{"id":6884,"date":"2026-05-28T14:05:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clueclinic.com\/?page_id=6884"},"modified":"2026-05-31T14:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T13:17:34","slug":"digest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/clueclinic.com\/index.php\/digest\/","title":{"rendered":"Digest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the end of each month a Digest is published, containing news, summaries of data updates, reflections on aspects of clueing, a reader poll, and anything else that we feel may be of interest to site visitors. If there are any topics that you would like us to cover in the Digest, please leave a comment on the latest edition (using the hyperlink under the blog title – previous comments can also be viewed using this link) or email us using the details on the Contact<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Digest – August 2026<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tOne Comment<\/a>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/header>\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n

Doctor’s Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When did you first encounter Azed? This month we launched the Clue Clinic Forum<\/a>, a place for discussion of any and all things cruciverbal. The inaugural thread<\/a> – asking for crossword-related anecdotes – prompted one visitor to recount the sequence of events which led him to attempt Azed for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I came across Azed in my teens, when my mother gave me a second-hand copy of Jonathan Crowther\u2019s A-Z of Crosswords<\/em> as a present. Familiar only with the Telegraph<\/em> cryptic at that point, most of the puzzles in this book were beyond me – alien-looking barred grids, impenetrable preambles, clues listed in alphabetical order of solutions\u2026 Puzzle 6 was \u2018Corgis in Castle\u2019 by Azed. I tentatively pencilled in 4 entries before grinding to a halt. I had never heard of Chambers Dictionary<\/em> and my trusty ODE<\/em> did not contain words like \u201cpagurid\u201d and \u201ctripudiate\u201d. Still, I enjoyed reading Azed\u2019s introductory remarks and perusing the profiles of professional setters, wondering if I might one day follow in their footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I set my first cryptic crossword over 20 years ago while at university. My early puzzles featured such inspired clues as \u201cGives fish in greeting (9)\u201d, along with more convoluted offerings in which I merrily sacrificed both smooth surface readings and<\/em> good cryptic grammar in favour of attempts at humour, in the hope of earning an occasional wry smile or compliment from a fellow student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, it seems I\u2019m not alone. In A-Z of Crosswords<\/em>, many of the setter biographies tell a similar tale. Early attempts are described as \u201cdreadful\u201d (Ian Mawby), \u201cabsurdly esoteric\u201d (Andrew Bremner \/ Sabre), and \u201camateurish and quirky\u201d (Brian Greer \/ Virgilius). Feedback from editors varies from \u201cwonderfully polite rejection\u201d (Sabre again) to \u201ctwo pages of trenchant criticism\u2026 \u2018unruly unching and weak clues\u2019\u201d (Jack Gill \/ Llig). Some aspiring setters \u201chammer[ed] away for … years\u201d before finally being accepted by a publisher (Alun Evans \/ Axe). Others honed their skills in secret – compiling \u201ctwo 100-puzzle collections\u201d which \u201cnever saw the light of publication\u201d (Richard Rogan \/ Aragon) – or abandoned the craft for periods of time \u201cafter a succession of rejections\u201d (Eddie James \/ Brummie).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month I made my debut as a setter for the Financial Times<\/em>. Seeing my puzzle in print was a real moment of joy, and it prompted me to think back to those early attempts at setting and all the clumsy clues I wrote for Varsity<\/em> – incidentally the same student newspaper where Azed himself started out. I added a story of my own from that time to the thread in the Forum and enjoyed reading the other cruciverbal anecdotes that have been posted so far. If you have a story of your own to share, I would love to hear it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want the Forum to be a place for general discussion, somewhere you can ask open questions, express opinions, and swap tips. Whether you want to tell us about your first encounter with a favourite setter, an early attempt at setting, or a particular puzzle that has stuck in your memory, we invite you to come and join the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clinical Observations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another bumper month with 5 barred puzzles in The Observer<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n