western australia

cryptic crosswords

A good friend and cryptic crosswords

@JudyEv (352652)

Rockingham, Australia

September 29, 2023 4:39am CST

My good friend who lives just a few doors up has had a knee replacement. I know such a procedure is very painful but she is doing well and getting a bit more mobile each day. I had coffee with her today and we tackled a cryptic crossword together. She and her husband are part of a group of friends who gather in one place over New Year. She saves up the crosswords from the daily paper and three or four of us spend some time each day trying to solve them. We won’t be getting together this year as she is spending Christmas and New Year in Canada with their three sons and their families. Vin and I will spend Christmas at a house-sit but sometime either before or after the Christmas period we’ll get together for a few days. Our New Year get-togethers have lasted some 20+ years but nothing lasts forever, good or bad.

20 people like this

20 responses

@snowy22315 (188970)

• United States

29 Sep 23

Is there a difference between a cryptic crossword and a regular crossword?

3 people like this

@BarBaraPrz (49558)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

29 Sep 23

Oh, definitely! You have to figure out the meaning of the clue before you can figure out the answer. Definition of cryptic: having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure:

3 people like this

@snowy22315 (188970)

• United States

29 Sep 23

@BarBaraPrz Thank you, I know what what cryptic means. I never heard it in relation to crosswords though. They are all a bit cryptic in their way although you get some pretty good hints.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

The clues can be very obscure but with time and practice they make more sense. I wrote a series of posts once about the different ways in which the clues are constructed. For example, the answer to 'Cat killer' is 'curiosity' as in 'Curiosity killed the cat.'

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@Beestring (15324)

• Hong Kong

29 Sep 23

Indeed, nothing lasts forever.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

That's true and we'll still get together but just not this Christmas.

1 person likes this

@allknowing (145148)

• India

30 Sep 23

When I was working my friend and I used to solve the puzzles while we were travelling together by bus Here I do not have any one who is interested.

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@allknowing (145148)

• India

30 Sep 23

@JudyEv I would carry it to the office and my boss would see what I was doing and would not say anything Perhaps he too was doing it himself (lol)

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

My mother loved cryptic crosswords and was very good at them. I don't think I'm as good as she was but I'm not as old yet.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

@LadyDuck (473773)

• Switzerland

29 Sep 23

Cryptic crosswords are very hard, but I also enjoy them. What a shame that you stop such a long and nice tradition.

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@LadyDuck (473773)

• Switzerland

30 Sep 23

@JudyEv I buy a weekly Italian magazine of crosswords. In languages different from my native language is too hard.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

We have been doing the ones in the daily paper for a long time and you get used to have the compiler thinks. I often have a lot of trouble when I try to do ones from books or other papers.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

@LadyDuck I can believe that. Much too hard even if you know the language well.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

29 Sep 23

I hope they last another 20. I am better with logic puzzles than crosswords. But that sounds like fun.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

30 Sep 23

@JudyEv It's odd. I see certain friends only once or twice a year. Mostly musician friends. But when we get together, it feels like it was two weeks ago.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

We get together 3 or 4 times year so that won't change.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

@TheHorse That's how it is with this group. We see a lot more of them now that we've moved and one couple now live a few doors up.

Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (318816)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

29 Sep 23

I'm glad your friend is doing well with her knee replacement. I've seen those cryptic crosswords. I'm glad you have fun with them.

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Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (318816)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

30 Sep 23

@JudyEv I'm sure working them with someone is easier.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

They can be very tricky sometimes but a bit easier with a couple of you bouncing ideas off each other.

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@AmbiePam (97883)

• United States

29 Sep 23

Maybe it will be good to do something different?

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

We meet up 3 or 4 times year so it's all good. Just the New Year bit will be different. We were cutting short a house-sit to get back for New Year but now we'll stay on a few extra days.

@Nawsheen (28642)

• Mauritius

29 Sep 23

My dad look forward to buy newspapers every Sunday, mostly to play crosswords as well as other games.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

There are crosswords in the daily paper and then the Saturday paper has a double spread of different games and puzzles.

1 person likes this

@Shavkat (140443)

• Philippines

29 Sep 23

I am not good at crossword puzzles from the newspaper. But my late father loved to do this every day. I hope your friend will recuperate soon. Is she getting treatments from a physiotherapist?

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@Shavkat (140443)

• Philippines

1 Oct 23

@JudyEv I am glad that she is. Knee replacement is a good choice and it will be a good prognosis when it comes to recovery.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

My mother loved crosswords too and was better at them than I am. Yes, my friend is seeing a physiotherapist regularly. She is coming along well.

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@RebeccasFarm (94538)

• Arvada, Colorado

29 Sep 23

What lovely friends you have Judy I must say..tis a lovely life you have xo

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@RebeccasFarm (94538)

• Arvada, Colorado

1 Oct 23

@JudyEv Grand Judy.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

We are lucky with our friends. We will probably meet up before Christmas to make up for New Year.

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@writerjo (2540)

• India

29 Sep 23

@JudyEv So happy to hear from you that you & vin are been together for 20 more years .. It is very difficult to stay in friendship for this much years ...I am speaking about nowadays... I hope you have something to gift her in this Christmas or New year

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

Thanks for the kind words. Vince and I have been married 53 years and we have friends with these particular friends for 20+ years. We often exchange a small gift at Christmas.

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@Marilynda1225 (84591)

• United States

29 Sep 23

I admire anyone who tackles crossword puzzles. That sounds like a fun way to spend the holidays with friends and crossword puzzles. Hopefully this will be the only holiday they aren't around and next year you can continue the crossword tradition. I'm glad she's coming along after her knee replacement.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

Yes, I think we'll all be back together next New Year and we'll also meet up somewhere before they go away.

@Ronrybs (20519)

• London, England

29 Sep 23

Tried crosswords, but never really enjoyed them

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

At least with the cryptics, there is very rarely more than one correct answer. The ordinary ones I sometimes find more difficult as there can be several options.

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@LindaOHio (187979)

• United States

30 Sep 23

That's a shame that you won't be together. It's nice that you meet to work on crosswords. I wish I had a friend like that. Have a good weekend.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Oct 23

We will get together at some other time. But the New Year gathering is a bit special.

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@BarBaraPrz (49558)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

29 Sep 23

I love doing crossword puzzles... been doing them since I was a kid... in ink.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

Good for you. At least with cryptics you generally know if the answer is correct or not. The 'ordinary' ones have a lot of options sometimes and I find them harder in a way. You're never sure if you're right or not.

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changjiangzhibin89

@changjiangzhibin89 (16914)

• China

29 Sep 23

The crosswords require brains.Not so bad,you friend and you will get together for a few days during the Christmas period !

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

Yes, we will make another time to meet up and celebrate our ongoing friendship.

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@wolfgirl569 (115601)

• Marion, Ohio

29 Sep 23

Sounds like a fun time.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

It was nice to spend a bit of time with her. I thought she might have been sitting in her lounge and a bit bored but luckily she has had lots of visitors.

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@xFiacre (13553)

• Ireland

29 Sep 23

@judyev It’s always good to have something planned for Christmas. This Christmas will be my last Christmas as minister of a Church so I might get to enjoy subsequent Christmases!

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

I can understand it when I think about it but all the priests I know are not enamoured about Christmas. It must be an incredibly busy time for them/you.

@dya80dya (36956)

•

29 Sep 23

It's true. Everything is temporary.

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

Times and people change, don't they? But we'll still be getting together, just at a different time.

@Gilljane (2902)

• Sutton, England

29 Sep 23

Alas nothing lasts forever. I am hoping that Christmas will be better this year

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@JudyEv (352652)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 23

We will be spending Christmas at a house-sit but we don't have really close family to spend it with and it saves us making excuses about not joining others if we're not inclined to. Which sounds a bit mean but isn't meant to.

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