"And we appreciate the vigilance of the solver who reacted to this clue from Harpo 4d Tense aquatic bird crushed by snake somewhere in South Africa (8) with the perfectly accurate observation that BOTSWANA is not in the country of South Africa. Elsewhere in the paper, indeed, we would write something like southern Africa, but crossword setters are wont to reinterpret rules."
"Sometimes our puzzles have themes; sometimes they don't. A solver might notice some of the themes while others may pass them by: it doesn't usually matter, but there's an extra gratification when we get feedback such as this letter: Thanks to Soup for the splendid birthday compliment to Graeme Garden (Cryptic crossword, 18 February)."
"Qaos's February Genius puzzle took me right back to the classroom with a turtle of the programmable kind. Guardian Genius 272 The endgame invites us to trace a path, turning anticlockwise at Ls and clockwise at Rs, neatly tracing a lovely letter E."
Crossword puzzles often contain themes that solvers may or may not notice, but recognizing them provides extra satisfaction. Setters receive appreciation when their work includes meaningful tributes, such as a birthday compliment to Graeme Garden. Solvers also provide valuable feedback when clues contain geographical inaccuracies or creative interpretations. Crossword setters deliberately bend conventional rules, using phrases like "South Africa" similarly to "south Devon" for wordplay purposes. Genius puzzles feature creative mechanics, such as tracing paths with directional turns. The crossword community actively participates in cluing competitions, with winners recognized for clever and inventive definitions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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