![]() In my early puzzles, I’d think of some wordplay and try to bolt on a definition. Where you can’t initially spot the join between definition and wordplay. ![]() Someone smugly said something like “um … but this isn’t actually a cryptic crossword clue, is it!”: I figured if the wording was plausible enough to provoke this response, there’s a compliment hiding in there. I wrote a puzzle themed on The Young Ones and one of the clues was:Ģ4d With leading parts of Mike, Rick, Vyvyan and Neil plus Alexei Sayle, ultimately playing scumbags (6) I don’t think it’s a fair criticism of cryptics, but I strive to avoid nonsense. It might be a sentence, but it’s not one anyone would ever write. One thing that puts off non-solvers is the idea in the popular imagination that a cryptic clue is something like: “The French glasses are hot after a pelican walks quickly (7)”. You seem to place a lot of importance on making your clues plausible snatches of language. This all works so long as I later make sure the puzzle works as a whole – mostly when the rest of the house is asleep. I’ll stare at a word, seeking inspiration and later, while kicking a ball around with my son in the back yard, something lands. I think most solvers will relate to the idea that your subconscious can solve: you were on the train, staring at seven down for ages and that night, while doing the washing up, the answer lands. So I leave my laptop on the side and at odd moments, I’ll tinker. I’ll happily spend an hour writing clues but it’s also something I can dip in and out of. It wasn’t can-I-get-one-published-and-tick-it-off-my-bucket-list? it was OK-can-I-become-a-crossword-setter? So I said: “if I write another with a decent grid would you take a look?” I didn’t want to be vanity published as a one-off novelty. Mike Hutchinson, crossword editor at the Independent, essentially said: “the grid’s awful but the clues are good”. I had time on my hands, so I wrote a puzzle and shared it on Twitter. I find my words on stage by telling stories to audiences, so 2020 was pretty much a write-off. The pandemic forced me into a decent impression of early retirement. I used to think: I’ll wait until I retire and have a proper tilt at it. The idea has been at the back of my mind since then … so just the 14 years before I put it into action. Parker on this effort and redouble our editorial process so that there is a stronger second level of review,” Universal Uclick said in a statement.He was accurate: my puzzle was all over the place and I learned a lot from him. ![]() Parker will confirm that his process for constructing puzzles uses the best available technology to ensure that everything he edits is original. Parker will take a three-month leave of absence as editor of the Universal Crossword puzzle. No puzzles that appear in Gannett/USA Today Network publications are being edited by Timothy Parker nor will they be edited by Timothy Parker in the future,” Gannett communications VP Amber Allman said in a statement.ĭespite USA Today cutting ties with Parker, it appears he will keep his job after a three-month punishment. ![]() Timothy Parker is not, nor ever has been, an employee of USA Today. We conducted our own investigation and we are satisfied with how Universal Uclick has responded to the situation. ![]() “USA Today continues to take this matter very seriously. USA Today will continue to get its crossword puzzles from Universal Uclick but issued its own statement distancing the paper from Parker. Gannett will not feature puzzles by Parker in any publications going forward, as first reported by FiveThirtyEight. USA Today’s parent company, Gannett, has been in the news lately after its attempt to purchase Tribune Publishing was rejected. Content syndicate Universal Uclick creates the puzzles for USA Today and followed up with its own investigation.Īlso Read: Tribune Approves 'Poison Pill' to Fend Off Gannett Takeover USA Today will no longer run any crossword puzzles edited by Timothy Parker, who is accused of duplicating puzzles from The New York Times, among other publications.įiveThirtyEight launched an investigation in March, exploring allegations of plagiarism against Parker by using a database of tens of thousands of existing puzzles. USA Today has ended its relationship with its longtime crossword puzzle editor after an investigation by ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight exposed on-going plagiarism. ![]()
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