XWD
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Grid standards

My turn

Rotational symmetry through 180°, though some (and almost all of mine) also have 90° symmetry.

Check

No more than half the letters of any word unchecked.

No more than two consecutive letters unchecked.

Mate

No section of the grid is cut off from the rest.

No section of the grid can be cut off from the rest by adding one more block.

An unacceptable grid

This grid, which I see frequently, violates two of the common standards for cryptic crossword grids:

  • Sections of the grid can be isolated from the rest of the grid by placing a single block in one of the squares marked with x

  • The words marked by red lines all have fewer than half their letters common to a second word.

Chris F.A. Johnson
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Last modified: Wed Apr 4 15:13:41 EDT 2001