This is an incomplete list of known setter pseudonyms/aliases, a list of newspapers and publications for which they set, and, if known, their real names.
Setters[]
| Pseudonym(s) | Real name | Other info |
|---|---|---|
| Aardvark (Financial Times), Osmosis (Telegraph Toughie), Scorpion (Independent) | Mike Warburton | |
|
Adamant (Guardian) |
Not a current Guardian setter | |
|
Alberich (Financial Times), Klingsor (Independent) |
Neil Shepherd | Free crosswords online at alberichcrosswords.com |
| Anax (Independent), Loroso (Financial Times), Elkamere (Telegraph Toughie) | Dean Mayer | Also sets anonymously for The Times and under own name for The Sunday Times |
| Arachne (Guardian), Rosa Klebb (Financial Times) | Sarah Hayes | |
| Araucaria (Guardian), Cinephile (Financial Times) | The Reverend John Galbraith Graham MBE | Died 26 November 2013. Also set for 1 Across magazine |
| Armonie (Financial Times), Chifonie (Guardian) | John Dawson | |
| Audreus (Guardian), Mutt (Financial Times) | Audrey Young | Mother of John Young (Shed, Dogberry) |
| Auster (Guardian) | Shirley O'Brien | Died 12 July 2011 |
| Azed (Azed in The Observer) | Jonathan Crowther | |
| Bannsider (Independent), Aragon (Listener) | Richard Rogan | The Times crossword editor |
| Bradman (Financial Times), Giovanni (Telegraph Toughie), Pasquale (Guardian), Quixote (Independent), Duck (Listener) | Don Manley | Also sets for The Times |
| Brendan (Guardian), Virgilius (Independent) | Brian Greer | Also sets for The Times and The Sunday Telegraph |
| Brummie (Guardian), Cyclops (Private Eye) | Eddie James | |
| Busman: see Doc | ||
| Chifonie: see Armonie. | ||
| Cincinnus (Financial Times), Orlando (Guardian) | Michael Curl | |
| Cinephile: see Araucaria. | ||
| Crux (Financial Times) | Colin Garside | |
| Cyclops: see Brummie. | ||
| Dac (Independent), Smokey (Listener) | David Crossland | Also sets for The Times |
| Dada: see Mudd | ||
| Dante (Financial Times), Rufus (Guardian) | Roger Squires | Also sets for The Daily Telegraph |
| Doc (Spectator), Busman (Telegraph Toughie), Gozo (Financial Times), Maskarade (Guardian) | Tom Johnson | Also sets as Didymus in Prospect magazine and anonymously in Sunday Times general knowledge crossword series |
| Dogberry (Financial Times), Shed (Guardian) | John Young | Son of Audrey Young (Audreus) |
| Donk (Independent), Screw (Guardian) | Dave Warder | |
| Dutch (Independent) | Richard Pauptit | |
| Eimi (Independent) | Mike Hutchinson | Independent crossword editor |
| Elkamere: see Anax | ||
| Enigmatist (Guardian), Nimrod (Independent), Io (Financial Times), Elgar (Telegraph Toughie) | John Henderson | |
| Everyman (Observer), Antico (Oldie), Columba (Spectator) | Colin Gumbrell | |
| Falcon (Financial Times), Ascot (Spectator) | Allan Scott | Also sets for The Daily Telegraph, The Observer and The Times |
| Firefly: see Glow-worm | ||
| Flimsy (Financial Times), Nitsy (Independent) | Anthony Plumb | Also sets for The Daily Telegraph |
| Giovanni: see Bradman | ||
| Glow-worm (Guardian, Listener), Firefly (Telegraph Toughie) | Geoff Oxley | |
| Gordius (Guardian) | David Moseley | |
| Goujeers (Significance, Listener) | Meic Goodyear | |
| Gozo: see Doc | ||
| Gridman (The Hindu) | C. G. Rishikesh | The Hindu is India's national newspaper. It has been publishing original cryptic crosswords every weekday since the 1970s. |
| Highlander (Financial Times) | ||
| Hoskins (Independent), Talos (Times Literary Supplement), Ned (Sunday Herald) | David McLean | Also sets for The Sunday Times and The Church Times. Website: www.hoskinscrosswords.com |
| Hypnos (Independent), Shamus (Telegraph Toughie), Sleuth (Financial Times) | Philip Marlow | |
| Io: see Enigmatist. | ||
| Jambazi: see Tramp | ||
| Janus (Guardian) | ||
| Jason (Financial Times), Auctor (Listener) | Paul McKenna | |
| Kcit: see Phi | ||
| Kea (Listener), Nestor (Independent), Notabilis (Telegraph Toughie) | Roger Phillips | Also sets for The Times |
| Knut (Independent, Blizzard), Julius (Financial Times), Magnus (TES), Hudson (Telegraph Toughie) | Rob Jacques | |
| Logodaedalus (Guardian) | Don Putnam | |
| Loroso: see Anax | ||
| Maskarade: see Doc | ||
| Mass (Independent, Listener) | ||
| Math (Independent) | ||
| Merlin (Independent, Listener), Messinae (Telegraph Toughie) | Richard Palmer | Also sets for The Daily Telegraph |
| Messinae: see Merlin | ||
| Monk (Independent, Financial Times, Listener), Sparks (Telegraph Toughie) | Mark Kelmanson | Also sets for The Times |
| Moodim (Financial Times) | ||
| Mordred (Independent, Listener) | Derrick Knight | |
| Morph (Independent), Micawber (Telegraph Toughie) | Mick Hodgkin | michod at Fifteensquared |
| Mr Magoo (Magpie) | Mark Goodliffe | Has won the Times Crossword Championship ten times |
| Mudd (Financial Times), Dada (Telegraph Toughie), Paul (Guardian), Punk (Independent) | John Halpern | Also sets for The Times |
| Mutt: see Audreus. | ||
| Ned: see Hoskins | ||
| Neo (Financial Times), Tees (Independent) | Paul Bringloe | |
| Nestor: see Kea. | ||
| Nimrod: see Enigmatist. | ||
| Notabilis: see Kea | ||
| Orense (Financial Times) | Jeremy Mutch | Also sets for The Daily Telegraph |
| Orlando: see Cincinnus. | Also sets for The Times | |
| Osmosis: see Aardvark | ||
| Pasquale: see Bradman. | ||
| Paul: see Mudd. | ||
| Phi (Independent, Listener, Inquisitor), Kcit (Telegraph Toughie) | Paul Henderson | Also sets Beelzebub (q.v.) |
| Puck (Guardian) | ||
| Punk: see Mudd. | ||
| Qaos (Guardian) | John Tabraham | |
| Quixote: see Bradman. | ||
| Radian (Independent) | Also sets for The Daily Mail | |
| Rorschach (Independent) | Jon Mackenzie | |
| Rover (Guardian) | Ian Morgan | Died in 2010 |
| Rufus: see Dante. | ||
| Satori (Financial Times), Taupi (Guardian) | Albie Fiore | Died in 2009 |
| Scorpion: see Aardvark. | ||
| Shamus: see Hypnos | ||
| Shed: see Dogberry. | ||
| Sleuth: see Hypnos. | ||
| Sparks: see Monk | ||
| Talos: see Hoskins. | ||
| Taupi: see Satori. | ||
| Tees: see Neo. | ||
| Tramp (Guardian), Jambazi (Independent) | Neil Walker | |
| Viking (Financial Times, Listener) | Derek Arthur | |
| Virgilius: see Brendan. | ||
| Wiglaf (Independent) | Alan Fearnehough | |
| Ximenes (Observer) | Derrick Macnutt | Died in 1971 |