@@Kradlum Personally, I think it's more likely Simon thinks "Madame Web" could've been the name of a 17thC poem - which to be fair, removed from the context of Marvel nonsense, it does sound like it could be an epic poem!
It was an absolute joy to watch this video. I'm one of the younger variety of viewers and usually I just sit silently and watch you solve these crosswords, but today I could scream some of the answers at the screen and rooting for you and that was such a joyful experience. Thank you for solving this!
If any crossword setting people are watching this video and reading these comments, I implore you: PLEASE do more of these puzzles. I don't think it's going too far to say that this is the future of cryptics. I am an avid solver of the normal Times cryptic but often find it just a bit too tough even with years of experience (am 33 myself) but I'm all across all of the references in this puzzle and would love to see many more like it. If you want to keep cryptics alive long into the future this is the way, as I don't think the younger generation will be interested in solving puzzles that are only allowed to refer to deceased movie stars from last century. PS Simon I loved watching the video.
I agree. I solve mostly regular crosswords, but the same idea applies. Several times, I've had a child sitting with me and come across a pop culture clue they know and I don't. Their faces light up with excitement and pride. It's a big moment for them. That's the future.
I really like this. A regular cryptic crossword I am fairly good at but I have built up (painfully) a store of stupid references used by cryptic crosswords - like an opera singer almost always being Boe a film usually being ET, a singer 50% of the time being cher and it often meaning sex but usually having a second euphemism as the answer. That stuff tests only the number of crosswords you did rather than any cryptic thinking so great to see something that shakes this up a bit.
This was possibly the funniest video I've watched here with Simon's perplexity at the modernisms. I think I'm the same age as Simon and found many of the references familiar through my teenage daughter rather than my own more direct knowledge streams, but that's why developments like this are a good thing and important. Expanding our own references into the modern age and helping connect across the generation gap should be encouraged and I hope the Times, and any others who join this movement, choose to blend both old and new in the long run, rather than segregating them into separate puzzles exclusively, but with introductory ones like these that can be a gateway into the cryptic world. Great to see how much Simon enjoys it even as he is baffled by some of the phraseology. No cap, I loved this!
Suggestion: what if you turned this into a collaboration where you solve these together with someone who knows all the pop culture / modern slang references, but doesn't know how cryptic crosswords work (but is interested in learning)? Could be a lot of fun!
This is sort of how me and my dad do cryptics together, except the opposite. I get a lot of the wordplay parts, and he helps with any more obscure information I don’t know. This is a rare cryptic I probably could’ve finished myself because it doesn’t have any dated knowledge.
This video was an absolute delight to watch! As a nineteen year old from Germany who usually find's obscure, old references and the intrigues of the English language hard to get, this was the first time I got a lot of the clues before Simon. We definitely need more of those puzzles made and then solved by Simon. (Next time look the things you didn't know up, that would add a lot to the video) And congrats to the 600k!
As a 20 something kiwi living in the UK, I tend to work out 2-3 clues on my own while watching the usual crossword Friday videos, the rest are too obscure or too British for me. But this one I managed about half of them! Absolutely loved it!!
Ok, I’m trying to solve this as I’m watching and already this is perfect. The fact that 1 across has stumped him whereas for me it’s a write in is exactly the kind of feeling this should be producing.
Hey Simon! I’ve been a fan of yours and Mark’s for a while, you got me into sodokus and crosswords, but, even despite how many of your cryptic crosswords I’ve watched, this is the first time I’ve actually solved one of the clues. I’m currently only one clue in but, as an 18 year old girl who just adores the channel, this is so exciting that I just had to pause and comment this. I’m so excited to see what else I can get as the video progresses.
To answer Simon's interest abt modern lingo in Cryptic Crossword, at least personally, this is definitely a way to preserve the cleverness behind cryptic crossword without resorting to old references. I simply approve of this approach, and can be use as a gateway to the ones with lesser known references, bcs it still uses a lot of the common rules of cryptic crossword, but in a new light. Looking forward towards how this series of puzzles integrated modern culture into the interesting world of cryptic crossword.
As someone with no knowledge of 17th century poets, ancient monastic terminology, or anything to do with cricket, this was a fun change of pace! Personally, I'd love a happy medium that incorporates some of both old and new; it'll be interesting to see whether they keep this series of puzzles up. (And regardless, it's always lovely to see extra cryptic videos on the channel!)
Casey Affleck is Ben's brother. Interesting idea. Language that is, perhaps, more accessible to those more in touch with pop culture and slang. I wish this sort of thing was around when I was younger. If it gets more people into cryptic crosswords, then it's a good thing.
27A is a really great clue and while it's fun to see Simon's naivety of not knowing the phrase "hooking up" it's a bit of a shame he doesn't get to appreciate the clue. It's a very well written and-lit: Connecting clues Hooking, in the sense of attaching to something. "heading for bed?" clues Up, in the sense that if you say you are "heading up" then you would mean you are going to bed. And the clue as a whole is a very good definition of "hooking up".
This was so much easier for us, as 22 year olds, to join in with. Very reaffirming to know we have the skills to solve the puzzles, just not always the often out of date knowlegde and references. Would love to see you solve these again!
Well done! Absolutely fabulous to watch. Some explanations from a young person: Marvel is the movie studio that produced the film Madame Web, to “Hook up” with someone is to date/to go further steps(if you know what I mean)/to go to bed with them, the saying “no cap” means what I’ve just said is the truth and I am not lying, “ok I’ll bite” would be used when one person asks a question which implies anything and you may say “ok I’ll bite, what did you mean by…” for example, H is a member of the band steps, and “Taylor’s Version” is because she owned the lyrics and music behind her earlier work but not the recordings of them (they where owned by her old recording studio who she had a bad contract with) so she re-recorded the songs and self published them entitled “name of song - Taylor’s Version” meaning she got more money out of the songs. I really liked and understood this crossword more than normal, a great way to introduce a new generation. Any more questions don’t hesitate to ask 👍
As a happily married man it seems entirely appropriate that you do not know the phase "hooking up" as a modern phase for "meeting with someone (often for a sexual encounter)"
It’s taken me a year to finally start remembering some of the old references for cryptic crosswords, and now they’re taking them away from me?! Back to square bloody one is it?! Faux outrage of course, what a sweet man you are, such an entertaining solve! Love these videos, and enjoyed the puzzle too! Keep up the good work x
I sent my non-crosswording sister a picture of 5 down with only the S filled in and she got it immediately. Her first cryptic clue! Simon never quite nailing down the implication of “hooking up” is one of life’s great amusements. Please keep doing these!
Yes, lap cats exist. My cat can definitely be classified as one, as he loves lying in my lap. This was a pleasant surprise. And right on the heels of that article I read Friday about cryptic crosswords not being very accessible to younger people. Hopefully, they'll make more of these, and you (or Mark) will keep trying to solve them for us. Also, happy 600k subs, Simon and Mark! Who knew that a "silly" idea (to paraphrase Mark) would become so successful?
I really enjoyed this. And I fully support modernising the cryptic crossword. I enjoy the current style, but it’s like learning a new language and you often run into references I just don’t know or understand.
I have been reluctant to try a cryptic crossword on my own, because of the dual barriers of esoteric crossword knowledge and UK-specific knowledge. A puzzle like this lowers one of those barriers, and might just be enough to push me over the edge. And yes, Simon, "Taylor's Version" was a write-in for me and probably half of your audience. It's revenge for the hundreds of times you've read a clue and solved it and we don't even know what half the words mean. As an aside, I don't think a puzzle like this needs a modern reference in every clue, I just think it needs to avoid any older, archiac, or obscure "crosswordese" references. Clean, common language timeless clues are fine in both styles, in my opinion.
I hope this becomes a regular Times Crossword (and series on CTC) as I really enjoyed it, even though I was frustrated with failing on 17d. I spent 39 years working on the ironmongery counter of a builder's merchant so with -a-e- p-n being clued as a pointy object I entered "panel pin" even though I couldn't parse it... Whoops! Congratulations on reaching 600,000 subscribers. I'm sure I'm not the only one whose gradual improvement at cryptic crosswords is due to the hints and tips picked up from yourself and Mark. Much appreciated.
I find it incredible how often Simon is able to derive the correct answer despite not knowing a key piece of information (eg ooh-la-la), but also quite comical how much more out of touch with modern life he is than I am 😜 And "it makes them completely un-doable for anyone who is used to the old style" ... but that's _exactly_ how many people feel about the traditional ones that require you to know arcane bits of history or Latin or literature that hasn't been studied since the 1960s.
I've been getting into cryptics by playing them with my mum every few weeks and one of my biggest complaints has been the seemingly mammoth amount of obscure knowledge required, this one was incredibly refreshing in it's references and construction (though ironically as someone who never really got into tiktok that particular clue threw me for a second!). I'm absolutely fascinated and would love to see many more of these!
I think these editions of the TCC could be a great way of getting more people into cryptic crosswords. This one was a joy to watch and I hope you'll do more if the Times publishes another crossword like this.
That was fun to watch! People mostly comment on what effect the modern references has, but I think the most important part of making this accessible to new people is what it *doesn't* contain, in that it doesn't use lots of established 'crosswordisms' like U for posh, AB for boatman, RA for artist, etc.
I was distracted when I hit "play" on this video, thinking it was a sudoku video. Only listening with half an ear, I caught that this was a new type of crossword, modern, something for younger audiences perhaps. When I saw the first clue, I thought "oh, so it's not cryptic, it's just a regular crossword puzzle, dumbed down for beginner solvers?" I paused, loaded it up on my phone and quickly completed it, before returning to watch this very entertaining video. Clearly it is indeed a cryptic crossword, but with references that I found so easy that it made the answers obvious. As a 41-year old mum, this puzzle made me feel very young and "in the know"! 😅 Khaby Lame has produced a number of viral responses to those stupid "life hack" videos, where he'll silently witness someone solving a problem in some convoluted fashion, then point to a simple tool in use for centuries to solve the same problem. I believe that he currently has the most followers on TikTok. I hope that The Times will take note of the audience response and create more of these "modern" puzzles. Thank you very much for the upload, I never would have noticed this puzzle otherwise!
As a Canadian, I found this puzzle much easier than the regular Times cryptic, even though I am older than Simon. Please Times keep these puzzles coming.
Being a bit older, and not having much knowledge of modern culture, British sport, etc., this actually felt harder to me as I watched you solve it. I was so pleased to have gotten in-ear by myself, and maybe one other one, but by and large I think I was more at sea than in the Friday masterclass. Everything British has the possibility of tripping me up, though, since my American reference will always be different. I enjoyed watching you solve this nevertheless, Simon, and I'm so glad that you did. And of course, again, many, many congratulations on 600,000 subscribers!! The TH-cam channel (and pair of presenters) most deserving, in my opinion.
it's amazingly easy to spot anagrams when you already know the answer (T.V.). now i know how mark and simon must feel all the time!! edit: i love this idea! being from a non-english speaking country, and young, this was much more approachable, but still had the fun wordplay. hope this takes off!!
I can follow Simon's logic pretty well in the typical crossword solves, but I can very rarely solve a clue on my own. At the beginning of this video, I was able to solve 1d and 3d right away!! I'm still completely clueless about the footballers and other modern British stuff like that, but I'd love to see more solve videos for Sign of the Times Cryptics!
This was absolutely fantastic. I love how close you got to some answers, even saging the correct words while having no real clue. AmaIng stuff, i look forward to more of these.
I loved this. Knew 1A straight away. As has already been said, its great to have a TCC using a more modern and accessible knowledge base for younger people. Please carry on, it was fun to watch
That was so much fun to watch. I’m slightly too young, and slightly too Australian to get many of the references in the usual version, and way too old to get many of the references in this one. Loved it.
I've been watching this series long enough to be able to understand what I am meant to do with a lot of clues, but dont have the vocabularly or English knowledge (from US) to solve them, but this puzzle was a joy to solve as I knew almost all of the words, and was able to get the ones I didn't know (like Eze) from the checking letters / definition / wordplay. Would love for more of this kind of cryptic to be available.
This was such a joy to watch! I've been getting better at cryptic crosswords but didn't realize just how much of my performance was limited by not knowing all the references made and this felt like an absolute breeze! Also a bit about the Taylor's version: the reason it was so notable is that before then, record labels took advantage of young hopeful musicians by refusing to sell the rights to their recording to artists once they got more prominent and could afford to buy it back. So typically the musician owns the creative rights but the studio owns the recordings and distribution rights, resulting in them both controlling and getting most of the profit from the musicians success. By rerecording all her songs, she completely turned the music industries legal paradigm on its head by making the studios recordings worthless as people preferred to support the artist rather than a greedy corporation and buy/listen to the version recorded and owned by the artist.
The best CTC that I have seen. Since beginning the CTC odyssey, I can now solve (sometimes) the old-style crosswords and seeing you solve this with no knowledge of the answer, other than using the cryptic definitions, was wonderful. A pleasant surprise on a Sunday evening. 🙏
This was absolutely fascinating to watch, as Simon's experience of attempting to solve this felt very much like my attempts to solve more conventional cryptic crosswords, where I understand (thanks in large part to the weekly Friday masterclass!) the techniques, but the general knowledge required often defeats me. I got MARVEL, TAYLOR'S VERSION, NO CAP, INSTA, ED SHEERAN all pretty much instantly. I think this is an excellent idea and really well executed both by setter and solver.
This was great and I hope it continues! I’ve always loved the word play in cryptic crosswords but felt I didn’t have the word knowledge to solve (a lot of answers I had never even heard of before). But this seems to make things way more accessible. Was even able to figure some answers out this time while watching. Love the videos! Excellent solve as always and hope it continues in the future.
Oh my gosh I loved watching this! I hope they make more cryptic crosswords like this, it feels much more accessible and I would love to try a puzzle like this for myself!
Absolutely loved this video! Normally I’m so confused by all the old slang, and it’s so refreshing to see some newer references feature in classic cryptic style clues!
I usually barely get one in, this was by far the easiest solve and the speed with which i found the answers makes me understand how you normally get them so quickly!
That was great fun! I normally follow along and in the vain hope of solving a single clue before Simon, but trying to learn thousands of anachronistic abbreviations for words that haven't been used commonly in my lifetime (outside of cryptic crosswords) has always been a massive roadblock to getting deeper into the hobby. This puzzle however, (apart from the UK football references few outside the UK would know) was approachable, and felt like a great way to introduce newer audiences to the "rules". I hope this continues, and the writers don't burn through their pop culture knowledge too quickly haha
Could a 71-year-old solver living in the US solve this puzzle? Well, I did. I'd never heard of nearly everything, but by applying standard cryptic cracking techniques I came up all correct in about 45 minutes. I suspect the cryptics were rather easy for this special occasion - the two 14-letter anagrams were definitely crackable if you looked for common word patterns in the answers. Of course, as a US solver, I wouldn't know Jude Bellingham.
This was so fun to watch! I have gotten to the point where I can do the Quick Cryptics and the easier full Cryptics thanks to your videos. I’m excited to try this new format as well.
Watching Simon solve this was great. Right from the first clue which was the simplest of write ins IF you are up on pop culture. Really hope there are more of these to offset the arcana of the regular cryptic (which I also love).
600k subs and well deserved. I fell upon this channel randomly about 6 months ago, I didn't even play Sudoku or have any interest in it but it was just so engaging trying to understand and solve puzzles that were more imaginative than I thought they could be. It's such a unique channel and one that is great to watch a video from in the evening. I love the really really long solves by far the best. Looking forward to the day we get a solve that breaks the 3 hour mark
27:34 As someone that is both learning how to solve cryptics and also someone attempting to solve these from the US, I did certainly find more of these clues immediately accessible/gettable (though I am fairly younger as well, so that may have helped). A joy as always to watch, Simon! Hope to see you do more of Dave Gorman’s latest puzzles soon!
Congrats! I have been watching you Simon since the early days when you were doing killer sudokus! Amazing work by you and Mark. Wishing you all continued success.
I really really enjoyed this. Might be my favourite crossword one so far. I honestly get lost in the cryptic world so this was a real breath of fresh air
I’m not young but this is the first time I figured out an answer 1) at all and B) that you couldn’t. The regular cryptic isn’t too arcane for me because I do the NYT puzzles and learned some very arcane words over the years. But it’s got so many Britishisms that I’ve just never heard of. Also re: the Madame Web answer, I haven’t got a clue (pun intended)
Absolute loved that! Whilst the regular cryptic crossword videos are enjoyable, I'll maybe get 1 answer before Simon and 90%+ of the puzzle would be beyond me as I'm not prepared to learn all the super obscure things you need to know. Whereas with this style I got several before Simon and lots simultaneously where he talked through the possible "cryptic" part and I had the general knowledge (finally my sisters blaring out Steps whilst I was a kid pays off XD). There wasn't a single clue that made me think "we'll I'd never get that" even the ones that I no doubt would have got stuck on had I tried to solve on my own i.e. the "that's just a word I know because of cryptic crosswords". So this was the perfect blend of being approachable whilst retaining Simon's expert solving. Will definitely watch anymore that you attempt :)
I hope you do more of these 'modern' references crosswords. It's a beautiful sight to behold, seeing Simon gain the knowledge and fill it in successfully, it's like watching a Pokémon evolve before our eyes lol 🤣
This was brilliant! I hope they produce more of these. Although the very up to date references were great, most of the benefit comes from ruling out the arcane stuff.
I attempted this the day it was printed. I got most of the clues right, and needed hints on the ones I got wrong and amended these accordingly. A weclome addition, but surfaces could be more sophisticated. Fantastic content as ever.
Anyone who enjoyed this solve may also enjoy listening to a recent edition of the Allusionist podcast, in which Helen Zaltzmann interviewed American crossword compilers who are trying to expand the vocabulary of (for example) the New York Times crossword, and to make it more inclusive of words outside a white, middle-aged, male perspective.
I've been watching your cryptic crossword puzzle videos for a while now and if I'm lucky I'll get 1 answer. This was the first time I was able to get things almost immediately (outside of the super British / European clues) so I definitely enjoyed this video and would love to see these puzzles on the channel again 🙂
Really enjoyed this. Being able to do some of these on sight that Simon struggles with - how the tables turn! 5 down "what a weird clue", I was in hysterics screaming the answer!
"there must be a modern phrase that means lie, 'no hat' or something."
I hope the Times makes more of these puzzles if we get more gems like that!
I was laughing so hard. Not at Simon but that made it in.
No hat on a vertical pile
I'm gonna use "no hat" from now on
The only thing missing is looking up words you don't know on urban dictionary
I'm slightly afraid for Simon 😂
Haha this!!! That would be for patrons only not sure it would be allowed on TH-cam 😂
No cap!
@@dankramlich "No cap!" and right below TH-cam helpfully offers to "translate to English". Love it!
If Simon pulled up an Urban Dictionary widget instead of a Chambers one, I might fall out of my seat.
Now Simon understands what normal cryptics feel like for many of us! His solve of 1a was very entertaining.
"Could Andrew Marvell, the poet, have written Madame Web?..." 😂
That, and "Rings guy...Wagner?" both cracked me up 😆
Simon possibly confusing Andrew Marvell (C17th) and Andrew Motion (C21st) 😃
One of the best moments of accidental comedy in CtC history!
@@Kradlum Personally, I think it's more likely Simon thinks "Madame Web" could've been the name of a 17thC poem - which to be fair, removed from the context of Marvel nonsense, it does sound like it could be an epic poem!
That was wonderfully fogeyish
simon crushed that fr fr ong no cap
No hat fam
simon is the goat no printer just fax
he ate tf down
It was an absolute joy to watch this video. I'm one of the younger variety of viewers and usually I just sit silently and watch you solve these crosswords, but today I could scream some of the answers at the screen and rooting for you and that was such a joyful experience. Thank you for solving this!
If any crossword setting people are watching this video and reading these comments, I implore you: PLEASE do more of these puzzles. I don't think it's going too far to say that this is the future of cryptics. I am an avid solver of the normal Times cryptic but often find it just a bit too tough even with years of experience (am 33 myself) but I'm all across all of the references in this puzzle and would love to see many more like it. If you want to keep cryptics alive long into the future this is the way, as I don't think the younger generation will be interested in solving puzzles that are only allowed to refer to deceased movie stars from last century. PS Simon I loved watching the video.
I agree. I solve mostly regular crosswords, but the same idea applies. Several times, I've had a child sitting with me and come across a pop culture clue they know and I don't. Their faces light up with excitement and pride. It's a big moment for them. That's the future.
I really like this. A regular cryptic crossword I am fairly good at but I have built up (painfully) a store of stupid references used by cryptic crosswords - like an opera singer almost always being Boe a film usually being ET, a singer 50% of the time being cher and it often meaning sex but usually having a second euphemism as the answer. That stuff tests only the number of crosswords you did rather than any cryptic thinking so great to see something that shakes this up a bit.
This was possibly the funniest video I've watched here with Simon's perplexity at the modernisms.
I think I'm the same age as Simon and found many of the references familiar through my teenage daughter rather than my own more direct knowledge streams, but that's why developments like this are a good thing and important. Expanding our own references into the modern age and helping connect across the generation gap should be encouraged and I hope the Times, and any others who join this movement, choose to blend both old and new in the long run, rather than segregating them into separate puzzles exclusively, but with introductory ones like these that can be a gateway into the cryptic world.
Great to see how much Simon enjoys it even as he is baffled by some of the phraseology.
No cap, I loved this!
Suggestion: what if you turned this into a collaboration where you solve these together with someone who knows all the pop culture / modern slang references, but doesn't know how cryptic crosswords work (but is interested in learning)? Could be a lot of fun!
Just want to second this suggestion because it sounds really fun to watch!
I would love to watch that!!!
That's a great suggestion!
This is sort of how me and my dad do cryptics together, except the opposite. I get a lot of the wordplay parts, and he helps with any more obscure information I don’t know. This is a rare cryptic I probably could’ve finished myself because it doesn’t have any dated knowledge.
This video was an absolute delight to watch! As a nineteen year old from Germany who usually find's obscure, old references and the intrigues of the English language hard to get, this was the first time I got a lot of the clues before Simon. We definitely need more of those puzzles made and then solved by Simon. (Next time look the things you didn't know up, that would add a lot to the video) And congrats to the 600k!
I’d love to see modern abbreviations incorporated too, like fail = “L”, don’t worry = “NP”, I understand = “K”
They can get a lot of use out of “NGL” to bridge words
respect for "F"
@@squelchedotter"Social media site pays respects to best club by reserving tickets. (8)"
@@squelchedotterthis would be so good!
26 Across:
'Run off' = PRINT (As in, to run off a few copies of a document.)
Takes in 'Show' = DEMO
'Final part of stylish' = H
PRI-DE MO-NT-H
As a 20 something kiwi living in the UK, I tend to work out 2-3 clues on my own while watching the usual crossword Friday videos, the rest are too obscure or too British for me. But this one I managed about half of them! Absolutely loved it!!
As a 20 something kiwi living at home in NZ, I normally do the exact same as you Autumn. This one was different!
Finally a cryptic for us twenty something kiwis :')
Ok, I’m trying to solve this as I’m watching and already this is perfect. The fact that 1 across has stumped him whereas for me it’s a write in is exactly the kind of feeling this should be producing.
Hey Simon! I’ve been a fan of yours and Mark’s for a while, you got me into sodokus and crosswords, but, even despite how many of your cryptic crosswords I’ve watched, this is the first time I’ve actually solved one of the clues. I’m currently only one clue in but, as an 18 year old girl who just adores the channel, this is so exciting that I just had to pause and comment this. I’m so excited to see what else I can get as the video progresses.
Hahahaha! Just finished the video, I was screaming at you the whole time Simon, especially as a massive Taylor Swift fan. What a fun puzzle!
600k subscribers, in what is ultimately very niche content, is nothing short of incredible. Massive congratulations to CTC.
Oh Simon, my sweet summer child - not understanding the reference to "hooking up"
Understands that “it” somehow means sex appeal, but doesn’t understand hooking up 😅
As a married man, older than Simon, I thought that "hooking up" wasn't that obscure. It's a phrase that's been around for quite a while, I think.
I'm not so sure he didn't demurely forget to explain that one.
Yes, I was laughing over that too. Clearly Simon hasn't spent much time with college/university students since he was one himself! 😸
To answer Simon's interest abt modern lingo in Cryptic Crossword, at least personally, this is definitely a way to preserve the cleverness behind cryptic crossword without resorting to old references.
I simply approve of this approach, and can be use as a gateway to the ones with lesser known references, bcs it still uses a lot of the common rules of cryptic crossword, but in a new light.
Looking forward towards how this series of puzzles integrated modern culture into the interesting world of cryptic crossword.
As someone with no knowledge of 17th century poets, ancient monastic terminology, or anything to do with cricket, this was a fun change of pace! Personally, I'd love a happy medium that incorporates some of both old and new; it'll be interesting to see whether they keep this series of puzzles up. (And regardless, it's always lovely to see extra cryptic videos on the channel!)
Casey Affleck is Ben's brother.
Interesting idea. Language that is, perhaps, more accessible to those more in touch with pop culture and slang. I wish this sort of thing was around when I was younger. If it gets more people into cryptic crosswords, then it's a good thing.
I love Simon's wonderful innocence there of not being aware of "hooking up" as a reference to heading for bed!
watching simon solve no cap makes this entire series worth watching every single week xD
14:45 Explanation of 1 across: Wonder is synonymous with 'Marvel' and the company who made Madame web ('who made madame web?') is Marvel Comics.
16:28 “It makes them completely undoable for anybody who’s used to the old style” he says, solving it easily
27A is a really great clue and while it's fun to see Simon's naivety of not knowing the phrase "hooking up" it's a bit of a shame he doesn't get to appreciate the clue. It's a very well written and-lit:
Connecting clues Hooking, in the sense of attaching to something.
"heading for bed?" clues Up, in the sense that if you say you are "heading up" then you would mean you are going to bed.
And the clue as a whole is a very good definition of "hooking up".
I read it more as a ddef, "connecting" and "heading for bed" both can mean Hooking Up
This was so much easier for us, as 22 year olds, to join in with. Very reaffirming to know we have the skills to solve the puzzles, just not always the often out of date knowlegde and references. Would love to see you solve these again!
Well done! Absolutely fabulous to watch. Some explanations from a young person: Marvel is the movie studio that produced the film Madame Web, to “Hook up” with someone is to date/to go further steps(if you know what I mean)/to go to bed with them, the saying “no cap” means what I’ve just said is the truth and I am not lying, “ok I’ll bite” would be used when one person asks a question which implies anything and you may say “ok I’ll bite, what did you mean by…” for example, H is a member of the band steps, and “Taylor’s Version” is because she owned the lyrics and music behind her earlier work but not the recordings of them (they where owned by her old recording studio who she had a bad contract with) so she re-recorded the songs and self published them entitled “name of song - Taylor’s Version” meaning she got more money out of the songs. I really liked and understood this crossword more than normal, a great way to introduce a new generation. Any more questions don’t hesitate to ask 👍
Appreciate the explanations!
As a happily married man it seems entirely appropriate that you do not know the phase "hooking up" as a modern phase for "meeting with someone (often for a sexual encounter)"
I hope booty call comes up in the next one :D Though that's old enough for him to know about, even if not experienced,
I think it was the bed part that confused him, not the connecting part
It’s taken me a year to finally start remembering some of the old references for cryptic crosswords, and now they’re taking them away from me?! Back to square bloody one is it?!
Faux outrage of course, what a sweet man you are, such an entertaining solve! Love these videos, and enjoyed the puzzle too! Keep up the good work x
I sent my non-crosswording sister a picture of 5 down with only the S filled in and she got it immediately. Her first cryptic clue! Simon never quite nailing down the implication of “hooking up” is one of life’s great amusements. Please keep doing these!
Yes, lap cats exist. My cat can definitely be classified as one, as he loves lying in my lap.
This was a pleasant surprise. And right on the heels of that article I read Friday about cryptic crosswords not being very accessible to younger people. Hopefully, they'll make more of these, and you (or Mark) will keep trying to solve them for us.
Also, happy 600k subs, Simon and Mark! Who knew that a "silly" idea (to paraphrase Mark) would become so successful?
I really enjoyed this. And I fully support modernising the cryptic crossword. I enjoy the current style, but it’s like learning a new language and you often run into references I just don’t know or understand.
I have been reluctant to try a cryptic crossword on my own, because of the dual barriers of esoteric crossword knowledge and UK-specific knowledge.
A puzzle like this lowers one of those barriers, and might just be enough to push me over the edge.
And yes, Simon, "Taylor's Version" was a write-in for me and probably half of your audience. It's revenge for the hundreds of times you've read a clue and solved it and we don't even know what half the words mean.
As an aside, I don't think a puzzle like this needs a modern reference in every clue, I just think it needs to avoid any older, archiac, or obscure "crosswordese" references. Clean, common language timeless clues are fine in both styles, in my opinion.
I hope this becomes a regular Times Crossword (and series on CTC) as I really enjoyed it, even though I was frustrated with failing on 17d. I spent 39 years working on the ironmongery counter of a builder's merchant so with -a-e- p-n being clued as a pointy object I entered "panel pin" even though I couldn't parse it... Whoops! Congratulations on reaching 600,000 subscribers. I'm sure I'm not the only one whose gradual improvement at cryptic crosswords is due to the hints and tips picked up from yourself and Mark. Much appreciated.
No Cap, I got 5 down in 5 seconds! Please do more of these!
I think with enough time my partner and I could get all of these. Ordinarily we can get like 1, maybe 2 of the old cryptics
5 down is just iconic
I find it incredible how often Simon is able to derive the correct answer despite not knowing a key piece of information (eg ooh-la-la), but also quite comical how much more out of touch with modern life he is than I am 😜
And "it makes them completely un-doable for anyone who is used to the old style" ... but that's _exactly_ how many people feel about the traditional ones that require you to know arcane bits of history or Latin or literature that hasn't been studied since the 1960s.
I've been getting into cryptics by playing them with my mum every few weeks and one of my biggest complaints has been the seemingly mammoth amount of obscure knowledge required, this one was incredibly refreshing in it's references and construction (though ironically as someone who never really got into tiktok that particular clue threw me for a second!). I'm absolutely fascinated and would love to see many more of these!
I think these editions of the TCC could be a great way of getting more people into cryptic crosswords. This one was a joy to watch and I hope you'll do more if the Times publishes another crossword like this.
Simon you’re absolutely right - it’s both more and less accessible at the same time, such a pleasure to watch!
Congrats guys. Found this channel by complete fluke and have devoured many hours enjoying your puzzles 🎉👏
This might have been the most I've enjoyed watching a CTC video in a while.
What a delight to watch, and what a great initiative to get more people into crosswords. I'd love to see more videos like this.
This shows the joy of cryptic crosswords. Learning something new through the wordplay. There are some fun clues there.
What a lovely Sunday bonus. Congratulations again on getting 600, 000. You both deserve at least 1 million subscribers. Xx
That was fun to watch! People mostly comment on what effect the modern references has, but I think the most important part of making this accessible to new people is what it *doesn't* contain, in that it doesn't use lots of established 'crosswordisms' like U for posh, AB for boatman, RA for artist, etc.
I was distracted when I hit "play" on this video, thinking it was a sudoku video. Only listening with half an ear, I caught that this was a new type of crossword, modern, something for younger audiences perhaps. When I saw the first clue, I thought "oh, so it's not cryptic, it's just a regular crossword puzzle, dumbed down for beginner solvers?" I paused, loaded it up on my phone and quickly completed it, before returning to watch this very entertaining video.
Clearly it is indeed a cryptic crossword, but with references that I found so easy that it made the answers obvious. As a 41-year old mum, this puzzle made me feel very young and "in the know"! 😅
Khaby Lame has produced a number of viral responses to those stupid "life hack" videos, where he'll silently witness someone solving a problem in some convoluted fashion, then point to a simple tool in use for centuries to solve the same problem. I believe that he currently has the most followers on TikTok.
I hope that The Times will take note of the audience response and create more of these "modern" puzzles.
Thank you very much for the upload, I never would have noticed this puzzle otherwise!
As a Canadian, I found this puzzle much easier than the regular Times cryptic, even though I am older than Simon. Please Times keep these puzzles coming.
I really hope this is a regular series. Was most excellent!
Being a bit older, and not having much knowledge of modern culture, British sport, etc., this actually felt harder to me as I watched you solve it. I was so pleased to have gotten in-ear by myself, and maybe one other one, but by and large I think I was more at sea than in the Friday masterclass. Everything British has the possibility of tripping me up, though, since my American reference will always be different. I enjoyed watching you solve this nevertheless, Simon, and I'm so glad that you did. And of course, again, many, many congratulations on 600,000 subscribers!! The TH-cam channel (and pair of presenters) most deserving, in my opinion.
it's amazingly easy to spot anagrams when you already know the answer (T.V.). now i know how mark and simon must feel all the time!!
edit: i love this idea! being from a non-english speaking country, and young, this was much more approachable, but still had the fun wordplay. hope this takes off!!
I can follow Simon's logic pretty well in the typical crossword solves, but I can very rarely solve a clue on my own. At the beginning of this video, I was able to solve 1d and 3d right away!! I'm still completely clueless about the footballers and other modern British stuff like that, but I'd love to see more solve videos for Sign of the Times Cryptics!
This was absolutely fantastic. I love how close you got to some answers, even saging the correct words while having no real clue.
AmaIng stuff, i look forward to more of these.
Yes!!! Please keep doing these. I love the multiple bonus episodes featuring crosswords.
Massive congratulations on the 600K! This channel has opened my eyes and mind to many new cryptic methods and words. Keep it up Chaps! 👏👏👏
This was absolutely delightful- and I'm thrilled both that the Times is doing this, and that you have tried solving this on camera. Well done!
This is wonderful. First time ever I get more than one clue before Simon does. This may be my chance to seriously begin solving cryptic crosswords
It's funny hearing of Steps as a "modern" band. They disbanded over 20 years ago!
I loved this. Knew 1A straight away. As has already been said, its great to have a TCC using a more modern and accessible knowledge base for younger people. Please carry on, it was fun to watch
This was absolutely great. Loved Simon speculating if the poet Andrew Marvell had written Madame Web.
That was so much fun to watch. I’m slightly too young, and slightly too Australian to get many of the references in the usual version, and way too old to get many of the references in this one. Loved it.
I've been watching this series long enough to be able to understand what I am meant to do with a lot of clues, but dont have the vocabularly or English knowledge (from US) to solve them, but this puzzle was a joy to solve as I knew almost all of the words, and was able to get the ones I didn't know (like Eze) from the checking letters / definition / wordplay. Would love for more of this kind of cryptic to be available.
This was such a joy to watch! I've been getting better at cryptic crosswords but didn't realize just how much of my performance was limited by not knowing all the references made and this felt like an absolute breeze!
Also a bit about the Taylor's version: the reason it was so notable is that before then, record labels took advantage of young hopeful musicians by refusing to sell the rights to their recording to artists once they got more prominent and could afford to buy it back. So typically the musician owns the creative rights but the studio owns the recordings and distribution rights, resulting in them both controlling and getting most of the profit from the musicians success. By rerecording all her songs, she completely turned the music industries legal paradigm on its head by making the studios recordings worthless as people preferred to support the artist rather than a greedy corporation and buy/listen to the version recorded and owned by the artist.
The best CTC that I have seen. Since beginning the CTC odyssey, I can now solve (sometimes) the old-style crosswords and seeing you solve this with no knowledge of the answer, other than using the cryptic definitions, was wonderful. A pleasant surprise on a Sunday evening. 🙏
So many amazing moments during this solve! I'd love to see this version again in the future!
This was absolutely fascinating to watch, as Simon's experience of attempting to solve this felt very much like my attempts to solve more conventional cryptic crosswords, where I understand (thanks in large part to the weekly Friday masterclass!) the techniques, but the general knowledge required often defeats me. I got MARVEL, TAYLOR'S VERSION, NO CAP, INSTA, ED SHEERAN all pretty much instantly. I think this is an excellent idea and really well executed both by setter and solver.
This was great and I hope it continues! I’ve always loved the word play in cryptic crosswords but felt I didn’t have the word knowledge to solve (a lot of answers I had never even heard of before). But this seems to make things way more accessible. Was even able to figure some answers out this time while watching.
Love the videos! Excellent solve as always and hope it continues in the future.
Oh my gosh I loved watching this! I hope they make more cryptic crosswords like this, it feels much more accessible and I would love to try a puzzle like this for myself!
This was one of my favourite cryptic crosswords to watch yet! Loads of fun shouting answers at the screen before Simon, for once
Absolutely loved this video! Normally I’m so confused by all the old slang, and it’s so refreshing to see some newer references feature in classic cryptic style clues!
I usually barely get one in, this was by far the easiest solve and the speed with which i found the answers makes me understand how you normally get them so quickly!
Fun video; I'd love to see Mark tackle one of these too.
That was great fun! I normally follow along and in the vain hope of solving a single clue before Simon, but trying to learn thousands of anachronistic abbreviations for words that haven't been used commonly in my lifetime (outside of cryptic crosswords) has always been a massive roadblock to getting deeper into the hobby. This puzzle however, (apart from the UK football references few outside the UK would know) was approachable, and felt like a great way to introduce newer audiences to the "rules". I hope this continues, and the writers don't burn through their pop culture knowledge too quickly haha
Could a 71-year-old solver living in the US solve this puzzle? Well, I did. I'd never heard of nearly everything, but by applying standard cryptic cracking techniques I came up all correct in about 45 minutes. I suspect the cryptics were rather easy for this special occasion - the two 14-letter anagrams were definitely crackable if you looked for common word patterns in the answers. Of course, as a US solver, I wouldn't know Jude Bellingham.
This was so fun to watch! I have gotten to the point where I can do the Quick Cryptics and the easier full Cryptics thanks to your videos. I’m excited to try this new format as well.
This was an absolute joy to solve and watch you stumble on "no cap" as a younger person getting into cryptics!
Watching Simon solve this was great. Right from the first clue which was the simplest of write ins IF you are up on pop culture. Really hope there are more of these to offset the arcana of the regular cryptic (which I also love).
600k subs and well deserved. I fell upon this channel randomly about 6 months ago, I didn't even play Sudoku or have any interest in it but it was just so engaging trying to understand and solve puzzles that were more imaginative than I thought they could be. It's such a unique channel and one that is great to watch a video from in the evening. I love the really really long solves by far the best. Looking forward to the day we get a solve that breaks the 3 hour mark
That was glorious. As a 51 year old I thank my teenage daughters for expanding my pop knowledge!
27:34 As someone that is both learning how to solve cryptics and also someone attempting to solve these from the US, I did certainly find more of these clues immediately accessible/gettable (though I am fairly younger as well, so that may have helped). A joy as always to watch, Simon! Hope to see you do more of Dave Gorman’s latest puzzles soon!
Congrats! I have been watching you Simon since the early days when you were doing killer sudokus! Amazing work by you and Mark. Wishing you all continued success.
I really really enjoyed this. Might be my favourite crossword one so far. I honestly get lost in the cryptic world so this was a real breath of fresh air
Wonderful puzzle, would love to see more like this featured on the channel!
I’m not young but this is the first time I figured out an answer 1) at all and B) that you couldn’t. The regular cryptic isn’t too arcane for me because I do the NYT puzzles and learned some very arcane words over the years. But it’s got so many Britishisms that I’ve just never heard of.
Also re: the Madame Web answer, I haven’t got a clue (pun intended)
This was a joy to watch, if they put out more, I hope you and Mark will continue to try them.
Many congratulations on 600k! Very well deserved and now onward to 1M.
Tremendous fun. I hope The Times provides more, and that you cover them!
This was enjoyable to watch. I actually was able to get about half the clues vs the other crosswords when I have no idea.
Absolute loved that!
Whilst the regular cryptic crossword videos are enjoyable, I'll maybe get 1 answer before Simon and 90%+ of the puzzle would be beyond me as I'm not prepared to learn all the super obscure things you need to know. Whereas with this style I got several before Simon and lots simultaneously where he talked through the possible "cryptic" part and I had the general knowledge (finally my sisters blaring out Steps whilst I was a kid pays off XD). There wasn't a single clue that made me think "we'll I'd never get that" even the ones that I no doubt would have got stuck on had I tried to solve on my own i.e. the "that's just a word I know because of cryptic crosswords". So this was the perfect blend of being approachable whilst retaining Simon's expert solving. Will definitely watch anymore that you attempt :)
I hope you do more of these 'modern' references crosswords. It's a beautiful sight to behold, seeing Simon gain the knowledge and fill it in successfully, it's like watching a Pokémon evolve before our eyes lol 🤣
As a 20 year old, this was very entertaining to watch. Not being a native English speaker, I was finally able to guess some stuff.
This was brilliant! I hope they produce more of these. Although the very up to date references were great, most of the benefit comes from ruling out the arcane stuff.
What an absolute joy to watch! Will definitely take up this new cryptic format
I attempted this the day it was printed. I got most of the clues right, and needed hints on the ones I got wrong and amended these accordingly. A weclome addition, but surfaces could be more sophisticated. Fantastic content as ever.
This was a blast to watch a very unexpected treat!! Would absolutely watch more of these puzzles
Thoroughly enjoyed Simon truggling with some of these. Felt like I was watching myself attempting the standard cryptic.
Anyone who enjoyed this solve may also enjoy listening to a recent edition of the Allusionist podcast, in which Helen Zaltzmann interviewed American crossword compilers who are trying to expand the vocabulary of (for example) the New York Times crossword, and to make it more inclusive of words outside a white, middle-aged, male perspective.
Congrats on 600,000! I recall all your milestones for this channel; 6, 60, 600... next target 6 million!
solving this with little to no knowledge of modern lingo and trivia is so impressive! well-done!
I've been watching your cryptic crossword puzzle videos for a while now and if I'm lucky I'll get 1 answer. This was the first time I was able to get things almost immediately (outside of the super British / European clues) so I definitely enjoyed this video and would love to see these puzzles on the channel again 🙂
Really enjoyed this. Being able to do some of these on sight that Simon struggles with - how the tables turn! 5 down "what a weird clue", I was in hysterics screaming the answer!