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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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
The answer is found by using the sound of a word or phrase. Sounds-like indicators point the way.
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 entire answer is the result of removing the first or last letter from part of the clue or its synonym. A truncation indicator will be present.
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.
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) on the INSIDE of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents).
Examples: held by, kept by, embraced by - anything that creates the image of being contained.
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 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 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 clue has two parts, each one defining the answer without using cryptic devices. Ideally each definition should have no etymological relationship.
We talked recently about indirect references and the need for them to be obvious to allow solvers a reasonable chance of working out the association BEFORE finding the solution. I mentioned a couple of different types of indirect references, but I left one out as I believe it simply shouldn’t be used even though it turns up in published crosswords every now and then. This one I call “guilt by association”, where a word is expanded, or a synonym is used, to define a word that is used in a completely different way to the original word. Here is an example: “Go first” = LEAD = PB (chemical symbol for lead). Here is another: (a little less removed this time, but the same concept) “Cop” = COPPER = CU (chemical symbol of copper). “Cop” could just as easily be “policeman”, but either way I’m not a fan – just too much to do for the solver. Imagine the overhead of having to translate and map out potentially every word of a clue in this way? These kinds of devices are simply setters showing off, giving the average solver little chance of using wordplay to reach the answer.
Theme crosswords or crosswords with gimmicks are not easy to put together. The main issue is that incorporating themes words or words/clues that carry the gimmick often causes the inclusion of obscure words, words that a setter might not normally choose to clue, and there’s also a good chance a less solver-friendly grid will be in play too. It’s a trade-off, more theme/gimmick words for the prospect of having to deal with words bound to cause clueing problems. With various types of gimmicks, like in a recent published local crossword where each clue’s definition carried an extra letter, surface readings of clues can be compromised due to the limiting nature of the gimmick involved. It seems that for these types of crosswords a little extra latitude is allowed with such things, a kind of recognition that a setter has to be really good to get both aspects (good sound well-made clues and the inclusion of a gimmick) right at the same time.
