Sun cryptic on Friday

Do you like cryptic crosswords? Peter Gordon sent word that the New York Sun has an annual day-after-Thanksgiving cryptic. (Did I know this? I don't recall.) If you are new to cryptics, you can take advantage of a solving tutorial from Fraser Simpson on the Sun website.

If you're a beginner but want to wade deeper into cryptics, I recommend Fraser's 101 Cryptic Crosswords: From the New Yorker. It doesn't offer much challenge to cryptic junkies, but it's a good way to get your feet wet. If you find American cryptics too easy, try the British ones. I hear that the Times (of London) has puzzles of middling difficulty (from an English standpoint), but this book has been keeping me occupied for months.

As a reminder, the Sun disappears on holidays, so there's no Thursday NY Sun crossword this week.