Acqua alle Funi Cryptic Crossword No. 1

Welcome to the first Acqua alle Funi Cryptic Crossword. Being the first, I will briefly introduce the flavour of these crosswords for what will hopefully be a regular feature in this esteemed zine. They are cryptic in the sense each clue is like a word puzzle. For those having never before laterally wrapped their minds around such a crossword puzzle (they seem much more popular in English speaking countries outside the USA !) here I give 4 possible clues for the word theorist so that you get the idea (but by no means treat these as the only type of clues....clues can be virtually any play on words, or just simple synonyms). In all the examples below I use the word physicist as a synonym for theorist, but I could have used anything. Typically a synonym for the word will be somewhere in the clue (but not necessarily !).

1) The rot is mixed for physicist.
("the rot is" are the letters of "theorist" mixed)

2) Physicist confused his otter.
(similarly, this is the anagram type of clue)

3) The sound of awe is german physicist.
(THE + "sound of awe" (+OR) "is german (+IST))

...and lastly, in puzzles like those in The London Times, the clue might be something nasty like....

4) Some ideas know why a saint is a physicist.
("some ideas" (THEORY), "know why" (read as no y, i.e. subtract the y) --> THEOR, "a" (as in one, +I), "saint" (+ST))

Answers will be given at this same page on May 31, 1999 (they are now available !), and the names of those with correct (or almost correct) submissions will be prominently displayed on the Cryptic Crossword page of the next Acqua alle Funi issue. (email solutions to mkruse@cdfsga.fnal.gov preferably in ascii format.) Good luck !


The Puzzle
(postscipt version for printing, or just print this page from your browser)

Clues

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Scream "South Carolina" with mixed cheer (7) 2. Withdraw about shift (6)
5. Circle bar game backwards (4) 3. Its good I bleed messily (6)
7. Its upsetting; no pet, income, power (11) 4. Hydrogen sounds like a mistake for basketball ! (5)
8. Even both ways (5) 5. Fifty ? That is fiction (3)
10. Chant the French one (6) 6. Offers gifts (8)
12. True, one of the first ends north (4) 8. Keep letters to end an argument (4,4)
13. Center leaf art in the distance (4) 9. Live from the bottom is bad (4)
16. Wealth is strange, pays not to break it (3,3) 11. Touching neon with argon (4)
18. Songs Sara and I mixed (5) 14. Loud morning without us is well known (6)
19. Working is not compulsory, about time ! (11) 15. Humorous, for the third of April I have no hair (6)
21. Fruit appointment ? (4) 17. hijklmno (5)
22. Sounds like you live around what's left (7) 20. Not true sorrow (3)

Solution...

click here

Mark Kruse, March 1999, mkruse@cdfsga.fnal.gov