Cryptic crossword No 3,635
Thu 2 Jul 2026, set byPlatypus
23
Special Instructions: 21 setters (credited in the annotated solutions) have created clues for this puzzle. Supposedly, all of the stories are fictional. Enjoy!
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Such intrigue! How were the three-letter clues allocated? Punishment for a pseudonym in one case it would seem! Anyway, huge credit to tpg for the grid and all the coordination around it, and to the humming minds of the setters who made this such a great solve. I wouldn’t dare pick out favourites- too many daggers might come out! But thanks all- fantastic community effort celebrating a fantastic community🤩
Thank you to all setters and solvers! Quick backstory: I once enjoyed a vivid clue so much that I immediately hoped to emulate it in a multi-setter effort. The clue, by Gennaro: "Heavyweights strangle husband with skin of predatory snakes" (7). I'd aimed for multiple setters to contribute to a “cryptic murders” mini; timing-wise it didn’t work out, so I ended up making that puzzle myself (MyC Mini #189). 6 months later, Gennaro struck again with another beauty; soon after, this puzzle emerged!
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