Cryptic crossword compiler

… but one that made us feel uneasy:

Creator of romance in politics (7)

Battled through Saturday’s Araucaria from the Guardian - when I say battled, the main problem was with not knowing that ‘trope‘ is a figure of speech. Even with my clever-clever masters’ degree in Applied Linguistics I had never heard of a trope. So this clearly demonstrates once again that cryptic crosswords are much easier than standard puzzles. Given the crytic clue it became clear that there the word had to exist.Well the clue was ‘River reduced into drink (figure of speech) … ‘ - what else could it be?

For my favourite clue (and the one that made us slightly ill), look at the ‘favourite clues’ section!

I have no idea how I managed this one:

Onu (10,14)
(diminished responsibility)

Not a moral man, unfit for public office (6,6)
(Norman Lamont)

For some time now I’ve been planning a guide to solving cryptic crosswords - there is such a deliberate air of mystery around these puzzles that many people are put off trying them out. I’m not a fan of exclusivity, and the reactions I get from people when I say that I’m a crossword compiler are extraordinary. You do not have to be amazingly intelligent to solve crosswords, as long as you know the rules behind them.

I worked out all these rules for myself, but it is a game that anyone can play!

Watch this space for news on my crossword-solving ebook.

Here are me and some of my family (Susie, Graham and George) at the New Years bash at the Hyatt in Sharm el-Sheikh. Fantastic chance to dress up, and it’s the first time I’ve gone out on a proper New Year’s bash for more than a decade! But as I’d just finished a mammoth collaboration with Lenna in Spain using text messages to finish this year’s devilish Guardian puzzle, I thought I deserved it … !