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Hi,

I started doing cryptic crosswords a few weeks ago. They are so addictive!

I can now comfortably solve the Mirror cryptic. What I want to know is.... Which cryptic should I start doing next? I am looking for one that is slightly more challenging. The Mirror one is too easy, and I also don't like how they reuse clues so often.

Hi Glacier

I would recommend maybe The Daily Mail and/or The Telegraph or Times on a Monday.

Typically The Times and Telegraph get a bit trickier as the week progresses.

Welcome to our world!

You could try the Daily Mail cryptic crossword. I do it Monday to Friday, and its larger Saturday version, then the Sunday Times one, which is much more challenging. I also do The Times two cryptics about once a week - one is easier, the other tougher.

Enjoy!

Hi Glacier,

In addition to the suggestions by my fellow Forum users, I'd recommend the Everyman crossword that appears in the Observer on Sundays.

They are available free online and, if you click on this link, you will not only have access to the most recent one but also all the previous crosswords. It will also allow you to access the Guardian prize crosswords that appear on Saturdays.

https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/series/everyman

Forgot to say that the large Saturday Mail crossword has two sets of clues - leading to the same answers - with one set being cryptic and the other set not so ... It can help the learning if, having not got some of the cryptic clues, you look at the simpler clues for those.

Moving up a link or two from the one the Brendan gave is
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords
I would particularly recommend the Monday Quiptic crossword for progressers. The Everyman used to be a very good one too, but the previous compiler retired and the standard and level of difficulty has been a bit variable since - one or two have been harder than the Saturday Prize puzzle! There are signs that the new compiler is settling in to the job, though....

I would agree wholeheartedly about the Daily Mail puzzles, which have well-constructed clues and offer a very consistent standard of difficulty. After going through a 'difficult patch', Everyman has a single setter once more and seems to be getting back to its old level, so also worth trying (if you're looking at ones from the online archive, go for number 3,771 or before). Personally I would not recommend the Guardian daily crosswords for a relative newcomer as the use of a large pool of setters means that the quality and difficulty of the puzzles vary dramatically.

Thanks for your suggestion! And thanks to everyone else for their suggestions so far too.

I will try the Daily Mail, Everyman and Quiptic. See how I get on.

Ah okay, Spoffy. I'll just stick with the Daily Mail for now, rather than also try to take on the Guardian. Thanks.

The Guardian Quiptic isn't what spoffy was referring to, I think - I would agree that the daily puzzles vary in difficulty, generally getting harder as the week goes on. The Quiptic is fine though - today's was a particularly good example. (The compiler "Anto" has been known to produce a much harder Quitpic, but his (?) recent ones have been fairer too.)