Can you do cryptic crosswords? Beginner in need of help.

[Flamingoose]

Substances left from evaporation are absorbing uranium (7)

Last letter is E.

I sort of want it to be RESIDUE, because that's a substance left from evaporation. If we assume 'absorbing uranium' means put a U in it, then I've put a U in RESIDE - but I have no idea where the RESIDE came from, so maybe RESIDUE is wrong?

Any help?

[cricketball]

I love a good beginner cryptic (no way am I up to the Times yet) but just wanted to add that you can buy books of cryptic crosswords including the Times quick cryptic ones and the Daily Telegraph ones.

[CraftyGin]

@PurpleDaisies

This is a nice one from a recent crossword (I raided the recycling!).

LAMBS BITE LIONS? WHAT’S IN THEIR HEARTS? (8)

Ambition?

[PurpleDaisies]

That’s right.

[WithMyEncyclopedia]

Thanks all.. I was distracted by the idea that "munch" came into it

[FoxgloveSummers]

So which cryptics are people doing today?

[Sunbird24]

I might grab the T2 from the work canteen if nobody else has snaffled it…

[CraftyGin]

@FoxgloveSummers

So which cryptics are people doing today?

I did the Times Quick Cryptic. I didn't really enjoy it as there were a couple of obscure words, and no anagrams.

I think obscure or arcane words are what separate the beginner cryptics from the more seasoned ones.

[Sunbird24]

No spoilers please @CraftyGin, I haven’t got my hands on it yet! 😂
It does help to have an obscure vocabulary and a lot of less well-known ‘general knowledge’. One of my work colleagues in my previous job saw me doing them and wanted to learn, but she struggled, especially with anagrams, as she’s slightly dyslexic. Very intelligent so always got it when I explained the thought process, but she was missing on some of the weird facts that I probably have in my head just by virtue of being nearly 15 years older than her.

[Cooroo]

I didn't get 1 ac in Times Quick - which is embarrassing as it was my job for 30 years!

Press employee, sort with dog in tow (10)

[PurpleDaisies]

@Cooroo

I didn't get 1 ac in Times Quick - which is embarrassing as it was my job for 30 years!

Press employee, sort with dog in tow (10)

Did you get it in the end?

That “sort” initially made me think anagram but then saw what it was.

[vajingleberry]

I'll be doing the Guardian cryptic this afternoon.

Monday is always the easiest one and they get progressively trickier up to Friday.

I did manage to complete the prize one this Saturday (with just a little bit of help from Mr Google)

I like doing the big Times one on a Saturday, but find the TImes in the week a bit of a struggle.

Fifteen squared is quite good for parsing (explaining) clues.

www.fifteensquared.net/2021/10/02/independent-10912-by-rodriguez/

[FoxgloveSummers]

I’ve done most of the Guardian Quiptic (online)

[PurpleDaisies]

Explaining what parsing means is very meta!

[FoxgloveSummers]

@Cooroo

I didn't get 1 ac in Times Quick - which is embarrassing as it was my job for 30 years!

Press employee, sort with dog in tow (10)

I was trying to anagram it too. That’s quite sweet isn’t it! (Interesting job?)

[CraftyGin]

@Sunbird24

No spoilers please *@CraftyGin*, I haven’t got my hands on it yet! 😂
It does help to have an obscure vocabulary and a lot of less well-known ‘general knowledge’. One of my work colleagues in my previous job saw me doing them and wanted to learn, but she struggled, especially with anagrams, as she’s slightly dyslexic. Very intelligent so always got it when I explained the thought process, but she was missing on some of the weird facts that I probably have in my head just by virtue of being nearly 15 years older than her.

I'm not good at solving anagrams (or don't have the patience). I can tell when there is an 'anagrind' so put the words into an anagram solver. Does that make me a cheat?

[CraftyGin]

@Cooroo

I didn't get 1 ac in Times Quick - which is embarrassing as it was my job for 30 years!

Press employee, sort with dog in tow (10)

In retrospect, it was a pretty straightforward clue, but I didn't get it until I had all the other letters in. D'oh!

[Sunbird24]

Well I learned a new word in there!

[FoxgloveSummers]

@CraftyGin that's what makes you crafty! I do that too if I'm short of time, I have it in my "not cheating" pile along with "I think X is a word, it fits, maybe it's a kind of lizard, so it's ok to google and check".

[ErrolTheDragon]

"I think X is a word, it fits, maybe it's a kind of lizard, so it's ok to google and check".

That's definitely not cheating - actually, I think that's one of the best 'buzzes' about doing crosswords, when you logically deduce the existence of a word you'd not come across before.

[PurpleDaisies]

I quite often work backwards by guessing a word that fits and seeing why it fits with the clue.

[Sunbird24]

And once you’ve completed everything you possibly can, it’s also fine to Google the clue to find out what the answer is, as that helps you learn for the next one. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[ErrolTheDragon]

@Sunbird24

And once you’ve completed everything you possibly can, it’s also fine to Google the clue to find out what the answer is, as that helps you learn for the next one. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Unless it's a prize puzzle, and you submit it, of course!

[NatriumChloride]

Omg this thread moved fast! Can someone please explain how you got spiral arms from the clue?

[Sunbird24]

Yeah, definitely that, but you’d hope the answers to prize puzzles wouldn’t be online so soon!

[NatriumChloride]

Meant to add I can’t see anyone explaining the solution, sorry if someone has and I’ve missed it