The Sphinx's Lair

Jafe

1:23 AM

CCCC: Symbol of authority is the opposite of N-word? (5)

Prince North Læraðr

Woah there Jafe

Jafe

@msh210 think they mixed up their sports, invisible belts should clearly be ninjutsu

Ankoganit

1:41 AM

@Jafe I think this is SWORD? the opposite of N-word being the S-word

msh210

alternatively, yamen (a symbol of authority in China) = Y (opposite of N) + amen ( = I agree = "Word.")

Prince North Læraðr

2 days ago, by msh210

@oAlt until you've checked whether you've accidentally created a Schrödinger, you both have and haven't

@Ankoganit Why is N-word opposite of S-word?

Ankoganit

N is the opposite of S (as in compass directions)

Prince North Læraðr

Ah

Jafe

2:09 AM

@Ankoganit this is correct

@msh210 this seems to work really well but not intended

Prince North Læraðr

It was actually a hidden Schrodinger that you 100% meant to do

It's like an easter egg you know

And you can say amen to that

Jafe

absolutely

an eaströdinger, if you will

the opposite of weströdinger

Ankoganit

2:47 AM

CCCC: Promise to get married after wife is no longer married (7)

oAlt

@Ankoganit I do, to get wed, after W = widowed (no longer married)

Ankoganit

@oAlt yep, very quick!

oAlt

Yeah, it clicked together after I found out "wed" and what the promise was

CCCC: Mark used for letter a sign of approval, having moved (6)

Prince North Læraðr

4:01 AM

Anyone want to proofread my feedback for the cryptic crossword before I publish it? Just so that I'm not saying anything stupid

eh, imma post it. Roast me in the comments if I said anything incorrect

2

A: My first cryptic crossword

Solved: Across: Down: I will admit, I'm a bit newer(ish) to cryptic clue solving, so some of these might not be all that bad. I (and I think most of the users of this site) are fairly Ximenean when it comes to cryptic crossword constructions, so that also influences a l...

I wonder if the C4 is like ACCENT

The parsing doesn't seem to work though

What about an UMLAUT

msh210

4:23 AM

@PrinceNorthLæraðr ah, thanks for the idea. I believe it's ogonek (OK, a sign of approval, containing GONE, moved).

Prince North Læraðr

HAHA

I thought you were being sarcastic

@msh210 I thought it was some sort of "mark used for letter"

I literally had the wikipedia page open, I can't believe I missed it :P

oAlt

@msh210 correct!

Prince North Læraðr

oAlt can I ask how the heck you learned that word

@msh210 right before you pinged me I typed out OWENTK into google xD

oAlt

@PrinceNorthLæraðr I've probably seen it on Wikipedia before, randomly scrolling. But regardless of whether that's true or not, I saw it again after a clue by msh

Prince North Læraðr

which one?

oAlt

4:30 AM

But I lean toward the possibility that it's true

Jun 24 at 11:26, by msh210

CCCC: Ogonek (or breve) is circumflex, mirrored and discontinuous. (6)

Prince North Læraðr

the random wikipedia scrolling is so relatable

oAlt

hahaha

That scrolling is also why some of my clues clued random cities

Prince North Læraðr

Do you guys think like, how do I put it, an indirect homophone(?) in a wordplay is fair?

Like

> Cutout for bug without vision, say (5) INSE(-c)T

I wrote in my feedback that I didn't really like it, but I also haven't seen them very often

Like I would be sorta okay with "cut out bug without sea, say" or something

oAlt

4:47 AM

(Disclaimer: not an English expert here, and other opinions won't be the same as this)

**3a:** I think busy = loud can mean "having too much (contrasting) details that it pains your eyes". "Busy as a bee" is a phrase meaning "very busy", so I think it's fine as long as there's a question mark at the end
**15a:** "For" is a wordplay-definition connector
**21a:** "Inside every computer" doesn't really mean a noun, but something like "It's inside every computer" would
**1d:** Upward burst is a burst that goes upward, so that part of the clue is fine

test

Prince North Læraðr

test?

oAlt

Huh, why does the bold formatting not work. But anyway

I mean, the asterisks aren't doing their job

Prince North Læraðr

oh yeah

oAlt

Oops, for 21a I meant "they're", not "it's"

And a plural noun rather than just "a noun"

Prince North Læraðr

Okay I do agree now looking again upward burst is a burst going upwards

I can buy that

I think "unearthed life" is supposed to be ET like extraterrestial

oAlt

4:56 AM

Ahh

Prince North Læraðr

Also I don't like "for" as a splitter

Oh I see a lute can be "a music maker" because when it plays it makes music

I was thinking it was trying to be a synonym of bard

I don't think "Tree stowed in helmet" is still a valid clue

I like tree stowed in hat, but where's the definition?

If the definition is TREE than the wordplay is stowed in hat

Oh I see

Stowed in helmet hELMet

But I don't know if stowed in hat is fair

> Another type of extraction clue is the "hidden word" clue. This type involves a word hidden inside a phrase inside the clue. The easiest way to understand this clue type is by example:

113

Q: Cryptic Clue Guide

This post is not a puzzle. There is nothing puzzly hidden inside it or the self-answer, posted at the same time. What exactly is a cryptic crossword clue, and how do I write one?

Ofc, Deusovi isn't the final word of Cryptic Clues, but he is to me :P

msh210

CCCC: Very old man had a molar impaction (4)

Prince North Læraðr

5:11 AM

what the heck is impaction

> the condition of being or process of becoming impacted, especially of feces in the intestine.

msh210

Impacted wisdom teeth

Impacted wisdom teeth is a condition where the third molars (wisdom teeth) are prevented from erupting into the mouth. This can be caused by a physical barrier, such as other teeth, or when the tooth is angled away from a vertical position. Completely unerupted wisdom teeth usually result in no symptoms, although they can sometimes develop cysts or neoplasms. Partially erupted wisdom teeth or wisdom teeth that are not erupted but are exposed to oral bacteria through deep periodontal pocket, can develop cavities or pericoronitis. Removal of impacted wisdom teeth is advised for the future prevention...

Prince North Læraðr

ew

is that why ppl get their wisdom teeth removed?

msh210

I think it's more often prophylactic, to prevent impaction.

Prince North Læraðr

ah

Hm a four letter word for very old man could be like ADAM

msh210

@msh210 Not sure, tbh.

Prince North Læraðr

5:18 AM

Hm a dam can be

I... didn't read the last half of the sentence

> a rubber sheet used to keep saliva from the teeth during dental operations

Don't molars also have names

Oh yeah

Hm

msh210

@PrinceNorthLæraðr mine are all Fred

Prince North Læraðr

Ha

You would think the shorter numerations are easier but no

msh210

@PrinceNorthLæraðr not a very useful definition unless you know what impacted means

Prince North Læraðr

Oh I got it

_ADAM_

Impacted in medical term means to be stuck in between something

> packed or wedged in

msh210

there you go

well done

Prince North Læraðr

5:28 AM

Thank you for the hint :P that was a really nice surface

msh210

thanks

Prince North Læraðr

I figured you sending me the wikipedia page to "impacted wisdom teeth" meant it probably wasn't the definition/wasn't going to find too many useful things for the clue

msh210

I was merely explaining the surface, since you'd asked.

Prince North Læraðr

Ah yeah

msh210

But yeah I probably wouldn't've if it were going to be too helpful

Prince North Læraðr

5:31 AM

> what the heck is impaction

I was asking the right questions :P

CCCC: Structure domain location (11)

Ankoganit

@PrinceNorthLæraðr com+position

Prince North Læraðr

yupp

oAlt

5:48 AM

@PrinceNorthLæraðr Yeah, that's the one

@PrinceNorthLæraðr That's fine

Prince North Læraðr

6:16 AM

wow @Jafe you've been making GLADYS puzzles since 2019?

Ankoganit

CCCC: Wordplay giving valued deadline for freshness? (3,2,4)

Jafe

@PrinceNorthLæraðr or 2018, depending on whether you count the first one :)

Prince North Læraðr

Wow

6 year project and still going on strong

oAlt

@Ankoganit use-by date, reverse cryptic: value (use) by D (date)

Ankoganit

@oAlt yep!

oAlt

6:27 AM

should have a hyphen but issue shmissue

Ankoganit

ah fair enough

oAlt

Never mind I kind of stand corrected, google gives results for no hyphen too

Ankoganit

I'll pretend I knew that all along

Prince North Læraðr

@oAlt reverse cryptic?

oAlt

CCCC: Cause of disease in five people including me? Receiving a small dose of radiation (5)

@PrinceNorthLæraðr the answer to the clue can be interpreted as a clue itself that gives wordplay for the word "valued"

Prince North Læraðr

6:30 AM

huh

oAlt

@PrinceNorthLæraðr The answer to the clue is "use by date" (defn deadline for freshness) and the wordplay comes from "wordplay giving valued". How does "use by date" satisfy the wordplay? Well, if you interpret "use" as "value" (which you can, since they can be synonyms as nouns), "by" as placing one next to the other, and "date" as D (which you can, since you may see that often along with M = month and Y = year), that gives value + D, which reads "valued".

So indeed, "use by date" is wordplay that gives the word "valued".

Other people can probably explain this better, sorry about that

Prince North Læraðr

Ohhhhhhhh

oAlt

(P.S. My justification for why D = date is wrong (D in M-D-Y is day, not date) but it is still in usage, according to Merriam-Webster and Collins)

msh210

@oAlt virus (cause of disease) = V us receiving 1R

oAlt

@msh210 And that's correct

msh210

6:43 AM

CCCC: Liveliness left when side-splitting fever battered perhaps-medicine-deprived me. (13)

Prince North Læraðr

I really wanted it to be WITHDRAWAL

I really want it to be EFFERVESCENCE because it's such a cool word

It also has *FEVER in it

Hm okay I think I got it

@msh210 _EF_FERVE+SC(-I)ENCE

Ankoganit

ah, nice

Prince North Læraðr

I love using Qat -_-;

oAlt

yep just saw it too. But I didn't see "science" immediately, so nice find

Prince North Læraðr

thanks!

and by using Qat I just mean typing {thes:[word]} and seeing what pops up

Helps me at least see possible letter words

Oh I can put in specific lengths

:O

msh210

7:11 AM

@PrinceNorthLæraðr yep! That was quick.

Prince North Læraðr

Deusovi would be so proud of me :D going from CC noob to regularly solving C4s

Stevo

heres my context: the last time ive seen this person was 2 years ago, and he proclaims himself to suck at C4's like me, and proceeds to start pumping out solves. And here I am.

Prince North Læraðr

huh

are you talking about me?

Last time I was here was probably 2 years ago xD

If you need proof about how bad I was

chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/117048/testsolving-for-north

I don't know if you can see that actually

It's basically just Deusovi and bobble roasting me

Stevo

@PrinceNorthLæraðr yeah, I was

@PrinceNorthLæraðr it's a private, so I can't see it

Prince North Læraðr

Yeah, I forgot it was a modded private room because it was for test-solving

Actually I'm glad that room is mod-private. Whew

Some comments from Deus:

> @north just gave these a look - overall, i'd say a lot of the surfaces really don't make sense? like, "Special convention from Virginia after chopping the tail of African mammal" -- i can't imagine a reasonable situation in which someone would say that. same for "“Camel’s cousin, leaping lizards!” starts group of doctors."
also, you're inconsistent with periods ending clues - remove all of those. clues basically never end in periods, even if they could be sentences

Stevo

7:34 AM

i probably sucked more

still do, thats the problem

Prince North Læraðr

It's okay

It just kind of clicked for me couple weeks ago, but that's after not being on this site for over 2 years

Stevo

i took a hiatus for 6 months because I forgot the site existed for that 6 months

Prince North Læraðr

I probably will disappear again in a couple weeks xD this site has been a slight reprieve from the endless amounts of chemistry I have to do for summer school

But regular semester starts up in a couple weeks and now I have all my normal music course load plus Organic chemistry :D (dies)

Aug 5 at 4:31, by Ankoganit

@PrinceNorthLæraðr I think there's a distinct moment where you stop thinking of cryptic clues as puzzles with an arbitrary set of rules and realize "oh it's just instructions phrased weirdly to mess with me"

That helped a lot

But don't feel too discouraged

I've been on this site for 6 and a half years and now just started making sense

I would suggest you check out the Guardian's quick cryptics if you want to practice

I also extensively use Qat

I'm not super proficient at it but it helps me to narrow down definitions

Anyways need to go to sleep, will have a clue for y'all sometime tomorrow

Stevo

8:09 AM

good night

oAlt

11:43 AM

I'm still not immune to looking at dictionaries for the C4's

Jafe

12:08 PM

i'm still not immune from looking at black market sellers for c-4

wait no, unwatchlist, unwatchlist

started a 66-clue jumbo cryptic because i hate future jafe and hope he has a hard time

2

oAlt

12:34 PM

@Jafe 😭😭

Sphinx

1:33 PM

0

Q: Give or take one

How many points should the first country get? Why? Small Catalan speaking country (7) ? points Small country in the horn of Africa (8) 8 points Montainous...

knowledge pattern

bobble

1:54 PM

@oAlt formatting doesn't work on multiline messages

Jafe

one of the unsolved problems of computer science

oAlt

Oh wow

That's unfortunate

Ankoganit

2:17 PM

@Jafe P vs \nP

4

Jafe

hehehe

oAlt

Lol

Sphinx

3:31 PM

0

Q: Stacked Nurikabe

My first go at puzzle construction! It's basically Nurikabe, but you have two boards stacked on top of each other, e.g. the first over the second, and the original constraints must still be satisfied with the added vertical dimension. The idea is not new, but it was a fun challenge coming up with...

logical-deduction grid-deduction

Sphinx

5:31 PM

0

Q: A peculiar sequence of events

Here is a chess puzzle of a somewhat different flavour than my usual stuff. I hope you like it. :) I had just witnessed a chess game with a rather interesting sequence of moves in the endgame. It started by one of the players giving a discovered check on the opposing king. Then, for four single m...

logical-deduction chess retrograde-analysis

Sphinx

11:04 PM

0

Q: King and Rook vs King (Passing Allowed)

It is well known that King and Rook always defeat a lone King. However, this requires the use of zugzwang. If passing were allowed then experimentation suggests the weaker side should always draw, unless the starting position was extremely unfavourable. Let us suggest a modified rule: passing is ...

chess

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