Title Builder Beta See instructions

Welcome to Title Builder Beta.

This small piece of kit is designed to make building your Quiz, Crossword or Puzzle question more effective. It should make finding your question easier for others and, the easier it is to find, the more likely someone is to answer it!

To build an easy to find question title simply select the paper and quiz, enter the quiz number if relevant and fill in the Publication Date. Once you’re happy click “Build Title” and the information should populate the Title field. Fill in the final required details of your question as you normally would, and click submit.

As this is a Beta we only have a limited number of papers and quizzes listed. If you think your favourite Quiz, Crossword or Puzzle should be listed here don’t hesitate to contact us.

Remember: You do not have to use the title builder - simply enter the title and question as you normally would and click submit!

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Crosswords and other wordy puzzles

gordonclown | 23:32 Wed 06th Feb 2008 | Quizzes & Puzzles

3 Answers

I've been meaning to ask someone in the " know" for years about the phenomenominom of cyptic clues and anagrams and other ways of juggling OUR English language for clues to puzzles of all kinds.

Is ENGLISH unique in this ability or do all the nations of our wonderful planet have the same opportunity with their languages?

I would really like to know. I haven't looked at any foreign newspapers or puzzle books but I don't suppose we are unique.

Many thanks

GoGo the Clown

Where in the World Am I?

Radio Times 7

Answers

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grasscarp

You can be sure we are not alone. Crossword puzzles, anagrams etc are possible in other languages.

bathtub

The ones I've seen abroad have been very different. French and Spanish crosswords I've looked at (in quality newspapers, not downmarket) contained a lot of short words, abbreviations, chemical symbols etc - nothing at all cryptic. I even managed to solve a Spanish one with the help of a dictionary... and a bit of cheating!

An American friend who's a keen puzzler says that she really doesn't understand the concept of British cryptic crosswords at all.

Symmetrical grids also appear to be an English (or English-speaking) convention.

alanogden

I believe you can't have crosswords as we know them in Chinese because each character is a whole word.

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