For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 3:15 pm
Season's greetings everybody.
One of my interests is crosswords and in recent months I have been having some fun writing cryptic clues (which is one reason I don’t play many games on Apterous these days).
This link is to a crossword I have created based as much as possible on words offered by the 8 finalists in the recent series (not necessarily words which won a round).
http://crossword.info/keithb/countdown_series_71
The 8 answers around the edge are all words the finalists submitted - one from each finalist in fact. In total about half the clues have answers which were submitted by the finalists; these are all entirely in bold, and the initials of the person who offered them are shown in brackets at the end - so if you get stuck you can have a look through their games for a hint. And you'll be pleased to know that one of the greatest 9 spots in Countdown history makes an appearance.
A few other clues use Countdown-related names or words in them (emboldened)
The remainder have a word that one of the finalists offered in the clue itself (also emboldened), and for completeness their initials at the end. (In one case the word is used in a different tense otherwise the clue wouldn't be grammatically correct).
So if cryptic crosswords interest you, have a go. The grid is interactive, so you can complete it online, or you can print off a PDF if you prefer.
For anyone new to cryptics the basic principle is that the clue contains a definition - nearly always at one end of the clue, not in the middle - and also some "wordplay" such as an anagram. To get an idea of the various tricks of the trade this link is particularly helpful:
http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2008/09/dictionary.html
There's a lot of good information on that site.
When I tackle crosswords I quite often find I can work out an answer from the crossing letters and the definition without quite working out why it's right from the wordplay. If anybody wants to discuss answers through this thread that seems fine to me providing "spoiler" warnings are posted.
In a few days’ time I will put a full parse on here and answer any queries/complaints, unless it looks as though nobody is remotely interested, in which case fair enough, at least I’ve tried it out!
One of my interests is crosswords and in recent months I have been having some fun writing cryptic clues (which is one reason I don’t play many games on Apterous these days).
This link is to a crossword I have created based as much as possible on words offered by the 8 finalists in the recent series (not necessarily words which won a round).
http://crossword.info/keithb/countdown_series_71
The 8 answers around the edge are all words the finalists submitted - one from each finalist in fact. In total about half the clues have answers which were submitted by the finalists; these are all entirely in bold, and the initials of the person who offered them are shown in brackets at the end - so if you get stuck you can have a look through their games for a hint. And you'll be pleased to know that one of the greatest 9 spots in Countdown history makes an appearance.
A few other clues use Countdown-related names or words in them (emboldened)
The remainder have a word that one of the finalists offered in the clue itself (also emboldened), and for completeness their initials at the end. (In one case the word is used in a different tense otherwise the clue wouldn't be grammatically correct).
So if cryptic crosswords interest you, have a go. The grid is interactive, so you can complete it online, or you can print off a PDF if you prefer.
For anyone new to cryptics the basic principle is that the clue contains a definition - nearly always at one end of the clue, not in the middle - and also some "wordplay" such as an anagram. To get an idea of the various tricks of the trade this link is particularly helpful:
http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2008/09/dictionary.html
There's a lot of good information on that site.
When I tackle crosswords I quite often find I can work out an answer from the crossing letters and the definition without quite working out why it's right from the wordplay. If anybody wants to discuss answers through this thread that seems fine to me providing "spoiler" warnings are posted.
In a few days’ time I will put a full parse on here and answer any queries/complaints, unless it looks as though nobody is remotely interested, in which case fair enough, at least I’ve tried it out!