Limit of 1 clue per setter. Please Annotate your clues clearly.
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Contest closes at 8:00 AM, March 20, 2026 after which VOTING will be open.
All participants who set clues are expected to vote as well. So please check when the Voting opens and/or bookmark the links
Voting will close at 7:00 AM, March 22, 2026 after which Results will be announced.
A covert operation executed brilliantly, this contest elicited some really good clues. While most of the high-point scorers stuck to the reliable VOTER anagram because it allowed for clean political surface readings, the real wit came from the hidden word entries—specifically that “panic over the” construction. It was cool to see how a simple word can be approached from five different directions (anagrams, containers, acrostics, double defs, and hidden words) and still feel fresh depending on how much “flavour” the setter adds to the surface.
Secret sweetheart taking top off, straddled by consort on vacation (6)
13
5
Secret = definition; sweetheart taking top off = (-l)OVER; straddled by = insertion indicator; consort on vacation = CT
– “straddled by = insertion indicator” indeed! 😏
Congrats to the toppers and all those who participated.Over to Textrous for the next contest. If you have any comments or feedback on the contest or the new 1ACCWC app. or any suggestions, please leave a comment and I shall try and incorporate it.
On International Women’s Day 2026, 1ACross is happy to present “Give to Gain”, a special puzzle put together with several talented cruciverbalists from across the globe
We are also happy to announce a special prize for this grid. One amongst the “all correct” entries, will be picked by lucky draw to receive an autographed copy of Reverie,(Amazon – India) a collection of poems by Dr. Lakshmi Balaji, PhD. (scroll below for details).
With a versatile word having many synonyms, this week’s contest saw strong participation, with 30 entries in total.
Multiple contestants went directly for references to royalty in their clues. Others opted for misdirection, with common ideas including TV networks, murders, Republican bullies and contests with trophies. There were a number of telescopic clues and at least one very good acrostic in the mix.
Reviewers left comments focusing on the setters’ cryptic grammar, i.e. the appropriate placement of cryptic indicators in relation to fodder elements. Many high-scoring clues read well on the surface level but contained grammatical flaws on the cryptic level.
Congratulations to the toppers and all the best for next week.
Part of a murder investigation finally complete (5)
29
11
CROW (part of a murder, ‘a murder’ is the collective noun for Crows) + N (final letter of investigatioN). Def.: Complete (Crown as verb, to be the culmination of efforts; Ref.: Collins, MW, Oxford)
Republican bully brought about the end of Iranian ruler (5)
14
7
def: ruler, Republican: R, Bully: COW (v), brought about: indicates that COW is brought about R, the end of Iranian: N
– Great idea – I just struggle with the position of R in the clue – A nice topical angle, but ‘brought about’ is in the wrong place to work as a containment indicator
– A technically correct clue, but “or” kind of ruins the surface
Congrats to the toppers and all those who participated.Over to Ganesh Raman for the next contest.
If you have any comments or feedback on the contest or the new 1ACCWC app. or any suggestions, please leave a comment and I shall try and incorporate it. Here’s the link to the full results
“Money Matters” from “Veeyares” was our third grid for 2026.
Stats: 51 solvers attempted this puzzle. 41 solvers managed to complete the puzzle and the bonus forms. As many as 38 solvers got the full score. (more…)
All participants who set clues are expected to vote. You are not allowed to vote for your own clue
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The contest elicited some clever ties in common cryptic surfaces: “on the house”, “giveaways,” “handouts,” “no charge,” etc. were often used definitions. Wordplay in several clues used beer/fries), insects (BEE), chips/fries, or anagrams/containers involving those elements.
Voter comments focused on indirect anagrams, same-root issues (using “free” directly in fodder), def mismatches (adjective vs. noun), and Spoonerism failures.
Favourites had witty pub-related surfaces (beer, fries, chips/gravy as free perks) or evocative storytelling. Some entries were creative but overcomplicated or had minor technical flaws.
Overall it was a fun, thematic contest with high participation (34+ entries), where the top clues excelled in balancing misleading surfaces with fair, elegant cryptic mechanics.
Those on the house sadly see fire consuming the top of building (8)
28
9
Def: Those on the house, anagrind: sadly, SEEFIRE* around B(uilding)
– Good storytelling, evocative – Really really like how "on the house" works here – Sadly is a bit weak for such a scary situation imo. A bit picky. Worriedly for example.
– Brilliant clue – Where is negative marking option? – Huh? – Sebi isn't a believable name to me. That could be a cultural thing though. The best I could see would be: I.e. BS. Haha.
Samples (Definition) – (FRIES)(BEEr)*, rum – anagrind
– Great clue
Congrats to the toppers and all those who participated.
Over to Aashirwad for the next contest.
If you have any comments or feedback on the contest or the new 1ACCWC app. or any suggestions, please leave a comment and I shall try and incorporate it.Here’s the link to the full results
Also Check out the Leaderboard for 2026.
“Yin Yang” from “Amygdala” was our second grid for 2026.
Stats: 56 solvers attempted this puzzle. 37 solvers managed to complete the puzzle and the bonus forms. One solver did not complete the bonus form. Only 29 solvers got the full score. (more…)
Thanks to Kalyan Bandyopadhyay for hosting the contest.
This week’s 1ACCWC #554 on BRAIN ROT saw solid turnout with 28 entries and lively community.
Ramki Krishnan crushed it with 41 points (16 voters) for his acrostic gem:
“Mental decline from baseless rumours and idiotic nonsense read on Twitter, primarily? (5,3)”
Spot-on topical surface ranting about doomscrolling —voters loved the relevance and
ssavtaar took a strong second (30 pts) with the clean Spoonerism “Spooner’s fall caused cognitive decline” (RAIN BROUGHT → BRAIN ROT). Short, neat, and popular despite other three other Spoonerism based clues splitting votes.
Anne de Pimodan came in third (23 pts) with the cheeky “Minx exposed pants following underwear malfunction” (BRA + IN ROT from exposed minx). Risqué surface won fans, even though some commenters nitpicked the def.
Other standouts:
– Satyen Nabar’s acrostic/anag hybrid on browsing nonsense (22 pts) felt timely.
– Abhay Phadnis’s container “Spoilt kid consumes kinky ‘noir’” (21 pts) was tight and fun.
Comments from participants focused on indicator placement issues (e.g., hidden words), awkward grammar, forced surfaces, and similarity in wordplay .
Voters rewarded modern, relatable themes (reels, Twitter, scrolling) over pure mechanics..
Fun, meme-friendly contest overall—Ramki’s winner nailed the zeitgeist! What did you think of the top ones? 😄
– Very nice clue, 1 pt was almost deducted for leads instead of leading, but generosity prevailed over cynicism
– “Stray’s content” or “content of stray” would be better from the POV of cryptic grammar. But then your surface would need to be reworked also.
– Leading instead of Leading would have been better, nevertheless full points
Rev Spooner’s fall led to decline in cognitive function (5, 3)
15
6
Rain (fall) Brought (led to) is the Spoonerism of Brain Rot. Definition: decline in cognitive function
– Best of the Spoonerisms
– A bit wordy compared to the other clue having the same wordplay
– Best of the Spooner lot of clues
– Two almost identical clues!
One wearing lingerie torn badly – a side-effect of social media? (5,3)
14
6
One=I, lingerie=BRA, torn badly=NROT, wearing=containment indicator, def=a side-effect of social media?
Congrats to the toppers and all those who participated.Over to Ramki Krishnan for the next contest.If you have any comments or feedback on the contest or the new 1ACCWC app. or any suggestions, please leave a comment and I shall try and incorporate it.
The most dominant URBAN LEGEND involved Greenland which figured in as many as 7 clues., three of which made it to the Top 10. Two clues used a very neat charade construct using singers (Keith) URBAN and (John) LEGEND. Several Leg+End combinations were also popular.
The most innovative was one that took the head out of a turban. Great selection of clues but ultimately it was a drunk nun that took away the Gold!
Congrats to the toppers and all those who participated.
Over to Kalyan Bandyopadhyay for the next contest.
If you have any comments or feedback on the contest or the new 1ACCWC app. or any suggestions, please leave a comment and I shall try and incorporate it.
