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I was working on a crossword puzzle last night and was intrigued by its theme. The puzzle-maker used single letters as clues, with the answers in the form of phrases. For example:
Clue: R
Answer: Bitter end
Clue: L
Answer: Ladies first
Clue: E
Answer: Eye opener
and so on. I thought we might have some fun coming up with our own crossword clues. Here are some I thought of last night:
Clue: C
Answer: Can opener
Clue: N
Answer: Season finale
Clue: A
Answer: First of all
Anyone else?
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I'm having trouble figuring this out, Rapunzel. ["So, what's new?", says themilum.]
It looks like a fun game but I get "death" which doesn't start with "R"* for "bitter end", and I get "chivalry" which doesn't start with "L" for "Ladies first". And I can't think of any "Eye Opener" which begins with "E" unless it's "Electra".
So it makes it hard for me to connect "Can Opener" with "C" if it isn't "can", and even harder to connect "N" with "season finale" if it isn't "swan song".
On the other hand, "A" for "first of all" is as easy as "A, B, C".
* Hmmm. Maybe the "R" for "bitter end" stands for "Return" as in tax return. Death and taxes are the only things in life which are certain, and both of them come with a deadline.
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Of course, Plutarch, I figured out the mechanics of the crossword at a glance, but I bow to good manners and will let Rapunzel do the explaining. 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Clue: T
Answer: East ender
Clue: N
Answer: New beginning
Clue: R
Answer: Closing pitcher
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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First lay Forearm ;) Initially wet Opening yacht Leading edge End of the pier
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Now I understand "L" for "Ladies First", maverick. And I think I got "E" right, after all.* Very clever explanation, I must say, but it's still over my head. ["What did I tell you!", says themilum.] * http://come.to/carmen_electraHey, Rapunzel. I see you manage a Christian Book store. I guess you're letting your hair down after work, huh? [Meanwhile, I'm tearing my hair out with your puns, Rapunzel.]
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re "bow to good manners" from themilum
You "bow to good manners", themilum, like a ship bows to the waves. :)
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Carpal Tunnel
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I'm trying to get some work done here and then you post this. Argh. Have you no shame? Guess not.
E Middlesex
S Last of the Mohicans
N Mid morning
Y Happy Ending
A End of an Era
T Eastend (or Westend)
E Beginning of the End
C First Contact
P Leader of the Pack
S Head of State
C Compass Heading
H Midlothian
Down clues:
M Top of the Morning
L Bottom of the Barrel
P Bottom of the Heap
M Bikini Bottom
S Topsail
D Top dog
W Top of the World
A Bottom of the Sea
Back to across clues:
Y The first of the year
E The end of time
P Penultimate Paragraph (I really like this one!)
B Bikini Top
S Last Tango in Paris
S Tale of Two Cities
Then there are some other, similar clues though not of one letter:
SUM Endless Summer
SH Southside
Down clue
PI Bottomless pit
ARS Topless bars
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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end of an erA
first Born
opening Day
stronG finish
Second CIty
Headstart
weeKend
close calL
second pLace
opening Night
first Quarter
fourth quaRter
Ya wanna start Something?
close quarterS
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Carpal Tunnel
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But you chopped my liver on East End.  ~~~ Edit: Yours are inspired too, wofa! (we had some simultaneous posting going on there...)
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The trouble with arriving late in the thread is I have to keep cross-checking what anyone else may have written already. Apologies for any duplication! end of the world second in line first footing Beethoven's Fifth Last Post final balance end result last orders antepenultimate breath (thanks for making me think of this, TEd, it comes from a song with wonderful lyrics: http://www.creekcats.com/pnprice/Madeira.htmlbottom feeder early bird leading lady journey's end Central Station Third Reich The Fifth Element last supper cobbler's last selfstarter startling (yes, I know, it's awful, but real crossword compilers do that sort of thing! Let me have it, please!!!) nanosecond secondary and last but not least... (note that all the words end in 't' - ah, serendipity!! ) ...'Twelfth Night' just about scrapes in as it has a subtitle, but what would the answer be to 'seventh heaven' or 'cloud nine'? 
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this is all quite a lark, and not too taxing, but.
given a puzzle replete with this type of clue, and given a blank grid to start with, here is an example clue:
Across
1 R (nine letters)
<thought balloon>
hmmm.. well it could be "bitter end".. or it could be "first rate".. I'll just try one of those and see if it fits with 1 Down..
-joe (clueless on) friday
edit: more of a challenge for the cruciverbalist would be coming up with workable short phrases.
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Yes, I'm with tsuwm on this and was planning to post.
Rapunzel, were there some 'normal' cryptic clues to get you going, or were they all single letters?
Also, it may be old hat to all you crossword fans out there, but this thread called to mind the 5x5 grid with no blacked out squares.
Across clues:
1. Hit
6. Judy's partner
7. Makes holes
8. Funny magazine
9. Drink
Down clues:
1. Vegetables
2. Sheep
3. Chickens
4. Oceans
5. Often dropped
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Carpal Tunnel
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...the 5x5 grid with no blacked out squares.
That's great, Bridget! I'd never seen that one before (oh, it's also great seeing you here again!).
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Carpal Tunnel
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of course, this would all be a bit simpler(?) if the single letters were merely to be used to reveal the actual clues themselves.
-ron o.
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Rapunzel, were there some 'normal' cryptic clues to get you going, or were they all single letters?It was just a normal, newspaper-type crossword, with 6 or 8 "theme" clues in the form of single letters. I actually had no idea what the answers to the theme clues would look like until I filled in enough letters in the first one to figure out what the author was getting at. P.S. TEd, your "topless bars" clue made me laugh out loud. 
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I REALLY don't understand how you'd get those answers.
Why do you automatically thing "bitter end" with the clue being R. It is evident that an R is at the end of bitter, but why would that pop into your head. R is used in a slew of words in a slew of ways. ??Rueful start??
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if bitter end is the correct answer (nine letters) then
??Rueful start?? wouldn't fit the bill.
but your point is good and was made more obliquely above; not to cast any mantling aspersions.
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Carpal Tunnel
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First-rate!
You're right, none of the answers will jump out at you - too many possibilities A (at first). But once there are a few crossing hints the choices are narrowed, and the intended one becomes less obscure.
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Ah. So this type of clue would only be one of many different type in the crossword. I see. I love crosswords, but I'd probably groan a little when I got that type of clue and saw the answer.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Here's a good one in a recent NYT weekday crossword:
D minus 50%
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D minus 50%
As there are three letters in the answer, "CCL" works...
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Also, it may be old hat to all you crossword fans out there, but this thread called to mind the 5x5 grid with no blacked out squares.
This was great! I'd never seen this form before!
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Pooh-Bah
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"Bottomless pit" for pi is especially good considering that pi is an irrational number with a non-repeating decimal.
/nerd
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