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Original poster

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

237 replies

Flamingoose · 03/10/2021 00:42

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?

OP posts:
Sunbird24 · 08/10/2021 21:18

Ooh, nice one @Flamingoose! Well done on finishing as well 🥂

PurpleDaisies · 08/10/2021 21:34

Was in charge of infiltrating spy group heads (6)

Like it. A very brainy clue.

PurpleDaisies · 09/10/2021 20:27

There was an excellent feature in today’s i cryptic. Hidden theme showed up across different clues…

Excess sulphur’s volatile without hydrogen (7)

Community worker returning to take control of state catering outlet (7)

When put in the grid, the last three letters of the first clue and the first of the second made a word. There were seven rows and each had a hidden word. It was great. Very satisfying to finish!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Games
NatriumChloride · 11/10/2021 00:20

@PurpleDaisies

There was an excellent feature in today’s i cryptic. Hidden theme showed up across different clues…

Excess sulphur’s volatile without hydrogen (7)

Community worker returning to take control of state catering outlet (7)

When put in the grid, the last three letters of the first clue and the first of the second made a word. There were seven rows and each had a hidden word. It was great. Very satisfying to finish!

Omg! I got the first one - surplus! Wooohooooooo!!

The second one - I don’t know at all 🤷🏻‍♀️ Care to give me some hints? Like how do you know what the actual answer word is? Is it for example another word for a community worker? Or is the answer a word for a catering outlet?? You are? I have no idea where to start.

NatriumChloride · 11/10/2021 00:21

*you see? (not “you are”)

ErrolTheDragon · 11/10/2021 00:41

'Worker' often means 'ant', so that's very likely to be what's meant by the 'community worker' part. It's returning so TNA.... that doesn't look like a sequence you find in words, and the 'take control of' suggests it's wrapped around something else so that gets us to T....na

So at this point I got the solution and worked out where the rest of the word came from.

Cooroo · 11/10/2021 09:12

Thanks Errol I got it with your tip!

Winecheesesleep · 11/10/2021 09:21

@ErrolTheDragon

'Worker' often means 'ant', so that's very likely to be what's meant by the 'community worker' part. It's returning so TNA.... that doesn't look like a sequence you find in words, and the 'take control of' suggests it's wrapped around something else so that gets us to T....na

So at this point I got the solution and worked out where the rest of the word came from.

Thanks, got it now!
PurpleDaisies · 11/10/2021 09:22

Errol’s beaten me to it.

[Community worker returning] to take control of [state] catering outlet (7)

Catering outlet is the definition.
I’ve only really seen that word for “to state” used in crosswords and it comes up a lot.

PurpleDaisies · 11/10/2021 09:24

I think everyone got surplus t - - - - na

Lust was the hidden word. The seven deadly sins were there-one on each row. It was a top quality crossword! I love one with a theme.

NatriumChloride · 11/10/2021 10:09

… shameful that despite the hints, I still don’t get it. 🤦‍♀️
Is there really any hope for me? 😂

PurpleDaisies · 11/10/2021 10:11

State = aver
The food outlet is a taverna.

It’s one of those you see a lot in crosswords and very little in real life!

PurpleDaisies · 11/10/2021 10:12

It’s not shameful at all-that’s a tricky clue. Useful to remember because it seems to pop up quite a lot (depending on which setters you end up doing lots of!).

Winecheesesleep · 11/10/2021 18:20

@NatriumChloride I found it really tricky too and sort of cheated. Using the hints above I thought it must be Taverna but couldn't understand where "aver" came from. So I used a crossword solver to confirm it had to be Taverna and then googled what "aver" meant. I'm still learning so fairly relaxed about cheating while I work it all out.

ErrolTheDragon · 11/10/2021 19:10

[quote Winecheesesleep]@NatriumChloride I found it really tricky too and sort of cheated. Using the hints above I thought it must be Taverna but couldn't understand where "aver" came from. So I used a crossword solver to confirm it had to be Taverna and then googled what "aver" meant. I'm still learning so fairly relaxed about cheating while I work it all out.[/quote]
It's certainly not cheating to figure out the answer before working out all the elements of the clue - in fact I'd have said it's good technique. As you do more, you get to know the common tricks like worker usually means either 'ant' or 'hand'.

You do end up knowing quite a lot of terms from cricketing, sailing and the armed forces. Grin

NatriumChloride · 12/10/2021 18:11

@Flamingoose

I finally finished the crossword that started this thread! Here's the last clue. I thought it was neat:

Was in charge of infiltrating spy group heads (6)

Grin

I just saw this! And can’t get it 😕 The way I’m seeing it is: In charge of - does that allude to using initial letters of? If so, I can’t see which ones to use… Does “infiltrating” in this context mean that some letters have to go within or near the letters s and g? As s and g are the “heads” of Spy Group…

See? I’m hopeless 😂

Sunbird24 · 12/10/2021 18:36

Was in charge of - you need a past tense verb here that means this
Infiltrating - what you get above goes inside the next bit…
Spy group - literally one of these! (Think Transatlantic)
Heads - what the resulting word means

Is that any help?

ErrolTheDragon · 12/10/2021 18:48

I think that's one that's easier to get with some letters already in place.

Does “infiltrating” in this context mean that some letters have to go within or near the letters s and g? As s and g are the “heads” of Spy Group…

In this case, no - but that's good crossword logic.

Winecheesesleep · 12/10/2021 19:39

@Sunbird24

Was in charge of - you need a past tense verb here that means this Infiltrating - what you get above goes inside the next bit… Spy group - literally one of these! (Think Transatlantic) Heads - what the resulting word means

Is that any help?

I was stuck on this one too but got it now - thanks!
WithMyEncyclopedia · 13/10/2021 16:29

Wahey me too!!

LavenderAskew · 14/10/2021 08:34

@Sunbird24

Was in charge of - you need a past tense verb here that means this Infiltrating - what you get above goes inside the next bit… Spy group - literally one of these! (Think Transatlantic) Heads - what the resulting word means

Is that any help?

I've actually got this. Along with your very guidance, having to Google past tense of "in charge" (because I could get past "led") and then having to look up the resulting word as I knew it look a bit like a word mean heads buy didn't know till now it was the plural!!

I think I just don't know enough general and also struggle to figure our the clues in cryptic crosswords. I have a challenge ahead of me!!

I did get one question (along with talking through it with my dad) I yesterday's I cryptic. It was only a three letter one too 🤣

LavenderAskew · 14/10/2021 08:34

*couldn't get past

NatriumChloride · 14/10/2021 10:02

I still don’t get it. 😕
“Was in charge of” - led? Managed? Directed? Commanded? Oversaw?
Spy Groups - CIA? FBI? KGB?
Let’s put those letters inside the ones above:
LECIAD, LCIAED, LEFBID… etc. You see? Still not making sense. 😭

PurpleDaisies · 14/10/2021 10:05

C - a - - a

PurpleDaisies · 14/10/2021 10:05

The spy group is around the outside