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Sat 19 Nov, 2011 05:57 am
1...Helps you for the most part to switch viewing channel (7)
S - Y - O - E
Your help is much appreciated.
anng
@anng,
These are the 5 words I can make from your letters, do any of them fit in with any crosswords?
1. seymore
2. skydome
3. skydove
4. spyhole
5. styrone
@Dutchy,
Dutchy wrote:
These are the 6 words I can make from your letters, do any of them fit in with any crosswords?
2. sky one
Sky One is a TV channel in some countries but are spaces allowed?
@contrex,
Have another look at my post contrex, you spoke to soon!
Thanks Dutchy and Contrex,
I also got some of those words but I just can't match any of them to the clue.
No spaces Dutchy.
Thanks for trying for me.
@anng,
anng wrote:I also got some of those words but I just can't match any of them to the clue.
Helps you for the most part to switch viewing channel (7)
It's spyhole. I'm sure of it. Spying is viewing; a hole can be a channel; a spyhole can be a viewing channel; 'switch' is a hint that you will have to switch letters around, i.e. an anagram is involved; "spyhole" is an anagram "for the most part" (no 'u') of "helps you"
Thank you contrex, I didn't realise it was an anagram.
That was the last one, and I appreciate your help.
regards
Ann
There is a set of conventions, almost a language, to do with cryptic crossword clues. See this handy little article from The Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/03/how-to-solve-cryptic-crossword
As it says, "At first glance, cryptic crossword clues can appear daunting, but what no one ever tells you is this: the answer is right in front of you – by definition. Every crossword clue contains a definition of the answer you're looking for. All you have to do is find it..."
@contrex,
Thank you contrex, very informative.
At the bottom of the page I linked to, people may notice there is a link to the Guardian's Cryptic Crossword Blog, which in turn has tons of entries and sections about this topic, and a discussion forum, and seemingly more than two thousand archived crosswords, (about 20 per month going back to mid-1999) so you can follow a forum discussion or blog with the actual crossword to refer to. Or just print them out and try to solve them. Or solve them in your browser, there are 'save', "cheat", "anagram shuffle" etc buttons and below each crossword are reader's comments (headed by a spoiler warning as they may contain solutions or hints).
I think the key thing to remember is that a cryptic crossword clue would be useless if it was impossible to solve. The role of the cryptic clue setter, as the Guardian blog editor said, is to "lose gracefully". The moment of pleasure comes when you suddenly get a clue. Cryptic puzzle setters (at least here in Britain, I don't know about elsewhere) can become celebrities among the newspaper's crossword fans. A word of warning: it can get addictive.