Farscape-themed cryptic crossword clues

[Eve11]

Okay Brits (and puzzle lovers worldwide), I need some input ;)

I've been thinking about coming up with a Farscape-themed cryptic crossword, or at least some kind of puzzle that uses cryptic clues, for a fun activities page for the Pitt comicon. We would also have easier puzzles too, but I fell in love with cryptics a few years ago and wanted to try my hand at writing clues. Since I want it to be do-able for both fans and non-fans, I am (mostly) picking words that have straight meanings in English as well as a special meaning or connotation in Farscape (episode names, things on the show, important plot points, etc).

So if anyone's a connosseur (sp?) of these things, try out these clues and warn me if you think any of them aren't fair (ie, don't adhere to conventions). I can post more as I come up with them, but these are what I have for now. Also I don't have a grid yet -- definitely NOT going to be able to follow convention with that one; it's too hard to start with a set of words and work it into a valid grid. It may be impossible. Anyway,

Some Clues:
------------

Torn strap ruined carraige (9)

Soldiers' eyes take in empty cake casserole (12)

Bare absolute (5)

Sickness claims six Russian leaders (5)

Corner vendor has guts (5)

Nerd lifted curse (4)

Giant Biblical priest beheaded Nathan (9)

Double all but last bit of string (4)

--------------

So that's what I have written so far. For those who haven't heard of cryptics, the length of the word for the clue is in parens at the end of the clue. One half of the clue is a straight definition-type clue for the word and the other half is a clue for the same word using wordplay. It is up to the solver to figure out where the break between clues is (See http://www.execulink.com/~tagies/cryptics/solvingguide/solvingguide.html for a guide).

[TalynLives]

Sweet jesus those are hard. And I have practically every episode memorized!

[generic_screenname]

My brain just exploded. I'll go get the mop.

[atlantagirl]

What the frell is a cryptic crossword? I have no idea in the world what those clues mean.

I like the idea of a crossword or puzzles for the cons, but I think I'll try to come up with something more along the lines of the TV Guide Crossword for DragonCon. Don't want exploded brains all around the table. :P

[La Bomba]

I read the instructions on the site, I read your explanation, and I am no closer to solving any of those puzzles than when I first looked at them. Can you maybe solve the first one for us, and explain the reasoning process, so I could try to catch on, Eve11?

[sny]

Ummm... is the Bare absolute one "naked"? Like John was naked in the Premiere? During the "Where are my clothes?" scene? And the naked truth is the absolute truth? If not, then I think my temporal lobe just dribbled out my nostrils for nothing...

Ooh! Ooh! I just realized "Nerd lifted curse" is probably "dren"!

[Eve11]

Hm, I was hoping somebody around would already be familiar with these kinds of puzzles. They are really hard if you've never seen them before, but when you get used to the solving process and the clue indications they are maybe not as hard. Any brits around want to back me up on this? (btw, you don't see these in newspapers in the US like you do in Britain, but you do see them in Atlantic Monthly and the New Yorker). If we did a fun page, this kind of puzzle would be starred as "really challenging", and everything else would be a lot easier.

Solve one: "Nerd lifted curse (4)" -- I should mention that it would be for a Down clue. This is a Farscape word. The straight clue is "curse". The wordplay clue is "Nerd lifted". "lifted" here means from the end up. Take NERD from the end up (ie backwards) and you get DREN -- a farscape curse word.

So, some more hints below:













Torn strap ruined carriage (9)
- is an anagram. The connector/indicator word for anagram in this case is "ruined"
- is a Farscape Object that plays a prominent role for John and Aeryn in "The Flax."

Soldiers' eyes take in empty cake casserole (12)
- the straight clue is "soldiers" (ignore punctuation!)

Bare absolute (5)
- is a double definition
- is also a character's name.

Sickness claims six Russian leaders (5)
- is an "odds and ends" kind of clue.
- is something that played an important role in the episode "A Bug's Life".
- Think about Roman numerals

Corner vendor has guts (5)
- is a container clue
- is an episode name

Giant Biblical priest beheaded Nathan (9)
- Is another "odds and ends" clue
- Is the species of one of the main characters

Double all but last bit of string (4)
- is another "odds and ends" clue
- describes something that happened to D'Argo, Chi and John in "Eat Me"
- Think of "double" as a noun and not a verb (that is the straight clue)

[Jeff O'Connor]

Corner vendor has guts: I keep thinking about the Arnessk Priest, with the sacrificial goat.

Giant biblicial priest beheaded Nathan: I keep thinking about the Arnessk Priest, with the sacrificial goat.


...I think I've watched that episode too many times.

[La Bomba]

I suck. Even with the extra clues, I can't figure out any of them. I'm usually good at puzzles, too. I just can't grasp these.

[generic_screenname]

huzzah! I got some of them! should I post my guesses or...?

[abbadon]

Bare absolute (5)

Stark pehaps ?

[La Bomba]

huzzah! I got some of them! should I post my guesses or...?

Please! Throw me a bone here!

[Eve11]

sny, "Naked" would work for that one too! It means "bare" and it also means "absolute" as in "the naked truth". But it's not what I had in mind -- so that means that my clue there is ambiguous and I should write something else for that one. -- Edited to say, Yes! Stark! :)

[La Bomba]

Bare absolute (5)

Stark pehaps ?

Okay, I think I'm beginning to get it. I see that that is correct, and how you got it.

[La Bomba]

I'm pretty sure the "soldier" one is an anagram that has peacekeeper in it, but there's only one "p", so that can't be it! Arrgh, my brain hurts!

[Eve11]

The soldier one is hard. It's more like an odds and ends clue -- it is a container with the contained bit anagrammed.

[abbadon]

Double all but last bit of string (4)

TWIN..... :D

[La Bomba]

The soldier one is hard. It's more like an odds and ends clue -- it is a container with the contained bit anagrammed.

Uhh, okay. If you say so. *puts on dunce cap and sits in the corner*

[abbadon]

Sickness claims six Russian leaders (5)

VIRUS.. :D

[La Bomba]

Double all but last bit of string (4)

TWIN..... :D

I get that one! OMG, I get it! Double=twin, all but the last bit of string= twine, minus the 'e'. Right?

[abbadon]

BY GEORGE ..I THINK HE'S GOT IT..


Bare absolute (5)

Stark pehaps ?


Double all but last bit of string (4)

TWIN.....


Sickness claims six Russian leaders (5)

VIRUS..

[generic_screenname]

well,
Bare absolute = Stark (reason already covered)
Giant Biblical priest beheaded Nathan = leviathan (beheaded Nathan...remove first part of nathan you get "than" )
Corner vendor has guts = Eat Me (not sure why, but it's five letters...so does Nerve)
Double all but last bit of string =I'm thinking "TWIN" but I don't get the "all but last bit of string"

[generic_screenname]

all but the last bit of string= twine, minus the 'e'. Right?

Oohhh....

gimme that dunce cap...

[La Bomba]

Double all but last bit of string =I'm thinking "TWIN" but I don't get the "all but last bit of string"

I can't believe I can actually explain this one, but:

another word for string is twine, and all but the last bit of 'twine' is twin.

Edited to add: Ahh, it dawned on you just as I posted! I'll share the dunce cap!

[generic_screenname]

no, no i get it now...that's why I posted that.

[abbadon]

VIRUS.....roman for six...VI
Russian leader....RUS (lead letters)
............sickness......VIRUS....

[atlantagirl]

Corner vendor has guts (5)


It's definitely Nerve -- using the "guts" of Corner vendor

[La Bomba]

I just figured that one out myself! You beat me to the post!

[atlantagirl]

Bwahahaha. Well it's the only one I'm likely to figure out and only because g_s suggested it.

Clearly my mind does not work this way. :freak:

[generic_screenname]

yes...I laid the seed...yes....

[atlantagirl]

Torn strap ruined carriage (9)

Transport!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[La Bomba]

Dammit! I see it now, but I don't think it ever would have come to me.

[atlantagirl]

Soldiers' eyes take in empty cake casserole (12)


Somebody please explain this one before my head explodes. I'm thinking it must be Peacekeepers, which is a 12 letter word for the soldiers on Farscape, but I can't make the "eyes take in empty cake casserole" mean anything to me. :help:

[La Bomba]

:bump: Me, Too! :dunno:

[generic_screenname]

um...well, see..."eyes take in" is to "see," so you get peasee...pees, which sounds like someone with a thick accent saying pies, and pies are like cakes, sort of, and an empty cake casserole would be a cake holder, or keeper. So piekeeper sounds like peacekeeper. Yeah, that's it...

[Eve11]

lol g_s, how about

Eyes take in empty cake casserole = P (E + ACEK) EEPERS
eyes = 'peepers' and this "takes in" -ie contains:
empty = E
cake casserole = ACEK

[Eve11]

And Atlantagirl, yeah the answer to "corner vendor has guts" is "nerve". "Guts" is the straight clue -- like, "You've got a lot of nerve!" is the same as "You've got a lot of guts!"

[La Bomba]

lol g_s, how about

Eyes take in empty cake casserole = P (E + ACEK) EEPERS
eyes = 'peepers' and this "takes in" -ie contains:
empty = E
cake casserole = ACEK

Oh, I get it! (No, I don't):no:

[generic_screenname]

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/forumfun/misc15.jpg

[La Bomba]

:wstupid:

THAT I get! Go figure.:D

[Eve11]

heh, okay some character names, which should be easier to separate the straight clue from the wordplay clue (btw a question mark in cryptics is just like a question mark in regular crosswords -- kind of an indication that there is some liberal use of language going on) :

Scarran is a Khan relative (5)
We hear they weep a lot for astronaut (8)
Sebacean lectures the audience on plant essentials? (5,3)
Hybrid constellation (8)

[generic_screenname]

Scarran is a Khan relative = Akhna
Hybrid constellation=scorpius

[La Bomba]

Hybrid constellation (8)

I got one! Scorpius! He's a hybrid, and the name of a constellation! Yay, me!

[La Bomba]

Arrgh! g_s posted at the same time again!! I swear I knew that one on my own!

[La Bomba]

[QUOTE=Eve11]
We hear they weep a lot for astronaut (8)
QUOTE]

cry a ton? Crighton?

[Eve11]

I should add that clues like "We hear" and "to the audience" are indicators of homophones. Used a little bit liberally in this setting...

edited to add: La Bomba's got it! Crichton = "CRY" "TON" = "they weep a lot"

[La Bomba]

So am I right? We hear = sounds like, right?

[generic_screenname]

We hear they weep a lot for astronaut

Yeah, that's Chricton. I didn't even need the homophobes for that. :D

[La Bomba]

I didn't use any hormones to figure it out, either.;)

[stellar]

AIR N' SUN - Aeryn Sun?

[Eve11]

pardon me while I borrow some British slang (and probably use it horribly):

Captain turned up in a car boot (5)

[La Bomba]

AIR N' SUN - Aeryn Sun?
:applaud:

[generic_screenname]

How about "North Dakota city goes from F to D" (5)"?

[Eve11]

Fargo ---> D'Argo :D

How about: Thief put article in China (5)

[Quiet Scaper]

Thief put article in China - I know that one!!


Chiana!

[Selena]

Thought I'd drop in to see what everyone was having so much fun with ... :shrug: ... but I'm leaving ... I can't even work out straight forward crossword clues, :pace: I'm crossword challeged!

[Eve11]

You got it Quiet Scaper! Okay another one:

UK, Oz, is wild for redhead (6)

[sny]

Sebacean lectures the audience on plant essentials? (5,3)

Aeryn Sun

[atlantagirl]

UK, Oz, is wild for redhead (6)


Sikozu

[Quiet Scaper]

That's got to be Sikozu, and I can see the Oz and UK (sorta) but how the wild fits in, I haven't a clue. I'm still stuck on the one you said earlier:

Captain turned up in a car boot (5)

Any hints??

Edit: Aw, Atlantagirl beat me to it!

[atlantagirl]

That's got to be Sikozu, and I can see the Oz and UK (sorta) but how the wild fits in, I haven't a clue.


wild means that it's an anagram so Oz and UK unscrambled are part of the word for a Redhead, in this case, Sikozu

oops, didn't think about the "is" for Si. :rolleyes:

[Eve11]

"wild" is an anagram indicator: take "UK Oz is" "wild" -- ie, anagrammed: Sikozu

For the captain one: Hmmm "turned up" is an indicator for Down clues that means "read backward"

[atlantagirl]

Captain turned up in a car boot (5)



FRELL!!! All the Captains have 5 letter names! Crais, Braca, and D'Argo. I know a car boot is a truck (in American English), but that doesn't do anything that I can see with any of these names.

[Quiet Scaper]

Thanks for the hint - I'll ponder it while picking up the munchkins from school! Atlantagirl, your suggestion for a crossword or puzzle for a con it a good one, but make it easy! These cryptics are really hard! Thanks Eve11 for some real brain knockers!

Lauri

[generic_screenname]

For the captain one: Hmmm "turned up" is an indicator for Down clues that means "read backward" and "car boot" means trunk, so trunk backwards is Knurt. Captain Knurt. Who the hell is Captain Knurt. I'm just gonna say Crais.

[atlantagirl]

Got it! Braca!

a car boot

[generic_screenname]

No no! Braca I meant Braca! Because Braca bacwards is A Car B! It's BRACA!!!

[generic_screenname]

Blast! Beat me too it.

[atlantagirl]

:spin:

[atlantagirl]

Okay, try this one:

Scoundrel listens to entire portal (8)


Edited to add number

[Eve11]

Oh, I got it!

scoundrel = worm
listens to entire = hole (sounds like "whole")

portal = wormhole

Good one!

[atlantagirl]

Okay, here's a very easy one:

Servicer carries dried bookends (3)


Oops, edited to tweak.

[atlantagirl]

Here's one more, but I'm not sure how well I've done on it:

Talking tulip upsets caring clam boy? (5)

[atlantagirl]

Hmmm, no one's responding...
:think:

Did I do them wrong? :freak:

Or did people just stop checking on the clues?

What's going on? :(

[La Bomba]

My brain locked up. I'll take a looksee now...

[La Bomba]

Okay, here's a very easy one:

Servicer carries dried bookends (3)


Oops, edited to tweak.

Hey, I know this one! DRD, right?

[atlantagirl]

Yep! :bounce:

[La Bomba]

The other one has put my brain in vapor-lock and is making my socks roll up and down.

[Eve11]

Servicer carries dried bookends (3)

DRD :) It could be a little more of a fine-tuned clue if you left out the word "Carries" though. Then you would have "Servicer dried bookends (3)" which still makes semantic sense thinking of "dried" as a verb.

In general you should not have any words in a clue that don't need to be there. You are kind of writing an equation of "X = Y". sometimes you can write the '=' with a word like "for" or "is" or something like that but it is not always necessary. Heh, I actually got a book on how to write and solve cryptic crosswords recently and it was pretty interesting reading the different conventions between say, British writers and American writers. It's like a whole subculture!

The second one of yours is Pilot, I think: "Kinda sounds like tulip backwards" for "caring clam boy" = Pilot. I was wracking my brain for a Pilot clue but couldn't think of one. It's a hard word to do!

I remembered I had one more that has come up already but I'll but my clue out there:

Gateway for whom role changes (8)

and also how about:

Mad, leaderless clergy finds ruler. (5)

[atlantagirl]

Gateway for whom role changes (8)

Wormhole

[sny]

Mad, leaderless clergy finds ruler. (5)

Rygel?

[Eve11]

Wormhole


yep! :bounce:

[Eve11]

Mad, leaderless clergy finds ruler. (5)

Rygel?

yes, that's it! :D :D :D

[atlantagirl]

Mad, leaderless clergy finds ruler. (5)

Rygel :D

[atlantagirl]

Frell, I got an e-mail before trying to do the second one and sny beat me to it! :(

[generic_screenname]

Yes...leaderless clergy=lergy, wich rearranges into Rygel. I'm catching on kind of....

[atlantagirl]

DRD :) It could be a little more of a fine-tuned clue if you left out the word "Carries" though. Then you would have "Servicer dried bookends (3)" which still makes semantic sense thinking of "dried" as a verb.

In general you should not have any words in a clue that don't need to be there. You are kind of writing an equation of "X = Y". sometimes you can write the '=' with a word like "for" or "is" or something like that but it is not always necessary. Heh, I actually got a book on how to write and solve cryptic crosswords recently and it was pretty interesting reading the different conventions between say, British writers and American writers. It's like a whole subculture!

Oh well, I'm a newbie and not particularly good at puzzles (too much like math). :(

The second one of yours is Pilot, I think: "Kinda sounds like tulip backwards" for "caring clam boy" = Pilot. I was wracking my brain for a Pilot clue but couldn't think of one. It's a hard word to do!


Yes, that's what I was going for. The rules for the clues are as confusing as the clues themselves. Glad you could cut through it! :D

[Eve11]

(Heh, I should change that clue to "In disarray, leaderless clergy finds ruler". I think the sentence sounds better)

[atlantagirl]

Okay, try this one:

Adamant crowns joyful oligarch (4)

[Eve11]

Oh well, I'm a newbie and not particularly good at puzzles (too much like math).

I think you are doing great!!! (Especially for someone who entered the thread with "What the frell is a cryptic crossword?" :D )

I didn't mean to come across as putting you down, not at all. Sorry if it seemed brash. I was just relating what the book I got told me.

[generic_screenname]

Jool

[atlantagirl]

No worries, Eve! I didn't take your comments negatively at all. I can't learn if I don't know if I'm doing it right or not! :D I think my latest clue is better than the earlier ones.

[atlantagirl]

Jool


That is correct! :bounce:

[Eve11]

Drat! I was still looking up "oligarch"....

[atlantagirl]

hehehe the straight clue was adamant and oligarch was only necessary for the "crowning" letters. :devil:

[atlantagirl]

Okay, one more then I have to get back to work:

Pupils stole crazy colt (5,6)

[Eve11]

ever notice how many five-letter names they use on Farscape before? Anyway, here is my attempt at an "&lit" clue:

Troubled youth's outspoken flair cut short! (5)

[Eve11]

Pupils stole crazy colt (5,6)


Pulse pistol! :D :D :D

Love it!

[atlantagirl]

Troubled youth's outspoken flair cut short! (5)

Nerri?

[atlantagirl]

Pulse pistol! :D :D :D

Love it!


I'm getting better, huh? :D :D :D

[Eve11]

Nerri?


Nope... (jeez, another five letter name...)

[atlantagirl]

Okay, I got it. Talyn, right?

[atlantagirl]

Troubled youth = Tayln
outspoken = homophone/sounds like
flair = talent
cut short = talen minus t

[Eve11]

Okay, I got it. Talyn, right?


yes! :D

Not quite "&lit" (ie, "and literally so") since Talyn was more "unreserved" than "outspoken", but pretty close. He had a flair for unreservedly blowing things up, which was sadly cut short...

[atlantagirl]

I can see these are very addictive.

I'm thinking they will probably not work for non-fans in a convention setting (and, honestly, they require thought and concentration which I'm not sure you'll get even from fans at most conventions).

It might be a good diversion at Escapade, since all those people will know the words that they're trying to find, but I think you'd definitely need a primer on how to solve them.

Perhaps you could do it as a contest with a cool prize for whoever solves the most (with a drawing of the winning entries if there were multiple people who all had the same number of correct answers)?