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Solving Cryptic Crosswords - Summary (by roy) At first glance, clues in a crypt

Solving Cryptic Crosswords - Summary (by roy) At first glance, clues in a cryptic crossword seem to read as normal, though unusual, English sentences and phrases. This surface meaning is sometimes played for comic effect, but it is actually irrelevant for the purposes of solving. Instead, each clue is a puzzle in its own right which consists of two parts, split somewhere in the middle, to be determined by the solver. In most clues, one part of the clue is the straight part, or the definition of the answer, while the other part is the cryptic part, which explains how to derive the answer. The two exceptions to this rule are Double Definition and &lit clues (see below). Cryptic clues can be considered more complete than standard American-style crossword puzzle clues because they are, in essence, self-confirming – once the solver gets the answer, they can be reasonably confident that they are correct. They are only ambiguous up until the point they are cracked. So, although cryptic crosswords present a greater challenge, many solvers also consider them more satisfying to solve. The self-confirming nature of the clues also means that cryptic crosswords become too easy when too many letters are known. For this reason, unlike American-style crosswords, cryptic crosswords almost always have unchecked letters (that is, letters which only appear in one entry). To be fair to solvers, entries in cryptic crosswords almost always have “dictionary nature,” which eliminates phrases and partials. Finally, many, if not most, advanced and “variety” cryptics have additional tricks added to make them even harder to solve. Every part of a cryptic clue is a potential for wordplay, including everything used in American-style crosswords and then some. The word “mad,” for example, could mean anagramming is required, the letters “mad” are part of the answer word, or some, but not all, of those letters are in the answer word, depending on how it is modified (“initially mad” means M, while “mad heart” means A), or that “mad” is the definition or part of the definition of the answer word. Here are the eight most common types of wordplay, along with hints on how to spot them. 1. Anagrams scramble the letters of the word into another word. 2. Charades, as in the flat type (or the game) of this name, have an answer that is broken down into two or more words that appear in succession; for example, consummate is made up of con, sum, and mate. 3. Containers place one word within the letters of another word; in courthouse, for instance, thou is contained within course. 4. Reversals reverse the letters of a word into another word. 5. Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently, like through and threw or bizarre and bazaar. 6. Deletions are formed by deleting a letter or group of letters from another word. 7. Double Definitions provide a second definition of the answer, preferably in an unrelated sense. 8. Hidden Words have the answer given explicitly in the clue, but camouflaged within another word or other words. One of the best ways to solve cryptic crosswords is to look for something that might be an indicator word that gives you a clue about the wordplay type. Some common examples (and nowhere near all of them) would include: Wordplay Some Possible Indicators Anagrams doctor, mad, crazy, mixed up Charades at, by, near, before, after; or (in Down clues) on, over, or beneath Containers inside, holding, swallowing, within and (its deceptive opposite) without, and around Reversals backwards, returning, heading west, from right to left or (in Down clues) upward or rising Homophones heard, spoken, aloud, or they say Deletions beheaded, endlessly, or (in a Down clue) topless; or it may specify a particular letter or letters to be omitted. Double Definitions By convention, when the second definition is a pun or whimsical one the clue is flagged with a question mark. Hidden Words seen in, running through, or in part Solving Cryptic Crosswords - In Depth (from an article by Trazom) Cryptic crosswords can seem dauntingly nonsensical at first glance. But the fundamental principles of cryptic clueing are actually quite simple. Every cryptic clue can be read as a (somewhat) sensible phrase or sentence. In reality, however, it has two separate parts. One is a definition, like those in a standard crossword puzzle. The other part uses some form of wordplay to steer you to the intended answer. It is called the wordplay, the subsidiary indication, or simply the subsidiary. These two parts provide independent indications of the same answer. Either part may come first in the clue. Sometimes a word or two, suggesting how the two parts work together, may come in between; more often, the definition and wordplay will simply occur side by side. In any case, they will never overlap or intermingle. This means that, with a few exceptions, every clue either begins or ends with a definition of the answer. The catch is that you have to find the break between definition and wordplay. The constructor tries to challenge you with clues whose surface meaning puts you off the scent -- for example, with a clue whose parts split in the middle of a common two-word phrase, or by seeming to use a word as a verb that is really meant as a noun. Cryptic clues may also use punctuation in whatever manner seems most likely to deceive; solvers are warned to ignore punctuation (except in two special cases mentioned below). Cryptic clues generally direct you (albeit deceptively) to the type of wordplay involved. Here is a tour of the eight most common types of wordplay, along with hints on how to spot them. The number in parentheses following a clue tells you how many letters are in the clue answer. 1. Anagrams (known as transposals in the NPL, where “anagram” has a more limited meaning) Probably the most common cryptic clueing technique is to form the answer by rearranging the letters in a word or group of words as they appear in the clue-making, for instance, paternal from prenatal, honestly from on the sly, or Episcopal from Pepsi-Cola. A wide variety of words can signal an anagram: among them are anything suggesting disorderly, misshapen, drunk, crazy, or simply bad or wrong -- also repaired, fixed, shuffled, in motion, and so on. Here is an elementary example: Inebriated pirates travel about (7) The wordplay, inebriated pirates, tells you to find an anagram of pirates that means “travel about.” The answer is traipse. Anagrams may involve more than one word in the clue. For example: Doctor is venal -- get a preacher (10) This time, the wordplay is an instruction. It tells you to “doctor,” or alter deceptively, the letters in is venal get to form a word meaning “preacher,” i.e., evangelist. In the example, the dash provides part of the clue’s surface sense and is ignored in the wordplay itself. 2. Charades As in the flat type (or the game) of this name, an answer can be broken down into two or more words that appear in succession; for example, consummate is made up of con, sum, and mate. The subsidiary indication may simply list these words, or their synonyms, in order; components of a charade may also be joined by words like at, by, near, before, after; or (in Down clues) on, over, or beneath. A simple example: Growth on the face must be sore (8) The answer, mustache, joins must and ache (“be sore”). Charades may be composed of more than two words. For example: Minstrel shows dance, gaining a buck (9) The answer, balladeer (defined by “minstrel”), shows ball (“dance”) gaining a deer (“a buck”). 3. Containers One word is placed within the letters of another word; in courthouse, for instance, thou is contained within course. This technique is signaled by such words as inside, holding, swallowing, within (and its deceptive opposite, without), and around. For example: Discovered calf in grass (8) Here the word veal (clued by “calf”) is in reed (“grass”) to make revealed, defined by “discovered.” 4. Reversals An answer is identified as another word read in reverse -- as, for instance, timer and remit, or stressed and desserts. This kind of clue is signaled by such hints as backwards, returning, heading west, from right to left, or (in Down clues) upward or rising. For example: Spies bring silverware back (6) The clue tells you to bring spoons (“silverware”) back to get the answer snoops (“spies”). 5. Homophones Words that sound the same but are spelled differently, like through and threw or bizarre and bazaar, can be the basis of a clue. Look for indicators like spoken, aloud, or they say. For example: Shakespeare, I hear, is excluded (6) When you hear bard (“Shakespeare”), you get the answer, barred (“excluded”). 6. Deletions Some answers are formed by deleting a letter or group of letters from another word -- removing the beginning of islander, for instance, leaves slander, while deadliness without uploads/Litterature/ guide-to-cryptics.pdf