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Crossword blog

The crossword blog looks at the smartest and wittiest clues from all the cryptics. Come and share the joy and frustration of crossword culture

December 2024

  • Two Ronnies mastermind

    Crossword blog
    When does a cryptic crossword become a work of Genius?

    A recent Guardian puzzle achieved something that even the paper’s crossword editor thought impossible. And the clue to solving it lay in a Two Ronnies sketch

November 2024

  • Are you BRAT?

    Crossword blog
    Words of the year: maybe I’m delulu, but these don’t seem like words people actually use

  • many crosswords

    Crossword blog
    Devious humour and painful puns: will the cryptic crossword remain the last thing AI can’t conquer?

October 2024

  • A solver enjoying the satisfaction of decoding a clue

    Crossword blog
    How to solve cryptic crosswords – the ultimate beginner’s guide

  • John 'Ludwig' Taylor composing a puzzle

    Crossword blog
    Ludwig, the Guardian’s genius new crossword setter

September 2024

  • The Soup Dragon with Peter Firmin and Mother Clanger

    Crossword blog
    Crossword roundup: a flurry of Keir Starmer solutions – and some dragons

    Setters found myriad uses for the newish prime minister in our pick of the best of the cryptic clues

August 2024

  • Michael Curl, Crossword Compiler, Orlando in the Guardian

    Crossword blog
    Crossword roundup: goodbye to Orlando

  • A ‘black box’ flight recorder discovered in 2004 in a UN filing cabinet

    Crossword blog
    Crossword roundup: hidden Olympics … and a very orange secrets box

July 2024

  • Young James Bond, depicted by Kev Walker

    Crossword blog
    Crossword book club: Double or Die by Charlie Higson

    Crosswords play a vital role in this entry in the Young Bond series
  • Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chat

    Crossword blog
    Crossword roundup: the origins of presidential names

    An unflattering description of a KENNEDY in our pick of the best of the broadsheets
    • Crossword blog
      Crossword blog: a remarkable, autobiographical puzzle

    • Crossword blog
      Crossword roundup: which cabinet members will crosswords favour?

    • Cryptic crosswords for beginners
      Cryptic crosswords for beginners: one thing on top of another

June 2024

  • Elon Musk Rebranding Twitter Logo From Bird To "X"<br>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24: A worker removes letters from the Twitter sign that is posted on the exterior of Twitter headquarters on July 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Workers began removing the letters from the sign outside Twitter headquarters less than 24 hours after CEO Elon Musk officially rebranded Twitter as "X" and has changed its iconic bird logo, the biggest change he has made since taking over the social media platform. San Francisco police halted the sign removal shortly after it began. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    Crossword blog
    Crossword roundup: goodbye Rishi and the meaning of ‘X’

    Opinion polls, PMs of various kinds and the final few Rishis feature in our pick of the best of the broadsheets’ cryptic clues
  • Inside No 9 - Boo to a Goose

    Crossword blog
    ‘Better to escape than delete’ – Guardian crossword setter Sphinx returns

    As Steve Pemberton reappears on the puzzle page with a special challenge, he reveals his wordplay influences – from Taskmaster to the Two Ronnies, and Inside No 9
  • Trading game Pit

    Crossword blog
    Crossword roundup: what word can mean ‘game’, ‘set’ and ‘match’?

    Some masterful cluing and topical snapshots in our pick of the best of the broadsheets’ cryptic clues

May 2024

  • Equations on blackboard

    Crossword blog
    Crosswords: what to do when a puzzle looks harder than it actually is

  • Alphabet spaghetti

    Cryptic crosswords for beginners
    Cryptic crosswords: all on a plate – how often is the solution word in the clue itself?

  • Wayland’s Smithy ancient Neolithic long barrow

    Crossword blog
    Crossword roundup: is Waylon Smithers named after Wayland’s Smithy?

  • Abba at Waterloo, 10 April 1974

    Cryptic crosswords for beginners
    Cryptic crosswords for beginners: trains and railways

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