]

Also my 3rd 2 in the last 9 days on Wordle.

[Ryan]

Do any of you do cryptic crosswords? I’ve started them lately and would love someone to explain a few of the answers to me.

I’d bet Pruitt is great at these. Probably Scottie too.

Yes

[The Sybian]

Today's Sports Connections:

[+] spoiler

The periodic table meets sports is stupid.

[+] spoiler

Would have been fine if not for mispronouncing “leader”

[Nonlinear FC]

Today's Sports Connections:

[+] spoiler

The periodic table meets sports is stupid.

[+] spoiler

Would have been fine if not for mispronouncing “leader”

That is exactly why I was annoyed.

[Ryan]

I got that one first

[mister d]

Congrats, man.

[rass]

I got that one first

See Sabo, that's how you do an efficient drop in.

[Steve of phpBB]

Do any of you do cryptic crosswords? I’ve started them lately and would love someone to explain a few of the answers to me.

I’d bet Pruitt is great at these. Probably Scottie too.

Yes

Thanks, Ryan.

Here are a few of the clues/answers I've come across that I can't fully figure out. In most cases I can figure out the definitional aspect of the clue, not the wordplay.

They work together heading away from political meetings (6)

[+] spoiler

ALLIES. I don't get the political meetings aspect.

Framework of education graduate's note leading to publicity (8)

[+] spoiler

BEDSTEAD. I think I have BE from education graduate, and AD from publicity, but I don't get the rest.

Run to escape from large snake (5)

[+] spoiler

ADDER

Delivery from Galway or Kerry (6)

[+] spoiler

YORKER

Weapon that is truly 16? (7,6)

[+] spoiler

KNUCKLE DUSTER

A little condensation that's right under your nose? (7)

[+] spoiler

DEWDROP

Relative is horrible -- want out (7,2,3)

[+] spoiler

BROTHER IN LAW

Caught exactly what is required in authentic poetry reading (7)

[+] spoiler

RECITAL (I got the REAL part from authentic, but not the CIT.)

[A_B]

I work the shit out of the cryptic variety puzzles but I don’t do as many regular cryptic crosswords.

[Steve of phpBB]

I work the shit out of the cryptic variety puzzles but I don’t do as many regular cryptic crosswords.

I'm curious, what are cryptic variety puzzles? Sounds interesting.

These are all from the Globe and Mail. I subscribed during one of the tariff skirmishes.

I've also tried the cryptic crosswords from the Telegraph. But those are way too hard for me. Those fucking Brits have a different word for everything.

[A_B]

The cryptics I do are weekend on WSJ mostly. They are free for a few weeks at least so I just bring them. They use cryptic clues but there is additional meta type cryptic part to entering them in a grid. They can get weird.

They have a new one most Saturday but they do an acrostic regularly. Those are fun and interactive on a screen and you don’t have to do them by hand which gets cumbersome

[Ryan]

They work together heading away from political meetings (6)

[+] spoiler

ALLIES. I don't get the political meetings aspect.

Take the first letter off ("heading away from") RALLIES

Framework of education graduate's note leading to publicity (8)

[+] spoiler

BEDSTEAD. I think I have BE from education graduate, and AD from publicity, but I don't get the rest.

I don't either! Is this British? Are education graduates BEDs and TE is somehow a note? Like TI in the scale?

Run to escape from large snake (5)

[+] spoiler

ADDER

Is this one of those puzzles where they've taken words out of some of the clues? Otherwise I'm lost here too. It feels like they're trying to take the L away from Ladder?

Delivery from Galway or Kerry (6)

[+] spoiler

YORKER

"From" is telling you the answer is hidden in the phrase galwaYORKERry.

Weapon that is truly 16? (7,6)

[+] spoiler

KNUCKLE DUSTER

16 has to be referring to another answer in the grid. What's 16-across or -down?

A little condensation that's right under your nose? (7)

[+] spoiler

DEWDROP

Nope. This also seems British.

Relative is horrible -- want out (7,2,3)

[+] spoiler

BROTHER IN LAW

Just an anagram of horrible want, I think. "Out" is a shitty anagram indicator.

Caught exactly what is required in authentic poetry reading (7)

[+] spoiler

RECITAL (I got the REAL part from authentic, but not the CIT.)

CIT must be a Latin thing for "what is required"?

[Ryan]

Variety cryptics rule. Our YouTube channel would make tens of dollars, AB.

[Steve of phpBB]

They work together heading away from political meetings (6)

[+] spoiler

ALLIES. I don't get the political meetings aspect.

Take the first letter off ("heading away from") RALLIES

Framework of education graduate's note leading to publicity (8)

[+] spoiler

BEDSTEAD. I think I have BE from education graduate, and AD from publicity, but I don't get the rest.

I don't either! Is this British? Are education graduates BEDs and TE is somehow a note? Like TI in the scale?

Run to escape from large snake (5)

[+] spoiler

ADDER

Is this one of those puzzles where they've taken words out of some of the clues? Otherwise I'm lost here too. It feels like they're trying to take the L away from Ladder?

Delivery from Galway or Kerry (6)

[+] spoiler

YORKER

"From" is telling you the answer is hidden in the phrase galwaYORKERry.

Weapon that is truly 16? (7,6)

[+] spoiler

KNUCKLE DUSTER

16 has to be referring to another answer in the grid. What's 16-across or -down?

A little condensation that's right under your nose? (7)

[+] spoiler

DEWDROP

Nope. This also seems British.

Relative is horrible -- want out (7,2,3)

[+] spoiler

BROTHER IN LAW

Just an anagram of horrible want, I think. "Out" is a shitty anagram indicator.

Caught exactly what is required in authentic poetry reading (7)

[+] spoiler

RECITAL (I got the REAL part from authentic, but not the CIT.)

CIT must be a Latin thing for "what is required"?

Thanks, Ryan. I am kicking myself on a couple of those now.

They're published in a Canadian paper, but I think the puzzles may be sourced from a paper in England.

Can you recommend a site or app that would have American cryptics, or even other Canadian/British cryptics at about that difficulty level?

[Ryan]

Couple subscription-based options:

AVCX is the former puzzle arm of The Onion's AV Club. They put out daily puzzles, most of which are normal, but every couple of weeks (?) there's a cryptic.

Out of Left Field is by the team that used to do cryptics for The Nation. They're now on Patreon and do weekly puzzles. These guys are trickier than normal though with unconventional clues and themes.

The WSJ ones AB mentioned are terrific, as are all their variety puzzles of the non-cryptic persuasion. Side note - Rows Garden puzzles are my favorite format of all time. No subscription necessary unless I did it 10 years ago and don't even realize it.

Old standby Games Magazine always has 2 regular and 2 variety cryptics. I think they're publishing monthly.

There's more and more indie creators than ever though, so Google around and you'll probably find tons more.

[Steve of phpBB]

Geez, I didn't know Games Magazine was still around. I had a subscription back in high school.

[A_B]

Yeah I should have said that the cryptics are just once a month or so. But I also enjoy all their puzzles

[A_B]

The latest WSJ Saturday puzzle is a great intro to cryptics. There's one little thing there to trip you up, but the cluing is straightforword (for a cryptic).

Just to give a bit of a hint, here's a clue that isn't terribly difficult but you do need to know cryptic leading words.

"Fort’s, uh, specially designed quarters" (7) - So it's 7 letters long. The don't always give you that in the more difficult one.

The "Specially designed" is to trip you up, but in this case it isn't the quarters that are specially designed. It's "Fort's uh" that is specially designed which is a trigger that it's an anagram. So you try to come up with anagrams that work for FORTSUH and also satisfy the last part, which is "quarters". There is usually one part of the clue that is the "definition", and in this cast it is quarters, so you're looking for anagrams that also mean quarters. There are 4 quarters in a game, and each quarter is a fourth, so multiples (plurality matters a lot in cryptics) become FOURTHS.

There are common triggers like "to the ear" or "heard" which means the answer has a homophone that "to the ear" or indicates as if you heard it out loud. For example, a clue like (I made this one up) "Chases away footwear to the ear." (5) So you have to think of words that mean "footwear" but satisfy "chases away". In this case, the basic SHOES is apt, and to the ear, it sounds like "SHOOS," which is chases away. And you always use the one that isn't "to the ear" so the entry here would be SHOOS not SHOES.

Anyway, here it is:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/stop-thief ... 5-8d511fa0

QB Andrew follows sticky stuff before dog's head. Break a leg! (4,4)

[Steve of phpBB]

OK, I had no clue one could access WSJ puzzles without a subscription.

Thanks, AB!

[Steve of phpBB]

By the way, I have a few cryptics from the May 2025 Games Magazine in pdf, if anyone wants them emailed.

[A_B]

THis week's WSJ puzzle is a rows garden as mentioned above. A good into to non-standard word games. not a cryptic, but very fun style of puzzles.

Steve, I'd take the puzzles in e-mail. I'll shoot you a PM in case you don't already have the e-mail.

[A_B]

Variety cryptics rule. Our YouTube channel would make tens of dollars, AB.

Roll with it! Singer initially wired for sound; too busy!

[Steve of phpBB]

THis week's WSJ puzzle is a rows garden as mentioned above. A good into to non-standard word games. not a cryptic, but very fun style of puzzles.

Steve, I'd take the puzzles in e-mail. I'll shoot you a PM in case you don't already have the e-mail.

I will send them along.

[Steve of phpBB]

Done.

But you'll need to deactivate the gmail setting that automatically rejects emails from lawyers.