Peculiar robotics effort today (5,2,7)

Cryptic crossword puzzles and how to solve them

Daniel Stewart

October 1, 2003

Recognizing cryptic crosswords

Typical standard crossword grid

Typical cryptic crossword grid

Barred cryptic (or Torquemeda) grid

However, cryptic crosswords are mainly distinguished by their clues

A cryptic crossword clue (almost always) consists of:

A surface reading which includes:

A definition + some kind of wordplay (or wordplay + definition) along with the number of letters in the answer

For example:

Resilient pig’s home filled with vomit (8)

Resilient pig’s home filled with vomit (8)

definition wordplay

surface reading

definition wordplay

Resilient pig’s home filled with vomit (8)

“filled with” = container indicator (i.e. specifies the type of wordplay)

“pig’s home” = STY

“vomit” = RETCH

That is: sty filled with retch

ST … RETCH … Y

STRETCHY , one meaning of which is “resilient”(the definition portion of the clue)

Types of clues

• containers

• charades

• anagrams

• double definitions

• hidden words

• homonyms

• reversals

•subtractions•British-style cryptic clues

•There are other, less common, types and more than one type can be combined in a single clue

definition

wordplay

Politically divided island toleratednothing (6)

Charade Clues

• Politically divided island tolerated

nothing (6)

“Politically divided island” = definition

“tolerated” = BORNE“nothing” = O

(“nothing” or “love” often indicates the letter “O”)

BORNE + O = BORNEOCharade clues thus require “construction” of the answer from parts supplied in the clue

Anagram cluesdefinition

wordplay

Peculiar robotics effort today (5,2,7)

Peculiar robotics effort today (5,2,7)

“Peculiar” = anagram indicator

(anagram indicators can be words like “mixed”, “unusual”, and so on)

“robotics effort” = anagram fodder“today” = definition

The letters in “robotics effort” can be rearranged to form:

FIRST OF OCTOBER

definition

definition

Make tea expensive (5)

Double definition clues

Make tea expensive (5)

“make tea” = STEEP

“expensive” = STEEP

The answer to the clue, STEEP, is a single word that satisfies the two, very different, definitions

definition

wordplay

Scots snack found in disco nearby (5)

Hidden word clues

Scots snack found in disco nearby (5)

“found in” = hidden word indicator

(others might be “holds”, “carries”, or just “in”)

“disco nearby” = words containing hidden answer

SCONE is contained in “disco nearby”

definition

wordplay

Feudal drudge waves to the audience (4)

Homonym clues

Feudal drudge waves to the audience (4)

“to the audience” = homonym indicator

(others can be “to the ear”, “heard”, “for the auditor”, … )

“waves” = surf, which is a homonym of:

SERF, which satisfies the definition: “feudal drudge”

In this case the homonym indicator is at the end of the wordplay indicating that a word for “waves” is a homonym of a word for “feudal drudge” and not the other way around (they both have four letters). Compare to:

Actor Tom heard stage hands (5)

The answer here is CREWS, which has 5 letters; not CRUISE (if the clue had indicated 6 letters, the answer would be CRUISE). When the two homonyms have a different number of letters, the homonym indicator can be in the middle of the clue with the correct answer of the two possible indicated by the number of letters.

definition

wordplay

Touch horn backing up (4)

Reversal clues

Touch horn backing up (4)

“touch” = definition

“horn” = TUBA

“backing up” = reversal indicator

(others can be “from the south”—in a down clue, “from the East”—in an across clue, or just “reversed”)

TUBA backwards is ABUT

definition

wordplay

Montana town spread endlessly (5)

Subtraction clues

Montana town spread endlessly (5)

“spread” = BUTTER

“endlessly” = subtraction indicator

BUTTER with the “R” removed = BUTTE

Note that either end of the word can be removed and more than one letter can be removed. Consider:

Backside spread endlessly (4)

Clues using a combination of these principles:

Any of these can be combined. For example:

Brat at Ontario museum put out without warning (9)

Brat at Ontario museum put out

without warning (9)

definition

wordplay

This is a combination of a charade clue and an anagram:

“Brat” = IMP

“Ontario museum” = ROM

“put out”

•“put” = anagram fodder

•“out” = anagram indicator

IMP + ROM + PTU = IMPROMPTU

Which satisfies the definition, without warning

British-style cryptic clues

In American and Canadian cryptic crosswords there is great emphasis placed on the form of the clue—there must be a definition, wordplay, and an indicator, if one is required. No other words should appear in the clue.

The British-style cryptic clue is often much looser:

•non-cryptic clues are occasionally included in puzzles; e.g. Mideastern city (5) -- Cairo

•clues can be cryptic without the strict American structure; e.g. Kosher diet (7) -- Knesset

•extra words are often found in the clues “linking” the definition and the wordplay; e.g.

Town in Montana is spread endlessly (5)

“is” does not form part of the definition or the wordplay; it just links the two (occasionally seen in American puzzles also)

The most difficult cryptic crossword clue ever:

“E” (13)

The answer is SENSELESSNESSThis is a kind of a reversed subtraction clue.

SENSELESSNESS, that is:

the letters in SENSE

LESS (i.e. take away)

the letters in NESS

which leaves the letter “E”.

The solver here is being required to find the cryptic clue – “SENSELESSNESS” that produces the answer “E” as an answer to “E” presented as a cryptic clue.

Where to find cryptic crosswords:

• Toronto Globe and Mail– Weekday: anonymous British (on line)– Weekend: Fraser Simpson

• National Post

• Virtually any British newspaper (particularly the Guardian, the Times, and the Telegraph—usually signed with a pseudonym)

• A large number of web sites