For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

All discussion relevant to Countdown that is not too spoilerific. New members: come here first to introduce yourself. We don't bite, or at least rarely.
Post Reply
Keith Bennett
Acolyte
Posts: 154
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:26 am
Location: Kent

For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

Post by Keith Bennett »

Season's greetings everybody.

One of my interests is crosswords and in recent months I have been having some fun writing cryptic clues (which is one reason I don’t play many games on Apterous these days).

This link is to a crossword I have created based as much as possible on words offered by the 8 finalists in the recent series (not necessarily words which won a round).

http://crossword.info/keithb/countdown_series_71

The 8 answers around the edge are all words the finalists submitted - one from each finalist in fact. In total about half the clues have answers which were submitted by the finalists; these are all entirely in bold, and the initials of the person who offered them are shown in brackets at the end - so if you get stuck you can have a look through their games for a hint. And you'll be pleased to know that one of the greatest 9 spots in Countdown history makes an appearance.

A few other clues use Countdown-related names or words in them (emboldened)

The remainder have a word that one of the finalists offered in the clue itself (also emboldened), and for completeness their initials at the end. (In one case the word is used in a different tense otherwise the clue wouldn't be grammatically correct).

So if cryptic crosswords interest you, have a go. The grid is interactive, so you can complete it online, or you can print off a PDF if you prefer.

For anyone new to cryptics the basic principle is that the clue contains a definition - nearly always at one end of the clue, not in the middle - and also some "wordplay" such as an anagram. To get an idea of the various tricks of the trade this link is particularly helpful:


http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2008/09/dictionary.html

There's a lot of good information on that site.

When I tackle crosswords I quite often find I can work out an answer from the crossing letters and the definition without quite working out why it's right from the wordplay. If anybody wants to discuss answers through this thread that seems fine to me providing "spoiler" warnings are posted.

In a few days’ time I will put a full parse on here and answer any queries/complaints, unless it looks as though nobody is remotely interested, in which case fair enough, at least I’ve tried it out!
User avatar
Innis Carson
Devotee
Posts: 898
Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2008 3:24 pm

Re: For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

Post by Innis Carson »

Just finished it. Good fun and pretty approachable for someone without very much experience of cryptic crosswords - there was one clue I had to look up a definition to understand, and one clue I still don't fully understand, but the answers were guessable anyway and besides that one definition it didn't require any googling (though I suppose it might be harder for people who've been paying less attention to Countdown). Thanks for posting!
Keith Bennett
Acolyte
Posts: 154
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:26 am
Location: Kent

Re: For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

Post by Keith Bennett »

Glad you enjoyed it Innis, thanks for having a go at it and for the feedback.
there was one clue I had to look up a definition to understand, and one clue I still don't fully understand,
By all means PM me with the one you didn't nail if you want - I'd be curious to know which one it is anyway.
Jayne Wisniewski
Rookie
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:45 pm

Re: For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

Post by Jayne Wisniewski »

I printed off this crossword to have a go at but didn't get very far as I'm not very good with cryptic clues. My husband finished it though. We both thought that it was cleverly done and enjoyable. It's obvious a lot of work went into it so well done and thanks for posting it.
Zubair Patel
Rookie
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 12:52 pm

Re: For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

Post by Zubair Patel »

Thanks for posting Keith - enjoyed tackling it even though i only managed to get about halfway. Been a few years since i last tried a cryptic crossword though.
I'll PM you about one or two queries i have.
Keith Bennett
Acolyte
Posts: 154
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:26 am
Location: Kent

Re: For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

Post by Keith Bennett »

Jayne Wisniewski wrote:I printed off this crossword to have a go at but didn't get very far as I'm not very good with cryptic clues. My husband finished it though. We both thought that it was cleverly done and enjoyable. It's obvious a lot of work went into it so well done and thanks for posting it.
Hi Jayne, glad you enjoyed it. And well done to Mr W for completing it. I tried to include a fair number of anagrams or partial anagrams as I thought they'd appeal to countdowners.

Yes, it took a fair bit of work, and trying to fit some relevant words into some of the clues was quite tricky; in fact one or two are a bit contrived as a result. But I've been compiling crosswords elsewhere for a while so if I hadn't been doing it here I'd have been doing it somewhere else - and it was a good opportunity to set one with a specific goal in mind.

Thanks very much for your feedback.
Keith Bennett
Acolyte
Posts: 154
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:26 am
Location: Kent

Re: For any Crossword fans here's one based on series 71

Post by Keith Bennett »

Zubair Patel wrote:Thanks for posting Keith - enjoyed tackling it even though i only managed to get about halfway. Been a few years since i last tried a cryptic crossword though.
I'll PM you about one or two queries i have.
Hi Zubair, thanks for having a go. Yes by all means PM queries and I'll help you out.
Post Reply