Cryptic crosswords are a great challenge for the brain, but they needn’t be scary. They’re not as deadly as the puzzles in the Exxilon City! Below are some hints and tips on how to complete them – Code Nine Anagrams: If a clue contains a word meaning “change”, such as “upset”, or “disturbed”, that means there is an anagram to solve. The words which require your attention are usually right next to the indicator word. Read more…
Cryptic Who started life on another platform many moons ago. Back then, you had to print out your crosswords and do them by hand. How times change. However, I have no intention of there being missing episodes by dumping them in a skip – the link to the old site is here – Cryptic Who which will remain online as an archive, where you’ll find dozens of past grids! In the meantime, Allons-y! Code Nine Read more…
The Doctor and his friends have landed in many wars during their travels – the Trojan War, World War I, and World War II to name but a few. When the Daleks invaded Gallifrey, he was called upon to be a warrior and became the War Doctor, seemingly annihilating both sides with the Moment. Then, there were The War Games, an operation so large, the Doctor had to call for help to end the terrible Read more…
As The War Between the Land and the Sea rages on, this week’s theme is on war itself. The history of Doctor Who – and mankind – is littered with wars. It is not without reason that Testimony call him, “The Doctor of War.” Though to be fair, they took out all the jokes. Yet, most of the time, he tries to avert wars or to stop them, fighting warlike species such as the Daleks, Read more…
The Doctor’s adventures are usually on dry land, but occasionally, he does get his feet wet under the sea. The Sea Devils, Warriors of the Deep, and Cold War spring to mind. This week, to coincide with the new version of The Sea Devils and The War Between the Land and the Sea, we are putting on our snorkels and flippers and taking a deep dive into Doctor Who’s aquatic adventures! – Cod Nine x
To tie in with the premiere of the brill Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, this week’s cryptic crossword dives under the sea to explore all things aquatic. Swimming around in the clues are Sea Devils and sea monsters galore! It’s packed to the gills, but I shan’t carp on. Hopefully, it won’t give you the bends! – Cod Nine x
Making the Autons the first monsters in the revived Doctor Who in 2005 was a masterstroke because it reintroduced Doctor Who’s modus operandi of making the everyday scary. After all, having immobile humanlike figures standing around shops in the latest fashions is kind of creepy… and that’s just the sales staff! Autons are effectively zombies of our own creation, but cold and impassive, with that evocative sound of their handguns priming. That’s something to think Read more…
Last week, we looked at the worlds of Robert Holmes, which prompted me to think of the Autons as a subject for crosswords. To my amazement, this is the first time the Autons will be the theme on this blog. Three years in (or thereabouts) and we’re still plundering new territory! Incidentally, that famous scene of the Autons crashing through the shop windows and shooting innocent people was filmed at Ealing Broadway where I did Read more…
