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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 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.
Punctuation generally should be ignored - always consider how a clue reads without punctuation.
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 answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
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 phrase that defines the answer. All cryptic clues usually have a minimum of one definition which will be located at the beginning or end of the clue.
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 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 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.
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 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 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 phrase that defines the answer. All cryptic clues usually have a minimum of one definition which will be located at the beginning or end of the clue.
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.
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.
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.
How often have you tried a crossword by a setter you’ve never solved before? If you solve the UK dailies regularly, then new setters pop up occasionally and they, in most cases, will conform to house rules, making their crossword feel largely like the rest. If a newspaper switches setters/puzzles for a weekly puzzle, then there will be a period of adjustment, but generally, barring a very poor replacement, most solvers will get used to the new setter/puzzle and continue on. I think a large number of solvers only solve one crossword a day and always from the same paper. In fact, it may be that solvers never venture beyond this regularity except when forced into it on holiday, for example, or when access isn’t available. Imagine being given a crossword by a “new” setter, that is, one you haven’t solved before. What things would you look at to assess whether it’s worth doing, or worth finishing? I don’t read much but I can always tell by the end of the first chapter of a book whether I’ll keep going: it’s usually not the storyline, but more how the book is written, how it flows and its pace. First impressions are important for a lot of people. In a world with so many options, it’s easy to find a reason to accept or reject to reduce the options. When a new cryptic is presented to me, I may not start the clues if I don’t like the grid. Why? I think you can tell a lot about a setter: their work ethic, attention to detail, knowledge of cryptics/crosswords in general and their view of the solvers, all from the grid. I would define a poor grid as one with a significant number of initials missing and/or, having some answers with less than half of its letters checked and/or having answers with more than two consecutive squares checked and/or having a grid design that doesn’t maximise the space available resulting in a reduction in the number of answers. If any of these pointers are in play in a crossword that doesn’t need such a structure for solving purposes (eg alphabetical jigsaw), then either the setter is being careless, or doesn’t fully understand the setting art or has scant regard for their solvers. The use of EVERY component of a cryptic crossword should be weighed up by a setter. When I see a crossword with just 28 answers and no long ones in a 15×15, I have to wonder if the setter is just making it easy for themselves (a standard grid with no long answers would normally have 32 clues). Such a grid will normally have many initials missing, making it harder, and in some ways offsetting the deficiency of having less clues. I’m not sure I want to solve a setter which such an attitude.
