Welcome to the Clue Clinic. We won’t keep you waiting long…
The Clue Clinic is a site for cryptic crossword lovers – novices, veterans or those somewhere in between. We aim to help beginners to understand the ‘language’ of cryptics, to assist more experienced solvers to improve their solving skills, and to encourage solvers who would like to move towards clue writing and setting. Whether you’re a solver plagued by a puzzling participle or a setter seeking surgical precision, you’ve come to the right place. If this is your first appointment, we can recommend the following pathways to help you find what you’re looking for:
For regular solvers:
- Read our case notes on The Observer’s Azed and Gemelo puzzles (linked from the Home page)
- Browse our Clinical Data to decipher abbreviations and indicators used in cryptics
- Ask questions or share thoughts through comments, or use our Forum (see Discussions below)
For setters:
- Scrub up for a session in the Setting Room for comprehensive guidance on clue-writing
- Ask questions or express views about clue-writing on the Ask the Doctor (see Discussions below)
- Browse our Clinical Data to find abbreviations and indicators to fine-tune your treatments
- Visit the morgue where cases of possible Foul Play are kept in cold storage
For solvers new to barred puzzles:
- Visit our Library of reference works, both essential and ‘nice to have’
- Check out the Setting Room to find out more about the sorts of clue you might encounter
- Take a peek at our Clue Movies (don’t tell matron!) explaining how barred puzzles work
- Ask any questions you like (see Discussions below)
These lists are by no means prescriptive – in practice, of course, there is a great deal of overlap between solvers’ and setters’ needs, and we encourage all our visitors to explore the clinic as they wish.
Please step inside – the doctor will see you now.
Discussions
The Clinic would be a poor place indeed were it not for the many and varied contributions made by readers, be they new solvers or experienced setters. Comments, questions, and even complaints are encouraged.
- Most pages and posts have the comment facility enabled. If you want to ask a question or make an observation relating to a particular page or post, that’s the place to do it.
- The Ask the Doctor page is for any other observations, questions about solving/setting, and cruciverbal thoughts of any kind. If you’re not sure where a comment should go, this is the place.
- The Forum will shortly be relaunched as the place for group discussions. Anyone can create a topic or post a reply, but if you use the facility regularly registration is strongly advised as all postings from guest users are subject to moderation before they are published.
- The Site Feedback page is specifically for comments about the site itself, eg to bring a problem to our attention or suggest an improvement to an area of the site.
If there’s something you’d like to tell the doctors in confidence (we have taken the hypocritic oath), send us an email using the address on the Contact page. Discretion is assured.