Cryptic Crosswords...

I wondered if anyone else here likes doing cryptic crosswords?

They have become one of my favourite puzzles recently. There are lots of different types of clues and they are certainly a little bit impenetrable at first.

I'm at the stage generally where I try to work out which bit is the 'straight' part of the clue and then try to think of words that could fit and then see if any of those could fit the rest of the clue.

The biggest tip is that the definition part is almost always the start or end of the clue, so check both bits and try to see if either work.

However, the punctuation and spacing and the way that words flow together can be very confusing, so you have to consider each word individually and perhaps divorced from the surrounding words to work out all the possible options and interpretations for a clue.

There are still some clues where I have no real idea why the answer is the answer, but I'm getting better... and I think the wordplay is so convoluted sometimes that only the writer will know why the solution is what it is!

There are cryptic crosswords in lots of daily newspapers; I have only tried a few so don't know which are the most difficult and which are the most accessible.

Do you do cryptic crosswords? In which newspaper are they easiest/hardest? Any solving tips or information on types of clues? I'm reading a book on solving cryptics so will try to post any good hints or tips I find on identifying and solving different types of clues as I go along!