Double Trouble #1: “Apes act coy”

Comments

• JWords constructor · 2024-02-07T11:27:09.249Z

  Annotations:

  1A: CON+FOUND

  4A: FORNOWSCAM*

  5A: Reverse wordplay (is there a proper name for this?) i.e. if you treat BACKBONE as a cryptic clue you might get TIBIA< = AI BIT

  1D: CO(P)YCAT* + S

  2D: OUT OF + WHACK

  3D: GE(MS)T ON + E(-nnui)

  Report
• Aaron Riccio 🤓8:06 · 2024-02-07T12:43:49.212Z

  Some people call what you've done in 5A a "revenge" clue (a portmanteau for "reverse engineer"); I rather like that term, so it's what I use when talking about them. That said, most clues I've seen of this type are direct (e.g., BAD IDEA as an answer referencing the clue "aide"), and it took me a while to recognize that TIBIA was standing in for BONE.

  As for the rest of the grid, I love this doubling idea (have you ever done a Double or Nothing puzzle?), although it does make the grid a bit harder to fill at first. I really liked 4A and 1A; 3D was the first thing I felt confident to enter. I managed to fill in 2D without solving the parse; in retrospect, it's fair—I just wasn't expecting it be a charade.

  Report
  • JWords constructor · 2024-02-07T17:57:16.876Z

    Ahh, so there is a word for it! You’re right that it’s definitely much fairer when it’s direct and this is almost certainly one level of abstraction too many — but I think I’ll leave it for now since the definition is so simple. Will definitely be more careful when “revenging” in future!

    I haven’t seen a Double or Nothing before but looking it up it does seem really interesting — although I’m not much of an American crossword solver and can’t seem to find any examples in cryptic form. I might be tempted to put one together on here if only we could include empty cells in completed grids! Ah well.

    Thanks for the comment and for solving!

    Report
• JSP 🤓2:27 · 2024-02-07T14:39:24.531Z

  This was really fun; I'd love to see more like it! I didn't find any of the clues too challenging, except for 5A, which I got from the definition and checking letters. Fair clue, but I was totally looking for a reverse anagram. Anyways, I love your style! :)

  Report
  • JWords constructor · 2024-02-07T18:01:55.015Z

    Thanks very much, really glad you enjoyed! I’ll keep up with this format since it was good fun to put together. I tried not to make anything too fiendish, since I knew it would be pretty daunting having to cold solve a 6 or 8 letter word at the start!

    Report
• merlinnimue 🤓5:54 · 2024-02-07T16:23:58.312Z

  thanks, unlike the other geniuses i definitely found this challenging and near my limit (which doesn't actually say much... in fact, i still don't get 2d)

  Report
  • JWords constructor · 2024-02-07T18:07:25.461Z

    Thanks for the comment and for solving. Re 2D: Not working is the def.; having lost last = OUT OF; pound = WHACK (as in a punch). Just a well-disguised charade! Apologies for the difficulty level, hopefully you still managed to enjoy.

    Report
• nate 🤓4:29 · 2024-02-08T02:57:40.370Z

  Awesome! Took me a bit to get my bearings with the format, but once I did it was great fun. Nice work

  Report
  • JWords constructor · 2024-02-08T08:21:53.306Z

    Thanks!

    Report
• dooiemus 🤓1:30 · 2024-02-12T12:01:38.480Z

  Very nice...in 1D, can "on" really be an inclusion indicator?

  Report
  • JWords constructor · 2024-02-12T16:23:08.906Z

    Good point, I had used it without really thinking, imagining it in the sense of cladding/covering (say, a glove on a hand). I can’t recall if I’ve seen it in a published puzzle, but while I think it is legitimate (in that there is a valid interpretation of the word that acts as a container), it’s not very fair to the solver so I’ll probably avoid using it in future. Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn’t really considered it. Thanks for solving!

    Report