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Click on underlined text for explanation of terms.
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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 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.
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 the turning around (across & down clues), or overturning (down clues only) of letters.
Examples: upset, reversed, retired, in withdrawal, over etc.
A word or series of words that signify the removal of a letter, letters, word or words (or their equivalents) from other parts of the clue (or their equivalents).
Examples: taken from, decreased by, less.
Punctuation generally should be ignored - always consider how a clue reads without punctuation.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I’ve talked a number of times about the difficulty of a crossword, and how each part – the grid design, word choice and clues – contributes to the overall difficulty of the end result. It’s important to realise that a setter has total control over all these areas, so if a clue or crossword is generally difficult to solve, it’s because the setter wants it that way. Some words may provide only a few clueing options, none of them easy to unravel, but normally there’s an easyish option, and of course, the setter could rejig the grid to eliminate any troublesome words if they wanted to. It all depends on the objective of the setter and their attitude towards their solvers – it’s not hard to make a crossword that only a few can solve without aids – but what’s the point?
It’s often said that the job of a setter is to entertain solvers, provide them with a diversion that evokes a sense of pleasure during and after solving. For some solvers, entertainment is all that matters, that is, it doesn’t matter necessarily how good the clues are as long as they have a sense of fun about them, use interesting techniques, and touch on things that solvers can relate to. The emphasis is on the big picture, not the detail, and the odd superfluous word, dodgy definition, or wrong tense, doesn’t interfere with their fun. They probably want to know how the wordplay works to add to their enjoyment, and this isn’t quelled even if the wordplay is faulty. Clues with humour or that are slightly risque raise a wry smile, and popular references make them feel up-to-date. Difficult crosswords that can’t be finished will probably elicit a negative response, as the entertainment factor has to extend right across the crossword. These solvers will solve any crossword that provides what they need but rarely compare the crosswords or setters at a technical level because that’s not what’s important to them.
