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HomeCookbooksMexican CookbooksThe Everything Cryptic Crosswords Book: 100 complex and challenging puzzles for word lovers! (Everything: Sports and Hobbies) |
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|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review: ( 6 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 A substandard book Oct 29, 2009
By Tony Le
I agree with hia: The clues are sub-par and many do feel forced. In addition, some wordplay devices are just plain wrong. For example:
Eggs without second spinal cord (4)
"Second spinal" is supposed to clue the letter P but grammatically it fails, because there's no real indication of letter selection, as in, say, "second OF spinal" or "spinal's second". Here's something that would work:
Eggs without spine's second line (4)
Still an uninspired surface, but at least it's a little more fair. For a more comprehensive treatment on this subject, do an Internet search on "Ximenean clueing".
Another problem is that many of the grids have words thare are sparsely checked (i.e., they have too few crossing words). In general, words should have at least half their letters checked. (With an odd number of letters, some are strict and round up [e.g., 4 out of 7] while others are loose and round down [3 out of 7].) In addition, no more than two letters in a row should be unchecked. This guideline is broken many times - in the most egregious example, as many as NINE consecutive letters are unchecked! (The grid was shaped to match the theme of the puzzle.)
I would recommend a book such as 102 Cryptic Crosswords (Mensa) instead of this one. It has smoother clue-writing with more natural-sounding clues, but above all, the clues are fairly constructed.
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Not for beginners Feb 21, 2008
By hia
"hia"
I used this book as a textbook in an adult ed course on cryptic crosswords and was really disappointed. The setter's clues are below par and all too often forced. He uses truly unusual words as answers that one must look up in dictionaries; this is acceptable in British cryptics, but not the norm in American cryptics. Definitely not a book for beginners and not all that satisfying for seasoned solvers.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Brain exercise Jul 04, 2008
By Peggy J. Mueller
"Cryptic puzzle buff"
This is a great confidence builder, especially when you don't peek at the answers. Solving gives a real boost to your self esteem. A good way to build your vocabulary and word usage. I am 76 years old and love cryptic puzzles, particularly the black and white square type.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Love Those Cryptics Oct 30, 2008
By D. Goerner
"700 albums"
Being a big fan if cryptic crosswords, I've been discouraged by the lack of collections such as this. The puzzles become increasingly more challenging as one progresses through the pages, but the clues and answers are not so obscure or arcane as many of those found in British publications. Thank you, Mr. Tucker, for creating a truly fun book! (I'm still working on it.)
1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
great fun book Feb 08, 2008
By Mary
Excellent book. I take it with me and do a few clues at a time. The answers at the back really help. It is my first go at crosswords and this book is the perfect solution.
See all 6 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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