The mere mention of “cryptic” crossword clues can be enough to put an amateur puzzler off their game before pencil has hit paper. As The Telegraph celebrates its crossword centenary, is it time for ...

Fred Piscop charms with a very American cryptic crossword. By Caitlin Lovinger CRYPTIC CROSSWORD — We are the lucky recipients of Fred Piscop’s first cryptic crossword for The New York Times; let’s ...

Medium for some colorful jewelry: eight letters.

Welcome to Fifteen Minutes first-ever (to my knowledge) cryptic crossword. Cryptics are the trickier and weirder British cousin of normal crosswords. Whereas a normal crossword’s clues only have a ...

Cryptic crosswords look tricky, but there are conventions that can help newcomers. Most clues comprise a cryptic part and a straight definition (often a synonym of the answer). Consider the following: ...

Among the most challenging crossword puzzles are those in which the answers are hidden in the clues themselves. These are aptly called cryptic. For example, what is the answer to Used to be healthy, ...

Miriam Estrin and John Ewbank present a creative collaboration for the weekend crossword crowd. By Caitlin Lovinger CRYPTIC CROSSWORD — Both of today’s constructors have contributed daily puzzles to ...

Put-down popularized on TikTok in 2019: eight letters.