... and about the puzzles.
Here you'll find a host of uniquely tricky brainteasers especially designed for lovers of word puzzles. Cryptic and 'straight' clues combine to test your ingenuity and illustrate the fun to be had with the English language.
I call them WordPairs, for reasons which will soon be obvious. These are puzzles with all the answers! Let me explain. The idea is to solve each clue on the left by choosing a pair of appropriate words from those listed randomly on the right. If correct, the words you choose will answer the clue in a variety of ways. As you get used to solving them you will spot how they work. Each word may only be used once and one of them will not fit anywhere. Confused? Don't worry, you will soon get the hang of it.
It may seem daunting at first to be confronted by all the random words, but trust me, once you answer a few of the easier clues you will hit your stride and solve them all. Now, just pick a puzzle and enjoy!
A word about me...
I'm a retired police officer. I served 30 years in London's Metropolitan Police, for most of which time I was a detective at Scotland Yard, more used to solving puzzles than setting them.
My work took me all over the world and served as the basis for a second career as a private investigator My clients ranged from the UK and foreign governments, lawyers and, major corporations at home and abroad.
I retired in the year 2000 and then set about trying to obtain and then improve my golf handicap. I failed miserably and had to content myself with merely hacking my way around my local course until major knee surgery made this too painful.
Now I occupy my time by devising puzzles of various types. I enjoy tackling cryptic crosswords and have even produced a few of my own.