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What types of crosswords are there?

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What types of crosswords are there?

Summary

  • Crosswords vary widely:
  • by shape, size and difficulty.
  • by grid / style: free-form, themed, themeless, cryptic, rebus, barred, cipher, diagramless, fill-in, etc.
  • by language, types of clues, themes.
  • by constructors, editors, publishers.

Which crossword puzzle is most difficult?

The Saturday crossword
How hard could it be? The Saturday crossword is actually the hardest puzzle of the week. Mondays have the most straightforward clues and Saturday clues are the hardest, or involve the most wordplay.

What is a Diagramless crossword?

Diagramless crosswords, or “diagramlesses,” are blank 17-by-17-square grids that invite you to fill in the intersecting words without giving you the usual diagram provided by black boxes that tell you where the words should and shouldn’t go.

Who invented cryptic crosswords?

Edward Powys Mathers
The first crosswords with purely cryptic clues appeared in the 1920s, pioneered by Edward Powys Mathers. He established the principle, followed by many subsequent setters, of publishing under a pseudonym – in his case, the infamous 15th-Century Spanish Inquisition torturer ‘Torquemada’.

What are the best crosswords?

Here’s where to find the best crossword puzzles for free online, in books, as well as some printable options for kids and beginners.

  • New York Magazine Crossword.
  • The Washington Post.
  • Boatload Puzzles.
  • The New York Times Crossword.
  • AARP Crossword Expert.
  • Cryptic Crosswords.
  • The Los Angeles Times Crossword.

What’s the best crossword app?

7 Best Crossword Apps for Word Lovers on the Go

  • New York Times Crossword. First, let’s start with the good news.
  • Crossword Unlimited.
  • CodyCross.
  • Crossword Puzzle Free (Redstone)
  • Shortyz Crosswords.
  • Zelnut Crossword Puzzles.
  • 5-Minute Crossword Puzzles.

What is a Nina in crosswords?

A Nina is a special feature of the crossword grid: a word, words or phrase hidden within a pattern of cells in the completed grid. An example from an Indy crossword: the words STALACTITE and STALAGMITE are concealed vertically, in symmetrical positions.

What does Spooner mean in cryptic crosswords?

If you have ever tackled a cryptic crossword you will have come across the name Spooner or the term spoonerism for a clue where initial letters are swapped e.g. ‘fight the liar’ for ‘light the fire’. Spooner was an albino and as such, suffered from defective eyesight.

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