c4countdown

Now that I'm on my holiday I have even more free time than I did before. Today I filled it with creating my FIRST EVER cryptic crossword. Now I can't promise that it will be anything special but I am hoping that you just enjoy it. Being the kind of person that does the crossword in the Mail rather than the Guardian or Times means I'm probably not up to your guys level but I gave it a go.

Furthermore, this one is THEMED and there are PRIZES to be won!!! Wooooooo.

You can download it from here: Cryptic Crossword.docx - 0.03MB (Microsoft Word 2007+) and here: Cryptic Crossword Proper.pdf - 0.30MB (PDF) and here: Cryptic Crossword.doc - 0.12MB (Microsoft Word 97-2003) or if none of those work you can send me a message and I'll email it to you (which will hopefully somehow work).

Can you give us some feedback on it too, any clues you liked, any you didn't like, ways to improve etc. and if it is totally shit then just tell me.

Exciting New Update wrote: The first person to message me with a complete solution of all the answers and connection win's first choice of the 9 prizes on offer. Then on Friday, (that's right Christmas Eve!!!) anyone else who has successfully completed the crossword will have a chance to win 1 of the 8 remaining prizes.

Here is a taster of just some of the prizes:

• - the Daily Mail Scrabblegrams book
  - a cash prize
  - a year's subscription to apterous
  - plus much more!

Enjoy!

THIS COMPETITION FINISHED MIDDAY (UK TIME) ON THE 24TH DECEMBER 2010.[/color]

Well, thank you to everyone who had a go, I know some downloaded it but never got back to me. I can only assume I managed to bamboozle you! However, a small number did manage to complete it correctly with the link too and they were (in order):

- Innis Carson
- Graeme Cole
- Matt Bayfield
- Chris Hare
- Chris Corby

All will receive an AMAZINGLY AWESOME prize!

The Close But No Cigar-ers

• - James Hall (all correct but missing link)
  - Jon Corby (all correct but missing link)
  - Michael Wallace (all correct but for one (although solved now) but missing link)
  - Andrew Feist (pretty much all of them solved but missing link)
  - Richard Brittain (pretty much all of them solved but missing link)

Andrew's PM to me was particularly insightful, being American, especially with the clue about ISLAND (sounding like Ireland) which in a Hull accent are identical but I guess not anywhere else!

Feedback was taken on board too so thanks for letting me know how you found it etc.

I bet you're dying to know the answers so here you are: Answers to the cryptic crossword.

And what the hell could link all of these things? Well, the answer is quite interesting, no really, the answer is Quite Interesting.

I fail at cryptic crosswords, prefer normal clues. Liked the "Milk machine made of cobalt and tungsten" clue.

We seem to have different opinions about what the "cryptic" in "cryptic crossword" should mean:

Hahahahah! It's in Microsoft word and I don't have the computer know-how to put it in another format.

Ryan Taylor wrote:Hahahahah! It's in Microsoft word and I don't have the computer know-how to put it in another format.

Do you have print to PDF?

Andrew Feist wrote:

Ryan Taylor wrote:Hahahahah! It's in Microsoft word and I don't have the computer know-how to put it in another format.

Do you have print to PDF?

What about this? Does this work for you? Cryptic Crossword.pdf - 0.30MB

Ryan Taylor wrote:

Andrew Feist wrote:

Ryan Taylor wrote:Hahahahah! It's in Microsoft word and I don't have the computer know-how to put it in another format.

Do you have print to PDF?

What about this? Does this work for you? Cryptic Crossword.pdf - 0.30MB

Yay!

You're running Word 2007 + - if you go to save it have a look under the filename and choose Word 97 - 2003 format. It'll be accessible to everyone. (I know you've done it to pdf now but for next time... )

Nice crossword, btw

Nice crossword!

I now have them all except for one! (Which I know how to make but can't work out) and another half.

I am, however, utterly clueless on the connection...

Well, I say clueless, I have plenty of clues, just no idea what links them!

Enjoyable crossword Ryan. Really liked 13 Down

Can't get 22 Across and 14 Down

No idea how the answers are linked (except via the grid!!)

BUMP!

An amazingly awesome new update has been made to this crossword. Please see above.

OK, that has convinced me, I'll give it a go......

Answers published if anybody wants to have a look.

Oh shit son, I totally missed the deadline thanks to the distraction of visiting my parents for Christmas. That said, I had to google to get the link anyway, so it doesn't matter.

No honourable mention to those who completed the crossword but not the link?

(I actually thought we were in with a shout of one of the eight prizes too. I'm going to complain to OFCOM about your wording.)

Thanks for this Ryan, I really enjoyed it. I only got about over half the clues, but they were very good. As much as I love QI, I really don't think I would've got the link, I wonder how the others did. Much appreciated, and here's hoping for more of these.

Jon Corby wrote:No honourable mention to those who completed the crossword but not the link?

(I actually thought we were in with a shout of one of the eight prizes too. I'm going to complain to OFCOM about your wording.)

Shit, knew I would forget something, I seriously have your name written on a piece of paper next to me under the heading "Close but no Cigar". Was just in a rush that was all - I'm trying to plow on with my Big Fat Quiz of the Year which I'm quite excited about.

Amended!

Brilliant Ryan. That link was absolute genius. Needless to say I could finish the crossword(I got 16/27, pretty poor really) or get the link but I enjoyed trying.

Mark James wrote:Brilliant Ryan. That link was absolute genius. Needless to say I could finish the crossword(I got 16/27, pretty poor really) or get the link but I enjoyed trying.

Thanks Mark, I appreciate that! It's comforting too that I'm learning about others I didn't know about who have had a go at it.

I can't do Cryptic Crosswords.

So I didn't even bother.

Mark James wrote:Brilliant Ryan. That link was absolute genius.

Agreed. I didn't really spend long enough looking for the link, as I figured I just didn't know it if I didn't recognise it immediately - I put a few bits together and decided it was the kind of "ooh, look at this cleverness" shit that somebody like Dan Brown would try and weave together, so just guessed at that. I'm thinking now that I should really have got it... nice one.

That link is really quite brilliant.

Nice one Ryan