Thursday 8 August 2013

5 Years of Blogging, and 5 Life Lessons from Cryptic Crosswords

crossword-unclued-fifth-birthday Crossword Unclued is turning five years old today. I took my first step into blogging with the post Tackling Cryptic Crosswords: 7-Step Guide to Beginners on 8th August 2008.

To all of you who read and spread the word about Crossword Unclued, I am tremendously thankful for your encouragement and support.

Plenty has changed for me in the past year. I've been through new kinds of experiences and dealt with unfamiliar challenges. And I've come to think that the principles that drive cryptic crosswords apply equally well beyond the boundaries of the crossword grid.

On the blog's birthday I'd like to reflect on five life lessons that cryptic crosswords have reinforced time and again.

1 Don't judge by what meets the eye at first. Unexpected meanings may hide beneath the surface.

2 Sometimes truth is a matter of perspective. The same thing can be read in more than way, and each way may be valid.

3 Not every conflict is a win-lose situation. Just as a setter's real victory is in conceding defeat to the solver.

4 If a problem cannot be solved cold, look for the checking letters to bail you out.

5 Whatever you do, you must be fair.

Have cryptic crosswords taught you something beyond words and wordplay?

Past Birthdays:

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12 comments

Anonymous said...

Many Happy Returns, Shuchi.

Lakshmi Vaidyanathan said...

Congrats Shuchi!

Lakshmi Vaidyanathan said...

I have learned a lot from your blog including "Patience" which I lacked while solving xwords.

Col_Gopinath said...

Great going Shuchi. Many happy returns to Crossword Unclued.

D.Srinivasan said...

Congratulations Shuchi.
Great 5 lessons indeed. I am still learning

Sreelakshmi said...

This blog has just been so terrific and informative! Keep going Shuchi! May there be more birthdays to come!

Raghunath said...

Anniversary wishes! Thanks Shuchi for this very informative site and all your help

Shrikanth said...

Congrats Shuchi. Your blog is a treasure trove.

Sumitra said...

Thank you, Shuchi. Profound wisdom from a generous young genius! May Crossword Unclued continue to enlighten and delight it's fans !

kebhari said...

Congratulations Suchi! This blog has just been so terrific and informative.

Shuchi said...

Kishore, Lakshmi, Colonel, D.Srinivasan, Sreelakshmi, Raghunath, Afterdark, Sumitra, kebhari:

Thank you very much for your good wishes.

Vasant said...

Congrats!The blog has been a great help.The only complaint is it has become far too few in recent times.Lessons?
1 Don't Give Up!Keep plugging on.
2 A Completed Grid is worth all the hard work
3 There is no room for complacency.