Welcome to The Clue Clinic – where people interested in solving or setting cryptic crosswords come to learn, sharpen their skills, and get expert guidance from experienced setters.
If this is your first visit, we would recommend visiting the About This Site page to get some ideas about the areas of the site which may be of particular interest to you and the ways in which you can interact with Clinic staff and other readers.
What’s New
The PDF of the latest Gemelo puzzle is available at this link: Gemelo 51.
The PDF of the latest Azed puzzle is available at this link: Azed 2,784
The September Digest is now published, with views, news…and a chance to give your opinion on the health of the cryptic
The Forum is now available for discussion of all things crossword-related
Latest Posts




Latest Comments
Latest Forum Topics/Posts
Many years ago I had a a cuddly toy which was given that name, more I think because it bore…
I had a slightly more well known dynasty for a slightly more pungent word for pungency. Blame my parents.
Good question! No, ‘cattle’ doesn’t have to define a plural, but any singular noun which it indicated would need to…
Hi, here’s another for you. Can ‘cattle’ only define plurals? How about ‘cutlery’? I tried searching the clue database but…
This certainly isn’t one of my strong areas, but I would not immediately have thought of Gideon as being a…
Thank you for the notes. I think this could go up against ‘Spooner or Letter’ for the title of the…
DOH! Mea nulpa. John.
Aha, I’ve just seen your comment, Jay, after starting a new discussion in the Forum which may be of interest…
Ah! Not THE MATIN but THEMATIC!
A thematic entry for the non-competition… King John leased it with thanks after distillation of Armagnac (5,5) (Armagnac)* TA…
RE: New clue writing competition
I'm looking forward to that! I especially like the idea of the clues with constraints.
By Alex , 4 days ago
RE: New clue writing competition
I think a lot of us felt that way when we first started trying to write clues – either that, or we thought we were total…
By Doctor Cluelittle , 5 days ago
RE: New clue writing competition
That's great news, the sooner the better. I'll certainly give it a go.
By Anonymous , 5 days ago
RE: New clue writing competition
Pretty sure it's not something I'd stand a chance of winning, but sounds like a great idea!
By CluelessBeginner , 5 days ago
RE: New clue writing competition
Hi Dr Cluelittle, I would certainly participate if you were to do this. As you’ve just seen I’ve already jumped the gun …
By Jay , 6 days ago
New clue writing competition
I miss the monthly Azed clue-writing competitions. Even though I only entered a handful of them, I felt I learned a lot,…
By Doctor Cluelittle , 6 days ago
RE: Cruciverbiana
I think "I've only got one clue left" is the one bit of dialogue I failed to take into account in my construction (must …
By Dave Williams , 1 week ago
RE: Cruciverbiana
Hi Skirwingle, and thank you. Since RC says "I've only got one clue left" but his checked letters are just the closin…
By Doctor Clue , 1 week ago
RE: Cruciverbiana
Skirwingle here 😊 Twm has just alerted me to the existence of this thread. Nice work: I like your solution of …
By Dave Williams , 1 week ago
RE: Cruciverbiana
Wait, what?! This is amazing work. I hope DW and others get to see it and it gets shared.
By Crossguesser , 2 weeks ago