Crosswords, inexplicably, are more popular than ever. The New York Times alone apparently has more than 28 million people playing its word games. (Speaking of which, have you tried Slate’s?) Something ...

“There are crossword puzzles and crossword puzzles,” Stephen Sondheim wrote in 1968, by way of an introduction to the British-style cryptic puzzle he briefly constructed for New York magazine. One ...

Among the most challenging crossword puzzles are those in which the answers are hidden in the clues themselves. These are aptly called cryptic. For example, what is the answer to Used to be healthy, ...

Today’s theme: Sounds dandy.

John Forbes graces us with a cryptic gift. By Caitlin Lovinger CRYPTIC CROSSWORD — This is the seventh and last installment of what has been a terrific year for cryptic crossword puzzles! John Forbes ...

You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Obviously they don’t, but that’s the point: cryptic crossword clues are never as they seem. If ...