Guardian Cryptic/Prize Crossword Analysis
This page renders some charts from data gathered via the Guardian newspaper's
cryptic and prize crosswords. The data shown here was scraped via the web.
Each section will eiter explicitly differentiate between prize or
cryptic, or not. Where there is no distinction, then the data is aggregated
over both prize and cryptic.
The git repository containing this data is here.
Last Updated:
Thu Nov 21 01:01:20 2024
1. Total number of crosswords, set by author
This chart shows the number of crosswords set per setter. No real surprises here as to the most prolific setters.
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2. Crosswords per year, per setter
This chart shows an area span for the number of crosswords set per setter, per year. Interesting to see when a setter started and stopped.
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3. Frequency of word duplications across all crosswords, per setter
This chart shows the number of words a given setter has used more than once, across all crosswords for that setter.
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4. Setter Biographies
This shows information about each setter
Anto
Total crosswords: 51 (cryptic: 51, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2020-03-02
Last crossword: 2024-10-22
Active for: 4 years, 07 months, 20 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Anto in the clue): 1
Arachne
Total crosswords: 134 (cryptic: 127, prize: 7)
First crossword: 2006-06-28
Last crossword: 2024-11-02
Active for: 18 years, 04 months, 4 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Arachne in the clue): 25
Araucaria
Total crosswords: 765 (cryptic: 448, prize: 317)
First crossword: 1999-06-26
Last crossword: 2014-11-26
Active for: 15 years, 05 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Araucaria in the clue): 24
Atë
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2015-04-01
Last crossword: 2015-04-01
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Atë in the clue): 0
Audreus
Total crosswords: 58 (cryptic: 58, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-10-01
Last crossword: 2013-01-09
Active for: 13 years, 03 months, 8 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Audreus in the clue): 0
Auster
Total crosswords: 36 (cryptic: 35, prize: 1)
First crossword: 2000-05-30
Last crossword: 2010-12-22
Active for: 10 years, 06 months, 23 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Auster in the clue): 0
Biggles
Total crosswords: 9 (cryptic: 1, prize: 8)
First crossword: 2000-04-01
Last crossword: 2013-10-26
Active for: 13 years, 06 months, 25 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Biggles in the clue): 0
Boatman
Total crosswords: 108 (cryptic: 93, prize: 15)
First crossword: 2008-10-01
Last crossword: 2024-11-15
Active for: 16 years, 01 months, 14 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Boatman in the clue): 184
Bogus
Total crosswords: 3 (cryptic: 1, prize: 2)
First crossword: 2016-11-19
Last crossword: 2021-05-01
Active for: 4 years, 05 months, 12 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Bogus in the clue): 1
Bonxie
Total crosswords: 53 (cryptic: 45, prize: 8)
First crossword: 2009-05-01
Last crossword: 2017-06-23
Active for: 8 years, 01 months, 22 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Bonxie in the clue): 3
Brendan
Total crosswords: 257 (cryptic: 222, prize: 35)
First crossword: 2006-05-11
Last crossword: 2024-10-28
Active for: 18 years, 05 months, 17 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Brendan in the clue): 18
Brockwell
Total crosswords: 14 (cryptic: 8, prize: 6)
First crossword: 2023-04-22
Last crossword: 2024-10-31
Active for: 1 years, 06 months, 9 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Brockwell in the clue): 1
Brummie
Total crosswords: 312 (cryptic: 264, prize: 48)
First crossword: 2003-07-04
Last crossword: 2024-11-14
Active for: 21 years, 04 months, 10 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Brummie in the clue): 33
Bunthorne
Total crosswords: 144 (cryptic: 91, prize: 53)
First crossword: 1999-08-10
Last crossword: 2006-11-04
Active for: 7 years, 02 months, 25 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Bunthorne in the clue): 11
Carpathian
Total crosswords: 23 (cryptic: 21, prize: 2)
First crossword: 2020-04-27
Last crossword: 2024-11-09
Active for: 4 years, 06 months, 12 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Carpathian in the clue): 2
Chandler
Total crosswords: 3 (cryptic: 3, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2022-08-09
Last crossword: 2024-11-21
Active for: 2 years, 03 months, 12 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Chandler in the clue): 0
Chaucer
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2003-02-27
Last crossword: 2003-02-27
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Chaucer in the clue): 0
Chifonie
Total crosswords: 273 (cryptic: 268, prize: 5)
First crossword: 1999-07-03
Last crossword: 2020-05-01
Active for: 20 years, 09 months, 29 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Chifonie in the clue): 0
Crispa
Total crosswords: 39 (cryptic: 39, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-07-05
Last crossword: 2004-12-06
Active for: 5 years, 05 months, 1 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Crispa in the clue): 0
Crucible
Total crosswords: 136 (cryptic: 109, prize: 27)
First crossword: 2008-05-03
Last crossword: 2022-08-06
Active for: 14 years, 03 months, 3 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Crucible in the clue): 3
Don manley
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2020-01-03
Last crossword: 2020-01-03
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Don manley in the clue): 0
Dynamo
Total crosswords: 2 (cryptic: 2, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2024-08-19
Last crossword: 2024-09-16
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 28 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Dynamo in the clue): 0
Egoist
Total crosswords: 4 (cryptic: 4, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2000-07-18
Last crossword: 2003-07-18
Active for: 3 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Egoist in the clue): 0
Enigmatist
Total crosswords: 116 (cryptic: 64, prize: 52)
First crossword: 1999-08-26
Last crossword: 2024-10-23
Active for: 25 years, 01 months, 28 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Enigmatist in the clue): 13
Enigmatist and Paul
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2009-08-19
Last crossword: 2009-08-19
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Enigmatist and Paul in the clue): 0
Enigmatist and Soup
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2021-02-16
Last crossword: 2021-02-16
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Enigmatist and Soup in the clue): 0
Enigmatist, Paul and Shed
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2011-02-16
Last crossword: 2011-02-16
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Enigmatist, Paul and Shed in the clue): 0
Fawley
Total crosswords: 19 (cryptic: 18, prize: 1)
First crossword: 1999-06-25
Last crossword: 2000-09-11
Active for: 1 years, 02 months, 16 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Fawley in the clue): 1
Fed
Total crosswords: 34 (cryptic: 34, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2021-06-28
Last crossword: 2024-11-19
Active for: 3 years, 04 months, 21 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Fed in the clue): 7
Fidelio
Total crosswords: 6 (cryptic: 6, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2001-02-06
Last crossword: 2003-04-23
Active for: 2 years, 02 months, 17 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Fidelio in the clue): 0
Fiore
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2009-10-13
Last crossword: 2009-10-13
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Fiore in the clue): 0
Gemini
Total crosswords: 32 (cryptic: 31, prize: 1)
First crossword: 1999-08-04
Last crossword: 2005-01-19
Active for: 5 years, 05 months, 15 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Gemini in the clue): 1
Gordius
Total crosswords: 315 (cryptic: 305, prize: 10)
First crossword: 1999-07-15
Last crossword: 2014-04-17
Active for: 14 years, 09 months, 2 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Gordius in the clue): 15
Harpo
Total crosswords: 11 (cryptic: 11, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2021-12-31
Last crossword: 2024-11-08
Active for: 2 years, 10 months, 8 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Harpo in the clue): 0
Hendra
Total crosswords: 5 (cryptic: 5, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-10-29
Last crossword: 2002-01-18
Active for: 2 years, 02 months, 20 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Hendra in the clue): 0
Hugo
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 0, prize: 1)
First crossword: 2024-02-17
Last crossword: 2024-02-17
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Hugo in the clue): 0
Imogen
Total crosswords: 135 (cryptic: 119, prize: 16)
First crossword: 2003-10-18
Last crossword: 2024-10-29
Active for: 21 years, 00 months, 11 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Imogen in the clue): 17
Jack
Total crosswords: 16 (cryptic: 14, prize: 2)
First crossword: 2023-04-17
Last crossword: 2024-11-16
Active for: 1 years, 06 months, 29 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Jack in the clue): 1
Janus
Total crosswords: 89 (cryptic: 89, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-06-29
Last crossword: 2006-10-30
Active for: 7 years, 04 months, 1 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Janus in the clue): 0
Kite
Total crosswords: 13 (cryptic: 9, prize: 4)
First crossword: 2021-11-11
Last crossword: 2024-10-12
Active for: 2 years, 11 months, 1 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Kite in the clue): 4
Kookaburra
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 0, prize: 1)
First crossword: 2004-01-24
Last crossword: 2004-01-24
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Kookaburra in the clue): 0
Logodaedalus
Total crosswords: 101 (cryptic: 101, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-07-06
Last crossword: 2014-09-17
Active for: 15 years, 02 months, 11 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Logodaedalus in the clue): 0
Ludwig
Total crosswords: 2 (cryptic: 2, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2024-09-25
Last crossword: 2024-10-30
Active for: 0 years, 01 months, 5 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Ludwig in the clue): 1
Maskarade
Total crosswords: 31 (cryptic: 17, prize: 14)
First crossword: 2013-12-21
Last crossword: 2024-11-07
Active for: 10 years, 10 months, 17 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Maskarade in the clue): 0
Matilda
Total crosswords: 25 (cryptic: 24, prize: 1)
First crossword: 2020-03-31
Last crossword: 2024-09-17
Active for: 4 years, 05 months, 17 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Matilda in the clue): 7
Mercury
Total crosswords: 36 (cryptic: 36, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-07-28
Last crossword: 2002-07-26
Active for: 2 years, 11 months, 29 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Mercury in the clue): 1
Mobo
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2022-03-24
Last crossword: 2022-03-24
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Mobo in the clue): 0
Nutmeg
Total crosswords: 181 (cryptic: 178, prize: 3)
First crossword: 2013-09-20
Last crossword: 2023-05-25
Active for: 9 years, 08 months, 5 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Nutmeg in the clue): 33
Nutmeg and Arachne
Total crosswords: 2 (cryptic: 2, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2023-08-07
Last crossword: 2023-10-16
Active for: 0 years, 02 months, 9 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Nutmeg and Arachne in the clue): 0
Nutmeh
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2016-06-13
Last crossword: 2016-06-13
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Nutmeh in the clue): 0
Omnibus
Total crosswords: 2 (cryptic: 2, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2005-08-29
Last crossword: 2024-10-15
Active for: 19 years, 01 months, 17 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Omnibus in the clue): 0
Orlando
Total crosswords: 188 (cryptic: 185, prize: 3)
First crossword: 1999-09-14
Last crossword: 2019-11-04
Active for: 20 years, 01 months, 20 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Orlando in the clue): 21
Otterden
Total crosswords: 22 (cryptic: 18, prize: 4)
First crossword: 2013-10-25
Last crossword: 2016-04-07
Active for: 2 years, 05 months, 13 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Otterden in the clue): 1
Pan
Total crosswords: 53 (cryptic: 52, prize: 1)
First crossword: 2016-07-27
Last crossword: 2022-02-07
Active for: 5 years, 06 months, 11 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Pan in the clue): 1
Pangakupu
Total crosswords: 29 (cryptic: 28, prize: 1)
First crossword: 2022-03-04
Last crossword: 2024-10-18
Active for: 2 years, 07 months, 14 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Pangakupu in the clue): 0
Pasquale
Total crosswords: 286 (cryptic: 261, prize: 25)
First crossword: 1999-07-02
Last crossword: 2024-11-11
Active for: 25 years, 04 months, 9 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Pasquale in the clue): 18
Paul
Total crosswords: 1016 (cryptic: 701, prize: 315)
First crossword: 1999-07-16
Last crossword: 2024-11-12
Active for: 25 years, 03 months, 27 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Paul in the clue): 96
Phiistine
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2019-05-09
Last crossword: 2019-05-09
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Phiistine in the clue): 0
Philistine
Total crosswords: 160 (cryptic: 116, prize: 44)
First crossword: 2011-05-26
Last crossword: 2024-09-11
Active for: 13 years, 03 months, 16 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Philistine in the clue): 21
Picaron
Total crosswords: 1 (cryptic: 1, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2024-04-01
Last crossword: 2024-04-01
Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Picaron in the clue): 0
Picaroon
Total crosswords: 304 (cryptic: 239, prize: 65)
First crossword: 2012-03-16
Last crossword: 2024-11-20
Active for: 12 years, 08 months, 4 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Picaroon in the clue): 27
Plodge
Total crosswords: 22 (cryptic: 21, prize: 1)
First crossword: 1999-07-09
Last crossword: 2002-10-01
Active for: 3 years, 02 months, 23 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Plodge in the clue): 0
Puck
Total crosswords: 160 (cryptic: 126, prize: 34)
First crossword: 2006-12-08
Last crossword: 2022-06-22
Active for: 15 years, 06 months, 14 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Puck in the clue): 34
Qaos
Total crosswords: 173 (cryptic: 161, prize: 12)
First crossword: 2012-01-12
Last crossword: 2024-11-13
Active for: 12 years, 10 months, 1 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Qaos in the clue): 4
Quantum
Total crosswords: 111 (cryptic: 111, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-07-21
Last crossword: 2011-02-15
Active for: 11 years, 06 months, 25 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Quantum in the clue): 0
Rover
Total crosswords: 116 (cryptic: 112, prize: 4)
First crossword: 1999-06-24
Last crossword: 2011-01-20
Active for: 11 years, 06 months, 26 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Rover in the clue): 4
Rufus
Total crosswords: 766 (cryptic: 765, prize: 1)
First crossword: 1999-06-28
Last crossword: 2017-12-18
Active for: 18 years, 05 months, 20 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Rufus in the clue): 0
Screw
Total crosswords: 23 (cryptic: 22, prize: 1)
First crossword: 2015-03-03
Last crossword: 2018-04-10
Active for: 3 years, 01 months, 7 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Screw in the clue): 4
Shed
Total crosswords: 221 (cryptic: 171, prize: 50)
First crossword: 1999-07-13
Last crossword: 2020-10-30
Active for: 21 years, 03 months, 17 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Shed in the clue): 21
Soup
Total crosswords: 7 (cryptic: 4, prize: 3)
First crossword: 2021-07-28
Last crossword: 2024-07-27
Active for: 2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Soup in the clue): 1
Sphinx
Total crosswords: 3 (cryptic: 3, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2017-02-28
Last crossword: 2024-06-12
Active for: 7 years, 03 months, 12 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Sphinx in the clue): 0
Taupi
Total crosswords: 109 (cryptic: 93, prize: 16)
First crossword: 1999-07-07
Last crossword: 2009-11-14
Active for: 10 years, 04 months, 7 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Taupi in the clue): 0
Tramp
Total crosswords: 175 (cryptic: 150, prize: 25)
First crossword: 2011-04-28
Last crossword: 2024-10-25
Active for: 13 years, 05 months, 27 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Tramp in the clue): 26
Unknown
Total crosswords: 7 (cryptic: 7, prize: 0)
First crossword: 1999-07-12
Last crossword: 2013-11-29
Active for: 14 years, 04 months, 17 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Unknown in the clue): 0
Vlad
Total crosswords: 120 (cryptic: 107, prize: 13)
First crossword: 2015-03-11
Last crossword: 2024-11-06
Active for: 9 years, 07 months, 26 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Vlad in the clue): 17
Vulcan
Total crosswords: 165 (cryptic: 165, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2018-02-26
Last crossword: 2024-11-18
Active for: 6 years, 08 months, 20 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Vulcan in the clue): 5
Yank
Total crosswords: 6 (cryptic: 6, prize: 0)
First crossword: 2024-01-02
Last crossword: 2024-10-24
Active for: 0 years, 09 months, 22 days
Number of clues self-referenced (with Yank in the clue): 2
5. Number of duplicate answers and their questions
This table shows the number of times a given clue has been used and the different questions which have been used to make up that clue.
5a. Number of duplicate clues per setter
This table shows the number of times a given clue has been used per setter.
6. List of all crosswords by setter, which has a PDF version
This table shows the crossword number and a link to the PDF crossword, if available.