I'm fairly new to them and still improving, but I love them. While I haven't done many of the cryptics in English papers (where they're apparently more popular

I'm fairly new to them and still improving, but I love them. While I haven't done many of the cryptics in English papers (where they're apparently more popular), the ones I've seen have usually had far less pop culture references than conventional crosswords. Focusing on anagrams and other wordplay will probably be more helpful. The wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword) has a good summary of common clue types. I usually do a first pass looking for the clue types I find easiest (anagrams and "hidden words" in the clue), and then the known shared letters provide extra clues. There are some good free ones online here (http://thinks.com/crosswords/cryptic/cryptic.htm http://thinks.com/crosswords/cryptic/cryptic.htm), and (in the US) Games magazine usually has two per issue. I've got a big stack of back issues. :)