to be annoyed that I struggle with cryptic crosswords...

[NessCathy]

I've been trying to get into cryptic crosswords, and I'm really annoyed that I struggle with them, and some find them so easy. I can usually get a few and when I cheat, find myself thinking either
a) Oh, that's so bloody obvious, or
b) How could anyone have put all that together?

Anyone else like them? Maybe we could have a MN group to improve? Or a grandmaster to help us?

Ooh cheers Norma! will do now. :)

Haven't tackled the bank hol bonanza yet. am saving that one up for a day when I am feeling particularly intelligent so I can bring myself crashing down to earth again.

Hate cryptic crosswords. It feels like being made to think to a formula.
I like quick and general-knowledge ones.

Fegwood - help ened with that one i'm afraid :)

Am on a 'spend less random money' thing atm so not buying the daily paper, is the Telegraph a paid for site?

Telegraph you pay for the crossword, grauniad you don't (bless them)

Thumbwitch, try Foxit, it's a free alternative pdf reader.

10 Across
Sense there's no alternative among the crew (8)

E E

I am completely stumped . I'm going through the 5 senses. Or maybe alternative means an anagram... but of which words? Am experimenting anyway. And the whole thing means crew? Or the whole thing means sense? Or some other letters among another word for crew? Gang. Team.

Also, how do I know who compiled the crossword I'm doing? It doesn't seem to say.

Normally alternative would mean an anagram but not here!

The answer is one of your senses. Crew in crossword speak normally means a boat crew of eight. The opposite of 'no' is ....

allhailtheaubergine

Sense - you're right; it's one of the five and is the solution to the clue

there's no alternative - what is the alternative to 'no'?

among - inside or in the middle of, perhaps

the crew - in rowing terms, a crew is sometimes referred to as a number (particularly Oxford/cambridge Boat Race)

So, put the 'no' alternative inside the rowing crew and find your sense.

Usually it's only the Guardian that names their compilers (don't know about any other papers, however) - I like it; I like to see their individual style coming through.

Sorry hocuspontas - cross posted!

Damn it I should have got that. Of course. Thank you.

The Guardian is the best site for crosswords, I think, because it is all free and you can do some of them online.
Thanks for the tip, Totem - not sure if it will work though, because I have Acrobat Reader separate from the full Adobe program, but it's the Adobe that takes precedence. I used to know how to get into the registry to change the default program but I've forgotten

Thumbwitch, instead of usual left clicking on the pdf links to open them, right click and choose Save Target As... Create a folder for the crosswords and save them there.

Then either:

1. Go to that folder, right click and choose Open With..., select Choose Program and the program list will come up. Then select Foxit. If you want to you can check the 'always use this program to open these files', to associate pdf with Foxit. You can change it back to Adobe in the same way in the future.

or:

2. Open Foxit and use the File menu, navigate to the folder and open the file.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Totem - never thought to save them to another file.

The FT and The Indy name setters too. The FT crossword is supposed to be a good'un but it would be literally the only thing I bought the paper for so I've never tried it. The Indy is available online but only one day's worth; not all the archives.

Answer to my clue earlier: Must've? (5,7,2,3,3)

(Think outside of the box)

Oh yes - very good. I like that one! I was trying to fit 'missing' in somewhere...

Can you explain the Must've one to me?

I am doing 13 across now.

Remedy for one who has become distressed (4,8)

I R S O E _

I think it must be something RESOLVED or something RESOLVER. Can't work out the first bit.

no, you have to know that "tress" is a VERY popular clue/answer in cryptic crosswords. If you can work that bit out the rest is simple.

Hair Restorer??!

Yep!

This is a very cryptic clue allhailtheaubergine, what in life could become distressed? Think dis tressed.

Ha! I love it

Right, I have just got

Pleasure seekers who may turn out to be dishonest (9)

H N S

I am sure it must be HEDONISTS. The whole thing means 'pleasure seekers' and the ONIST bit comes from honest... but I'm not 100% on why, and can't see where the HED comes from.

It's an anagram of dishonest.