Minute Cryptic: Over 160 Wordplay Puzzles to Decipher, Unlock, and Untangle

by Angas Tiernan, Liam Runnalls

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Worldwide Hit, Now in Print

Welcome to your brand-new wordplay obsession.

From the creators of the popular daily online game Minute Cryptic comes a step-by-step guide to an original and mind-bending word challenge. Prepare to unlock the secrets of cryptic crosswords, one clue at a time.

Minute Cryptic puzzles are brain-teasers packed with sneaky each clue is a miniature riddle that uses techniques like anagrams, hidden words, and sound-alikes. Working them out can be tricky. And solving them is seriously satisfying.

In Minute Cryptic, each puzzle consists of just one clue; to solve it, you’ll learn how to recognize common types of wordplay to come up with a one-word solution. You'll get easy-to-follow explanations and practice (more than 160 puzzles!) to really get the hang of things. Start simple and work your way up, learning how to mix techniques and tackle the tougher stuff. By the end, you'll be able to take on a full cryptic crossword puzzle with total confidence.

Get ready for a mental workout that's seriously fun—and enjoy that ultimate “aha!” moment when you crack that killer clue.

Genres: Nonfiction

351 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 30, 2025

About the author

Angas Tiernan is the founder of Minute Cryptic, a daily cryptic crossword clue game.

Reviews

[Fiona Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

unpaid donut giants make a mess (11)

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minute Cryptic originally launched as an online puzzle platform and on social media, to teach people how to solve cryptic crosswords. I play the daily one clue puzzle every day along with Wordle and Squaredle. The online cryptic crossword clue and the book are aimed to help beginners one step at a time, to build the skills and intuition needed to eventually solve full cryptic crossword puzzles. I’ve been doing cryptic crossword puzzles for years but not an expert so I did find the book helpful. The one clue at a time is a modern and clever way to make cryptic crosswords less intimidating, by removing the pressure of a full 30-clue grid and allowing beginners to focus on mastering specific wordplay techniques at their own pace. If you’ve ever wanted to start solving cryptic crosswords, this would be a good place to start.

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning to solve cryptic crossword clues is kind of like learning another language, making Minute Cryptic kind of like Duolingo for wordplay. Tiernan – with his trusty clue constructor, Liam Runnalls – has created a completely accessible guide that explains each component of a clue with plenty of examples, hand-holding, and positive reinforcement.

My full review of Minute Cryptic is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[Becci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have spent my life thinking cryptic crosswords were for super intelligent people and I could get 1 or 2 of them but that was it. then i stumbled on Minue Cryptic on facebook and I learnt there was tricks you needed to learn. I watched many of those clips, then started solving the daily challenge ...which eventually lead me to wanting more and buying this book.

Which i finished over a weekend and thoroughly enjoyed doing so.

The clues are split into categories so a nice slow intro to each type of clue and really built up my confidence.

Did i solve every clue in this book without any hints? no but i did solve alot without hints and some with a couple of hints and then didnt solve a minority. I even mamaged to do all but 3 clues in the Mega Crossword at the end.

For all the ones i didnt get the answers explained really well how i should have got to the right answer.
the amount of hints are great too, you can use there step by step hints to identify and breakdown the clue, or they give you a couple of letters to help (as youd get in an actual crossword)

Am i a pro now? not yet , this has just taught me a lot of the tricks and things to look out for and now i need to go out and practice.


Id highly reccomend this to those wanting to learn cryptic crosswords . i wouldnt for those already solving them as it will be far too easy for you .


** i did notice one error in the book on page 261, it has 8 boxes and says answer is 8 letters when its actually 7. Threw me for a bit as i was so confident in my answer .
Doesnt take away from the book but a note for publishers tp update for future printing and for those who have purchased just chop off the last box.

[Elizabeth Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I add puzzle books to my Goodreads? I did read this cover-to-cover and solve every puzzle, so I think it's fair game.

I discovered Minute Cryptic a couple of months ago, and since then, I have solved the daily clue every single day religiously. Because I play often, I am already pretty familiar with the techniques that the book walks through. However, I think this would be a great resource for a beginner. I really enjoyed solving all the clues, although I wish I had more! I can't wait for the second edition to come out. Hoping that one includes more higher-level techniques, like rebus puzzles (my favorite).

[Gaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Angas for a while now, and when I heard about the publication of his book I was quite excited, as well as happy for him, Liam, and the other Minute Cryptic contributors!

The book (/manual) is very clear, divided into indicators chapters with examples, while the "hints" section has been physically translated with an interactive section that connects the various games. Step-by-step help is found by turning the page, while the solutions are at the end of each chapter, which is perfect if you don't want to look them up until the end. Great work :)

[Kayla Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially, guessing randomly eventually achieves triumph. Excellent! (5)

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you do the daily Minute Cryptic then this is a must-read. Thanks Angas and Liam for making me a crossword person in my own right! My parents would do the Sunday Times Cryptic each week and it's one of my happy memories of my adolescence that I cleave to after the loss of my mother and home. And I read the whole book in an Aussie accent, so, there's that. I shall photocopy the minis and the mega crossword!

[Ste]

A fun collection of cryptic crossword clues, meant as an introduction to cryptics for beginners. But... I'm not sure if I could recommend this book to genuine newbies.

I'm quite Araucarian when it comes to clue-writing - I believe that a degree of freedom and suggestiveness produces better clues than rigid grammaticality. But quite a few of the clues in here set even my teeth on edge. I'm perfectly happy with "redhead" indicating R, but how does "headmistress" indicate M? The cryptic grammar is just stretched too far, and I worry that some of the clues give newbies a misleading idea of how cryptics work. A cryptic clue should be something like a recipe for building a word, not just indicators stacked together. It's a shame, because there are some brilliant clues here too.

The acknowledgements don't mention working with a crossword editor, but a extra pair of eyes on some of the clues might have tightened them up ("Priest is powerless to change ceremonies" doesn't feel grammatical to me, but "Priest powerless to change ceremonies" works without significantly affecting the surface) and caught one or two errors such as incorrect enumerations.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to the addictive pastime of solving cryptic crosswords. I found that working through this book turned impenetrable clues into fun riddles to be solved with many of the tools I needed to unpick the locks. I'm still a long way from mastering this art, but I am a convert and look forward to each daily clue at https://www.minutecryptic.com/ .

One erratum: Lucky Dip 2, Clue 7 should read "Thief's primary motive for serious crime (7)". The printed (8) and corresponding eighth box stumped me for much longer than it should have!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

that was exactly what I had hoped for. It's a lot of pages and most of them are workspace, but this was the gentle introduction to cryptic crosswords that I was looking for. Lots of practice and it was easy to use the hints judiciously.

[Minnie Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a warm, understandable guide to doing cryptic crosswords. For puzzles that can seem so daunting to a newbie, this book is the answer!

[Katja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is your go-to guide if you've ever looked at a cryptic crossword and thought it looks fun but incomprehensible. Minute Cryptic breaks the clues down in an accessible but still fun way.

[Celia Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful way to build up your cryptic crossword skills!

[James Linley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good way of learning cryptic crosswords.

[Meri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished it in like 3 days, so entertaining.

[Ann Zhao · Rating 5 out of 5]

my friends and coworkers and i have developed a minute cryptic addiction and i'm in so deep that i have a paid subscription and bought the book

[Israa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun