(click on the clue number to see the hint)
Click on underlined text for explanation of terms.
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The answer is found by removing a letter, letters, or a word (either found directly in the clue or derived) from a word or words (or their synonyms). Subtractions involving synonyms must be done with contiguous letters, that is, a word will subtract directly unless specifically indicated. A subtraction indicator is present to initiate the action.
Either a mixture of letters is placed inside or outside other letters, or letters are placed inside or outside a mixture of letters. An anagram indicator and containment indicator will be present.
A word or series of words that signify a mixing-up of letters.
Examples: changed, at sea, confused, all over the place - anything that indicates change or jumbling.
Either a mixture of letters is placed inside or outside other letters, or letters are placed inside or outside a mixture of letters. An anagram indicator and containment indicator will be present.
The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
A pointer that signifies the placing of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents) around the OUTSIDE of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents).
Examples: holding, keeping, embracing - anything that creates the image of containment.
The answer is hidden among the words of the clue. No spare words should be present. A suitable hidden indicator will point to the buried text.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
A question mark has been used to indicate "language abuse", that is, a word or words in a clue are used in a technically incorrect way, but the meaning can be still inferred.
Example: A indeed (?) could mean to insert A inside deed.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
A word or series of words that signify the loss of one letter at the start or end of a word or string of letters.
Examples: beheaded, cut short, endless, nearly, largely etc.
A type of clue where the WHOLE clue defines the answer, and the WHOLE clue also is the wordplay (a mechanism to derive the answer through various cryptic devices). "&lit" is short for "and literally".
To qualify as an &lit, a clue must have no unused components either in the definition or the wordplay - it must be readable one way as a definition, and another as the wordplay.
The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
The entire answer is found by reversing part of the clue, or a synonym for part of the clue. A suitable reversal indicator will be present.
Last week I mentioned the ellipsis, which is the intentional omission of certain words based on assumptions made due to the context of the conversation or language. For a really good explanation of how ellipsis is used in normal English, visit 
Do you ever come across something in cryptics that seems wrong or not quite right, but, as it is published in a newspaper and doesn’t get criticised, you assume it’s not an error, instead that you are missing something? For me, if an experienced solver can’t see what’s happening, even after getting the answer, then the explanation better be rock solid and elicit an ah-ha moment, or the device has no right being used. Here’s an example: I could never understand why the use of ” ‘s ” was acceptable in circumstances where it appeared it was being used in a possessive sense. It had no role, it appeared, except to improve or enable suitable surface reading of a clue. I just accepted it as lazy cluing and began to ignore it after a while. That was until someone explained that the ” ‘s ” wasn’t possessive, it equated to “is” or “has”, which was a valid reading of the device and that it therefore had a role in the clue. Now I know, I accept it and use it with the full knowledge of how it works so that I don’t misuse it and can explain it if necessary. Blindly using cryptic devices without full understanding of how they are used will lead to faulty clues. Recently another cryptic chestnut came up in a UK blog that I’d never really understood: the ellipsis, not the “…” kind, but grammar kind. I’ll talk about it next week.
