The Spoiler

I have confessed to my crosswording before. The prize crossword in the Grauniad (protected behind a paywall on the interweb but provided free with half a ton of paper when you buy the weekend Grauniad) on Saturday last, contained a spoiler.

This is my conspiracy theory about crosswords. You select the level of crossword that you feel comfortable with, Grauniad, FT, Torygraph, Indie or even the Dirty Digger's Times. You start doing it on a regular basis. You are then ensnared into the prize puzzle on a Saturday or Sunday. You get most of them but there always seems to be one clue which is v. difficult, ambiguous or relies on getting the intersecting solution to select between two possibilities.

Araucaria, had one such across clue last week. It depended on solving a down clue:

Girl, has some weight, being well padded. (4,4)

Very naughty of old Cinephile to do that, and him an ex vicar! Immediately thoughts turn to well padded girls and other immodesty. Until you are able to think of other things you will not get it and the across clue, the spoiler, will be beyond your reach.

Reminds me of the old chestnut about the psychiatrist who shows a patient images and asks for the association with each. The patient keeps repeating the word sex. The psychiatrist explains that it is obvious the patient is obsessed with sex. The patient replies that it is the doctor who is obsessed with sex because he has all those mucky drawings!

Back to work!