Cryptic Snakewords
(Published on 26. January 2024, 02:34 by marty_sears)
Here's something a bit different from me. I've always enjoyed word puzzles and cryptic crosswords, so I thought it was about time to combine this with sudoku and snake logic. It's a bit of an experiment! If you are new to cryptic clues, I recommend having a look at this handy guide on how to start decoding the nonsense: Or watch this tutorial by Mark.
Rules:
- Fill this 12x12 sudoku using 12 different letters of the alphabet. These must be determined, and can be entered into the circles at the bottom when found.
- Each letter must appear once in every row, column and box.
- The answers to 18 cryptic crossword clues can be found along hidden snakes, each starting at a coloured cell, moving orthogonally between cells, and finishing at the matching coloured diamond. Both start and end cells show the corresponding clue number.
- The number of letters in each answer is to be determined.
- Any cell (including a coloured cell or diamond) may appear on two different snakes, but two snakes may not share more than one cell with each other. A snake may not cross itself.
Click here to play on the CTC app
Please leave a comment if you enjoy :)
CLUES:
1) Suppress lust if led inside2) Not for profit within a station
3) Production for people of a certain age
4) Hero left after I joined the party
5) Unknown person is more unusual
6) Metal sheet becomes first fossil fuel
7) Getting worn down by ignored mess
8) Many boys take in nothing
9) Performances featuring Bryan Adams initially removed from gift bags
10) A drug to give you a heavenly body
11) Having the right to be named
12) Fat on a piece of bacon
13) On the other hand, badger returns to music producer
14) Having a feeling that North-Eastern signs are wrong
15) Deduce from a different angle
16) Old gang read periodically
17) London museum disregarded Latvian language
18) Starts focusing on robbing the secure building
Solution code: Row 12 (bottom row inside the grid) from left to right
Comments
on 13. October 2024, 06:34 by notmyblueblanket
Took me about 3 hours with the help of a friend but was really fun and incredibly set
on 1. June 2024, 00:08 by ralphwaldo1
Nice! Is it easier to fit words into a crossword grid, or into a sudoku, I wonder?
on 16. April 2024, 20:39 by LeaVulpina
This is absolutely mindblowing, and I wish I could rate it higher than 'very nice'. Perhaps "Bottom bound east for glory (7)" would be a more apt descriptor...
Thank you so much for this wonderful puzzle, and for the inspiration to try more x-word/sudoku hybrids myself!
on 9. April 2024, 20:29 by frogboogers73
WOW!!! Incredible construction! Needed to figure out 13 of the clues before I was able to figure it out which was great, loved the way filling out more of the grid gave me more ideas for the answers!
on 12. March 2024, 17:29 by OGRussHood
The CTC Friday Masterclass series pays off in this solve.
on 30. January 2024, 01:55 by Deej1491
I really loved this puzzle. Like many I am a novice with the Crypwords and marvel at those who can do them. Thank you for including some genuinely approachable and well-reasoned clues. I found it very helpful the puzzle is solvable without getting every clue but needs most of them. Like Lizzy I missed the reasoning for 17, but it makes sense. And, you have inspired me to pick up another cryptic crossword and give it a go. Thank you.
on 28. January 2024, 14:05 by Lizzy01
I managed to solve most of the clues, which I'm VERY relieved about considering my low skill level with cryptics, and had to finish it by sudoku.
on 28. January 2024, 02:29 by apiyo
Wow Marty, excellent construction! I think the clues were very well designed given that many solvers on here may be inexperienced with cryptics.
I recorded my solve of the puzzle for my youtube channel. A misclick half way through led to some frantic troubleshooting towards the end, but somehow I managed to undo the damage and get over the line!
youtu.be/TUyKWqJ4uq8
on 26. January 2024, 18:41 by ThePedallingPianist
Another remarkable creation from Marty opening up a whole world of exciting possibilities for future puzzles!
Sleep in, get up later, take time out, solve this (5,6)
on 26. January 2024, 12:44 by Lizzy01
I made a regular cryptic crossword myself a while ago, which was quite hard to do because I'm not great at solving them and English isn't even my first language, but I really liked the result!
Here's the link if you want to check it out:
https://logic-masters.de/Raetselportal/Raetsel/zeigen.php?id=000DF6
I will try solving this one too, but I can't promise anything, like I said I'm not that good at solving them.
Marty: Thanks Lizzy, happy to give hints if you wanna message me on Discord
on 26. January 2024, 09:00 by Silverscree
This is a really impressive construction. I was surprised by how much more difficult the cryptic clues got without knowing the word length! I audibly gasped at some of those answers too. Lovely couple of hours on that one.
on 26. January 2024, 03:57 by ViKingPrime
As a newcomer to Cryptic clues I will admit I made ample use of the checkmark feature, beyond the first easily solved clues. The Sudoku definitely helps a lot and having the available digits be restricted also really helps. A great puzzle for experienced Cryptic solvers I'm sure, but even if you're a complete beginner like me there's a lot of fun to be had with this. Quite challenging but also quite worthwhile.
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"Where once my mind was, this inert marble rattled around" (5,6)
