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Cryptic crosswords are a fun variation on the basic crossword puzzle concept. The most important difference between a traditional crossword and a cryptic one is in the clues: in a cryptic, every single clue is a lateral thinking puzzle unto itself.

In essence, a cryptic clue leads to its answer as long as you read it in the right way. What the clue appears to say when read normally (the surface reading) is a distraction and usually has nothing to do with the clue answer. The challenge is to find the way of reading the clue that leads to the solution.

A typical clue gives you two ways of getting to the answer, either of which can come first. One part of the clue is a definition, which must exactly match the part of speech and tense of the answer. The other part (the subsidiary indication, or wordplay) gives you an alternative route to the answer. One of the tasks of the solver is to find the boundary between definition and wordplay and insert a mental pause there when reading the clue cryptically.

Either the definition or the wordplay can come first, and they never overlap. As a further hint, the clue is followed by a number in parentheses that indicates the number of letters in the answer.

There are a number of different but reasonably standard techniques employed in the wordplay, including anagrams, charades (breaking down larger words into smaller components), containers (inserting one word within another), reversals (spelling words backwards), homophones (different words that sounds alike), deletions (removing letters from the beginning, middle, or end of a word), double definitions (two different interpretations of the clue give the same answer), and more.

This can sound terribly daunting, but it’s a lot easier than you might think. For example, take the following clue:

Returned beer fit for a king (5)

The phrase fit for a king is the definition and returned beer is the wordplay. Beer is LAGER, returned implies a reversal which gives REGAL, and the definition of REGAL is fit for a king.

Here’s another example:

Power plant lacks a spiritual leader (6)

A power plant is a REACTOR, and a REACTOR that lacks “a” is a RECTOR.

How the heck were you supposed to know all of that? Trial and error, experience, and lucky guesses … that’s what makes cryptic crosswords fun! Here’s a few guides to help you solve cryptic clues:

• National Puzzlers League
• Wikipedia
• The Guardian (newspaper)

Ready to try your hand at an entire puzzle? Although not as common in America, newspapers throughout the British Commonwealth regularly run them. Here are a few online sources for good puzzles that serve them to you absolutely free:

• The Guardian
• The Independent
• The Herald

As a final note here, try solving this one:

Obscure shout before headless lens (7)

[spoiler]CRYPTIC. A lens is an OPTIC, headless implies a deletion of the first letter, leaving PTIC, and a shout is a CRY. Okay, so it’s not a great clue … it’s my first attempt at writing one though, so your forgiveness is greatly appreciated.[/spoiler]

I saw an interesting query in the statistics gizmo used to run this web site. Someone entered the following search string: “how to solve music puzzles”.

Well, here’s your answer. This article is somewhat spoilerific. While it doesn’t tell you how to solve any specific puzzle, the information it contains is derived from puzzles I’ve solved in the past. I’ve tried to supply enough hints to get moving in the right direction without totally spoiling any particular puzzle.

Solving a music puzzle requires some understanding of music theory, which is the study of the language and the notation of music. Musical notation is any system which uses written symbols to represent aurally perceived music. Many types of notation systems have been created throughout history, but most written music you are likely to encounter will use only  modern musical symbols.

The topic of music theory is vast – far too big to include in a single article here. But the links presented so far will take you to a great set of resources to understand how music works so that you can get started in cracking puzzles that use music.

Here are just a few of the many possible ways in which music could be used to conceal information (such as a secret message or the coordinates of a geocache):

Note Names

Notes have letter names, from A to G. A puzzle constructor might begin with a word that uses only those letters, such as BAG, ACE, BADGE, or CABBAGE, then replace each letter in the word with a corresponding note.

Intervals

An interval is the difference in pitch between two notes, played either at the same time or played successively. An interval of a single half step is called a minor second, two half steps is a major second, three half steps is minor third, and so forth. A puzzle constructor might encode a series of numbers as a series of intervals.

Rhythms

A beat is a pulse that constitutes the fundamental unit of time in a piece of music. A measure is a segment of time, and the number and note value of beats in a measure is called the time signature. For instance, a measure of four beats in which a quarter note gets the beat is said to be in 4/4 time. A measure of six beats in which an eight note gets the beat is said to be in 6/8 time. Patterns of beats can be used to encode just about any kind of information, including letters, numbers, symbols, and more.

That should be enough to get you going. Good luck!

The concept behind GoogleEarthing.com is very simple: imagine a scavenger hunt akin to Where’s Waldo whose search space consists of the entire visible surface of the Earth. Seriously.

The rules of the game are very simple:

1. Download and install Google Earth.
2. Identify the location of the image by name, longitude and latitude, or very specific description. Enter your guess using the comments feature for the image in question.
3. Send an email to info@googleearthing.com so we know how to contact you.
4. Tell all your friends about GoogleEarthing.

The first person with the correct coordinates, name, or otherwise completely specific description of the location will will a valueless prize chosen by the site operator.

Just for grins, here’s an idea of the sort of image you are tasked to find:

The above image is actually puzzle #92, posted November 12, 2006. As of this blog entry, this puzzle has not been solved … will you be the first to crack it?

Like many geocachers, whenever I travel on vacation or for business, I like to try to find at least one cache wherever I go. And, of course, I like for those caches to be puzzle caches if possible.

Unfortunately, I don’t always have a lot of extra time on such trips. So to make the most of my limited caching hours, I generally shy away from puzzles that require me to use some information that is only available by visiting the posted coordinates.

While on a recent trip to Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, I discovered that a number of puzzle caches were on a “solve at your desk” bookmark list maintained by Western Mass Clan. This was really really handy – I could solve a bunch of puzzles in advance of my trip, then score as many finds as possible during my trip.

I found this concept so useful that I created a similar set of lists for Florida, one for each Florida Geocaching Association region. Creating this list was extremely informative – it gave me a very clear picture of what sorts of puzzles are in use today, from the overused to the highly original.

If you’re a puzzlehead looking to solve more puzzle caches than are available in your area, why not try solving a few of these? You can tackle them no matter where you are.

Lists of “Solve at Your Desk” Puzzle Caches

• Florida (by FGA region)
  • Northwest
  • North Central
  • Northeast
  • Central West
  • Central
  • Central East
  • Southwest
  • Southeast
• Rhode Island
• Massachusetts
• Indianapolis, IN

If you know of any others, please post a comment and let other folks know. And if you know of any corrections, please send them to the bookmark list owners.

I think this list is useful enough that I’m going to add it as a resource page to this site. Enjoy!

“A cleverly crafted puzzle is a work of intellectual art when the simplicity of its solution is beautifully hidden by the complexity of its design. Such art requires imagination and creativity on the part of the creator and requires the solver to walk the fine line between inspiration and insanity.”

Brian Smith, Author/Creator of the Cerebral Codex

Part novel, part puzzle, part quest … it is difficult to find a single description that adequately describes the Cerebral Codex.

The Novel

The story begins with the protagonists Bret and Jon fighting for their very survival swimming through a rough sea in a raging storm. Sighting an island in the distance, they manage to avoid drowning and swim to the safety of the shore. After recovering on the island, they discover hidden deep within an old stone library the Cerebral Codex, which told a unique and intriguing tale.

In this mysterious environment, the two friends find themselves in a strange place with only the Cerebral Codex to help guide them. They find that the Codex is riddled with mind bending and mysterious mental challenges, which when solved lead them on an adventure like no other.

The Puzzle

As the characters in the novel encounter puzzles, you are given similar challenges to solve. Work to solve the puzzles and uncover hidden information in the codex and begin your own adventure.  This is a multi-stage challenge which has several levels each consisting of a mental challenge (puzzle) followed by a physical challenge.  Can you unlock the mysteries encoded deep within the Cerebral Codex?

The Quest

There are two ways to claim credit for solving the Cerebral Codex. As a cache finder or as a distance solver.

If you choose to find the cache in person, you’ve got quite a trek ahead of you. The Cerebral Codex geocache is set in the heart of the Wharton State Forest in New Jersey, USA. With over 100,000 acres, Wharton is the largest New Jersey State Forest and provides a great backdrop for this challenge.  While the cache itself is located in Wharton State Forest, this adventure will take you well beyond it’s boundaries in search of the puzzle pieces that you need to access the final cache container, the logbook, and the Codex Bonus Cache Travel Bug.

If you decide to tackle this as a distance solver, you’ve got a different sort of trek ahead of you. Download the novel, and read the entire thing. Solve the first ten puzzles to unlock the twenty Meshulash pieces. Use the Meshulash pieces to solve the final puzzle.  When you solve the final puzzle, you’ll be given the tracking code for the Codex Distance Solver Travel Bug.

The Cerebral Codex  was not designed to be tackled in a weekend – it will take thought, time and (if you attempt to find the cache) several trips.

Getting Started

If you are ready to tackle the challenge of the Cerebral Codex, click on one of the following links:

Geocache Hunters: Visit the cache page for GCVJXQ
Distance Solvers: Download the novel and begin solving from home

Sudoku puzzles became an international phenomenon in 2005. But they have a long and storied history that – despite conventional wisdom – does not begin in Japan.

The concept of filling a square grid with unique symbols (called a Latin square or magic square) has existed for hundreds of years. The first 9×9 number puzzles began appearing in French newspapers in 1892 (as in the example image below). These puzzles required unique numbers 1-9 in each row and column and inner 3×3 subsquare as well as long the long diagonals. These puzzles all but disappeared from print by the time World War I began.

The modern Sudoku was most likely designed anonymously by Howard Garns, a 74-year-old retired architect and freelance puzzle constructor from Indiana, and first published in 1979 by Dell Magazines as Number Place. He died in 1989 before getting a chance to see his creation as a worldwide phenomenon.

In 1984, Japanese game publisher Nikoli (which will be the subject of a future Puzzlehead article) picked up the idea of Number Place and ran with it. The publisher made two small changes to the concept and renamed it “su-doku”, meaning “single number”. The game became an overnight sensation in newspapers in Japan, possibly because the Japanese language is ill-suited to use in crossword puzzles.

In 1997, New Zealander Wayne Gould was shopping in Tokyo when he picked up a book of sudoku and was instantly hooked. Gould developed a computer program to automatically crank out sudoku puzzles and began selling them on his web site www.sudoku.com. In 2004, he published one of his puzzles in a newspaper in Conway, New Hampshire, and later that year The Times in Britain launched sudoku as a regular feature.

Today, there are many, many variants of sudoku, ranging from different dimensions (such as 2×3 rectangles in a 6×6 grid to 16×16 grids with 4×4 subsquares), oddly-shaped subcells, overlapping puzzles of different sizes, and more. Sudoku has appeared on virtually every medium available, even TV and radio. It has even spawned an annual worldwide competition for die-hard solvers.

Sudoku can be terribly addictive. In Australia in June 2008, a mistrial was declared in a drugs-related jury trial when it was discovered that five of the twelve jurors had been playing Sudoku instead of listening to evidence.

So, what is sudoku, really? The 2 Hot Girls in the Shower have an answer for you. (Don’t worry – despite the name, the link is family friendly.)

In October each year, the Miami Herald hosts an all day “Herald Hunt” (formerly the Tropic Hunt) made up of various brain teasers. The hunt is usually held in Miami, but has been hosted in other local cities (such as Coral Gables, Coconut Grove and Hollywood). It was originally designed and is hosted by Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry.

The hunt begins with an easy opening question. After that, you have to find and solve the five hunt puzzles. The answers will give you clues to the final puzzle (or endgame). At 3PM, the final (and most difficult) puzzle is revealed. Using the clues you have obtained throughout the day, you must solve the puzzle and accomplish a task. This can be a telephone number or a certain place you must go to do something.

You can look at last year’s results here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/heraldhunt/story/742724.html

There is an archive of past hunts here:
http://www.vwtech.com/tropichunt/

There is also a geocache (GCCA54) set up as a tribute to the hunt.

If anyone is interested in setting up a team for this year’s hunt, I think it would be fun!!

If you’re a geocacher, you’re probably a geography buff.

The 50 U.S. states contain a wealth of puzzle opportunities. There are so many different pieces of data available about all 50 states that making brainteasers and puzzles based upon them is fairly easy. There are a number of brainteasers in the widget on the right that deal with the U.S. states.

Listed below are the 50 U.S. states in order – in twelve different orders, that is! The first five and last five states in each list are shown, and it’s up to you to figure out what rule determines the ordering in each case. For example, one of the lists is ordered by population, another by land area.

This puzzle was originally published in Games Magazine, October 2002.

List 1	List 2	List 3
1. Alaska 2. California 3. Colorado 4. Washington 5. Wyoming … 46. Rhode Island 47. Mississippi 48. Louisiana 49. Delaware 50. Florida	1. California 2. Texas 3. New York 4. Florida 5. Illinois … 46. South Dakota 47. North Dakota 48. Alaska 49. Vermont 50. Wyoming	1. Hawaii 2. Florida 3. Texas 4. Louisiana 5. Mississippi … 46. Minnesota 47. Montana 48. Washington 49. North Dakota 50. Alaska
List 4	List 5	List 6
1. Delaware 2. Pennsylvania 3. New Jersey 4. Georgia 5. Connecticut … 46. Oklahoma 47. New Mexico 48. Arizona 49. Alaska 50. Hawaii	1. Alaska 2. Texas 3. California 4. Montana 5. New Mexico … 46. New Jersey 47. Hawaii 48. Connecticut 49. Delaware 50. Rhode Island	1. New York 2. California 3. Illinois 4. Texas 5. Pennsylvania … 46. Delaware 47. Maine 48. West Virginia 49. Wyoming 50. Vermont
List 7	List 8	List 9
1. Alaska 2. Alabama 3. Arkansas 4. Arizona 5. California … 46. Vermont 47. Washington 48. Wisconsin 49. West Virginia 50. Wyoming	1. New Jersey 2. Rhode Island 3. Massachusetts 4. Connecticut 5. Maryland … 46. South Dakota 47. North Dakota 48. Montana 49. Wyoming 50. Alaska	1. California 2. Louisiana 3-24. (22 states tied) … 46. Montana 47. Utah 48. New Mexico 49. Wyoming 50. Colorado
List 10	List 11	List 12
1. New York 2. Maryland 3. Georgia 4. Maine 5. Texas … 46. New Mexico 47. Illinois 48. Florida 49. Kansas 50. New Jersey	1. Alaska 2. Florida 3. California 4. Hawaii 5. Louisiana … 23-50. (28 states tied)	1. Nevada 2. Arizona 3. Colorado 4. Utah 5. Idaho … 46. Maine 47. Connecticut 48. Pennsylvania 49. West Virginia 50. North Dakota

1. Highest elevation. The highest elevation in the U.S. is Alaska’s Mount McKinley (20,320 feet above sea level). Outside Alaska, the highest point is California’s Mount Whitney (14,494 feet). The highest point in Florida (which was actually misidentified for many years) is only 345 feet above sea level.
2. Population
3. Southernmost latitude. Hawaii lies south of the Tropic of Cancer. Outside Hawaii, the southernmost point in the U.S. is Key West, Florida. The southernmost point of Alaska is farther north than the northernmost point in any other state.
4. Order of admission to the union.
5. Land area.
6. Population of largest city. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia. The smallest “large city” is Burlington, Vermont, with fewer than 39,000 people.
7. Alphabetical by two-letter postal abbreviation. This is not quite the same as simply sorting the list alphabetically: here Alaska (AK) precedes Alabama (AL), Arkansas (AR) precedes Arizona (AZ), and Wisconsin (WI) precedes West Virginia (WV).
8. Population density. New Jersey has 1,135 people per square mile; Alaska has 1.1 people per square mile.
9. Lowest elevation. The lowest point in the U.S. is 282 feet below sea level, in California’s Death Valley. The only other state with land area below sea level is Louisiana. The lowest elevation in 22 states is precisely at sea level. The lowest point in Colorado is 3,350 feet above sea level – higher than the highest point in 18 states.
10. Alphabetical by state capital. Albany comes first, Trenton is last.
11. Length of coastline. Alaska has more than 6,600 miles of coastline on the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Twenty-eight states have no coastline at all (lakes are not included). There are many ways to measure coastline; the rankings here are based on figures from The World Almanac.
12. Growth rate. From 1990 to 2000 the population of Nevada increased by more than 66%. The population of the slowest-growing state, North Dakota, increased by only 0.5% during the same decade.

Sir Edward Elgar was an English composer who lived from 1857 to 1934. If you have ever attended a graduation ceremony in the United States, you have heard his music – his composition March No. 1 in D from Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op. 39, is the de facto standard for processional music.

After a tiring day of teaching in 1898, Elgar was daydreaming at the piano. A melody he played caught the attention of his wife, who liked it and asked him to repeat it for her. So, to entertain his wife, he began to improvise variations on this melody, each one either a musical portrait of one of their friends, or in the musical style they might have used. Elgar eventually expanded these improvisations into his Enigma Variations, Op. 36.

The “Enigma” of the title refers to two puzzles contained within the work. The first puzzle is to determine which of Elgar’s friends each variation represents. Here is what Elgar had to say about the second puzzle:

The enigma I will not explain – its ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the apparent connection between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’, but is not played … So the principal Theme never appears, even as in some late dramas … the chief character is never on stage.

Variation 10 called “Dorabella” refers to Miss Dora Penny, a friend whose stutter or laughter is depicted by the woodwinds section. Elgar wrote a letter to Penny dated July 14, 1897, that enclosed another letter, enciphered by Elgar, which has become known as the Dorabella Cipher. She was never able to decipher it, and its meaning remains unknown to this day.

The true meaning of Elgar’s ‘dark saying’ in his Enigma Variations has never been determined. Years later, when Dora Penny questioned Elgar about the secret of the Enigma Variations, his only comment to her on the subject was this: “I thought that you, of all people, would guess it”.

See my user name at the top of this page? If you click on it, it will take you to the link I defined in my personal profile on this site.

That same functionality works for any post or comment from any author on this site. You can set your link to be your public profile on Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, Geocaching, or any other place where you want folks to get your public expression of who you are.

To set your link, go to the Dashboard and click on Users, then My Profile. Go to the Contact Info section, enter your link in the Website field, and click Update Profile (at the bottom of the page).