What is a "Decrypted"? For those just getting started with cryptic crosswords, half the puzzle is figuring out what instructions are in the clue. For this exercise, all of the clues will only employ a single "hidden word" device. To help demonstrate, the definition will be bolded and the device indicator will be italicized (Normally, there are no such hints, of course!). For example, Debateof guar gum enthusiasm -> ARGUMENT. n.b. I'm not an expert crossword constructor or seasoned cryptic crossword solver, please check the comments for any feedback / corrections :)
Amazing! Again, don't look at my time. I like to print out puzzles like this and work with a pencil. After I got the first 5 or so Across clues things started to click. I think it took about 10 minutes to complete. I hid the completed puzzle while filling this one out and got the 3-minute time. KENDO was my biggest stumper because I was thinking of a fence in a field. I never associated kendo with fencing like with an epee, I've always associated it with just plain sword fighting. Awesome puzzle, thank you!
If I looked at only the bold words, this made sense. All the other bits felt extraneous. I think that may be why I don’t get cryptics because the rest don’t feel like clues, just random words.
You can find the solution in the other letters if you look closely (and it may be split across words) - no need to anagram or skip letters or anything. They’re there in continuous letters
Oh, right. Well the straight definitions are not always so simple, (sometimes it's "Boy" and the answer is "ollie" for example) and since not all letters are checked, the rest helps validate the unchecked letters.