1. Introduction to Cryptic Crossword Clues
Wei-Hwa Huang
January 2010
Link to this Presentation on my Blog:
onigame.livejournal.com
Introduce self

2. What is a Cryptic Crossword?
Crossword puzzle with “cryptic” clues that use wordplay heavily
Found in most major UK newspapers and a few major Canadian and US publications
Uses a “sparse” grid where only half the letters in each word cross

3. Where to Find Easy Cryptics
Easiest: Lovatts Cryptic Crossword Magazine
Australian (has slightly different style than American or British cryptics)
Excellent tutorial on their website
Easy: “101 Cryptic Crosswords” edited by Fraser Simpson
Originally appeared in The New Yorker from
American

4. Types of Cryptic Clues (“Tricks”)
Cryptic Definition Clues
Double Definition Clues
Hidden Word Clues
Reversal Clues
Reversal Hidden Word Clues
Charade Clues
Container Clues
Homophone Clues
Anagram Clues
Deletion Clues
Initialism Clues
“& lit.” (And Literally So) Clues
Note that these names are mostly standard but there are regional variations

5. Cryptic Definition Clues

6. Cryptic Definition Clues
Earliest type of clue
Evolved from normal crosswords
Clue has a misleading “surface reading” but gives the correct answer when interpreted the right way
Rarely seen in American cryptic crosswords, but still common outside the US
Often is signified by ending with a question mark

7. Soldiers often get them cut short (6)
There may often be a more natural answer that won’t fit in the grid
Soldiers often get them cut short (6)
LEAVES
The (6) is called an “enumeration”; it tells you how many letters the answer has
SHORE LEAVES would get the enumeration (5,6)
Harder crosswords may omit the enumeration

8. Double Definition Clues

9. Double Definition Clues
Clue can be split into two parts
Each part is a definition of the answer
Style: the two meanings of the word are unrelated or, better yet, have different etymologies

10. Evil structure in St. Louis (4)
“Surface reading” might not be a valid definition
Evil structure in St. Louis (4)
ARCH
Evil = ARCH
structure in St. Louis = ARCH

11. Having = BEARING (verb) a ball = BEARING (noun)
Trick: Different parts of speech
Having a ball (7)
BEARING
Having = BEARING (verb)
a ball = BEARING (noun)

12. River = FLOWER (something that flows) blossom = FLOWER
Trick: Different pronunciations
River blossom (6)
FLOWER
River = FLOWER (something that flows)
blossom = FLOWER

13. Holder for writing implement (3)
Connector words
Holder for writing implement (3)
PEN
Holder = PEN
for = (connector)
writing implement = PEN

14. (Digression) Connector Words
Connector words (or link words) separate the two “halves” of the clue
Generally mean “is”
Examples
(definition) is (definition)
(definition) – it’s (definition)
(definition) as (definition)
(definition) for (definition)
(definition) becomes (definition)
(definition) or (definition)
(definition)’s (definition)

15. Hidden Word Clues

16. Hidden Word Clues Clue can be split into two parts
One part is a “straight definition” (may be cryptic)
Other part has the answer “hidden” inside it, with an indicator that there is hiding going on
Uncommon in British crosswords

17. Callous engineer has bug (5)
Tip: Easiest type of clue to find
Callous engineer has bug (5)
LOUSE
CalLOUS Engineer = fodder
has = hidden word indicator
bug = LOUSE (definition)

18. Car in immense danger (5)
Two parts can come in either order
Car in immense danger (5)
SEDAN
Car = SEDAN (definition)
in = hidden word indicator
immenSE DANger = fodder

19. Salesman: “I sell hides, spice” (5)
Tip: Ignore capitalization, punctuation, spaces
Salesman: “I sell hides, spice” (5)
ANISE
SalesmAN I SEll = fodder
hides = hidden word indicator
spice = ANISE (definition)

20. Salesman: “I sell hides or spice” (5)
Style: Cryptic and surface readings have to make sense!
Salesman: “I sell hides or spice” (5)
Bad style: ANISE is not “or spice”
Something hidden by “salesman I sell” or spice (5)
Bad style: Surface reading makes no sense

21. Some Hidden Word Indicators
(fodder) characters
(fodder) content
(fodder) extract
(fodder) letters
(fodder) in part
(fodder) partly
(fodder) selection
(fodder) somewhat
partial (fodder)
some (fodder)
(definition) in (fodder)
(definition) from (fodder)
(definition) within (fodder)
(definition) inside (fodder)
(definition) of (fodder)
(fodder) has (definition)
(fodder) hides (definition)
(fodder) hiding (definition)
(fodder) hid (definition)
(fodder) conceal(s/ing/ed) (definition)
(fodder) display(s/ing/ed) (definition)
(fodder) exhibit(s/ing/ed) (definition)
(fodder) featur(es/ing/ed) (definition)
(fodder) provid(es/ing/ed) (definition)
(fodder) smuggl(es/ing/ed) (definition)
(fodder) veil(s/ing/ed) (definition)
(fodder) secreting (definition)
(fodder) helping to make (definition)
(fodder) has hidden (definition)
(fodder) has internal (definition)

22. Reversal Clues

23. Reversal Clues Clue can be split into two parts
One part is a “straight definition” (may be cryptic)
Other part has “fodder” and an indicator to “reverse” the fodder
Fodder may be direct (literal) or indirect (defined)

24. Brag = fodder about = reversal indicator clothing = GARB (definition)
Brag about clothing (4)
GARB
Brag = fodder
about = reversal indicator
clothing = GARB (definition)

25. Bundle up components (5)
Down clues may use “up” as indicators; Across clues might use “left”
Bundle up components (5)
PARTS
Bundle = STRAP
up = reversal indicator
components = PARTS (definition)

26. High-powered vehicle upended garbage truck (7)
The fodder might be multiple words
High-powered vehicle upended garbage truck (7)
TRACTOR
High-powered vehicle = TRACTOR (def.)
upended = reversal indicator
garbage = ROT (noun)
truck (verb) = CART

27. Some Reversal Indicators
about, around, round, brought about, coming around, going round
back, backed, backing, backward, back-to-front, coming back, going back, looking back, sent back
retreat, retreating, retrograde
counter, revolutionary, turn, turns, turning, turned
flipped, flipping, in reverse, reversed
from the east, going west, westbound
from the right
over, overturned
(Down clues only)
ascending, raised, raising, rising, lifted
up, upended, upset
brought up, coming up, looking up, sent up, shown up, written up
from the bottom
from the south, going north, northbound

28. Reversal Hidden Word Clues

29. Reversal Hidden Word Clues
Clue can be split into two parts
One part is a “straight definition” (may be cryptic)
Other part has the answer “hidden backwards” inside it, with an indicator that there is hiding and reversal going on

30. Priestess always holds back blessings (6)
ASSETS
PriesteSTESS Always = (fodder)
holds = hidden word indicator
back = reversal indicator
blessings = ASSETS (definition)

31. (Digression) See a Pattern?
Clue can be split into two parts
One part is a “straight definition” (may be cryptic)
Other part is a “cryptic half”, with indicators that there is some sort of wordplay going on
Wordplay is often some sort of action (“indicator word”) being done to some text (“fodder”)
Fodder can be direct (“use these letters”) or indirect (“find your own letters”)
Good Style: Hidden words must be direct!
Surface reading should make sense!

32. Charade Clues

33. Charade Clues Most common type of Clue
Named after the game of Charades
Pieces of the answer are clued
Unlike the game, it is the letters that are clued, not the sounds

34. Declare delay can be avoided (9)
Good Style: The charade “parts” and the actual word should be unrelated
Declare delay can be avoided (9)
AVERTABLE
Declare = AVER
delay = TABLE (verb)
can be avoided = (definition)

35. Around start of lunchtime, love soft sound of horse’s hoof (4)
Abbreviations are common, as well as grabbing parts of words
Around start of lunchtime, love soft sound of horse’s hoof (4)
CLOP
Around = C (“circa”)
start of “Lunchtime” = L
love = O (tennis score)
soft = P (music, “piano”)
sound of horse’s hoof = (definition)

36. Morning in Oregon is key (1,5)
Some fodder may be literal
Morning in Oregon is key (1,5)
A MINOR
Morning = A.M.
in = IN
Oregon = OR
is = (connector)
key = (definition)

37. Some Abbreviations Chemistry: “sodium” = NA; “temperature” = T
Geography: “Idaho” = ID; “Switzerland” = CH (Confoederatio Helvetica); “Australia” = OZ
Money: “bob” = S (shilling); “coin” = D (denarius); “debt” = IOUS
Games: “knight” = N (chess); “duck” = O (cricket)
Jobs: “doctor” = MD ; “copper” = PC (police constable)
Roman numerals: “six” = VI; “grand” = M
Measurements: “pound” = LB; “inch” = IN
Slang: “car” = T (Model T); “sweat” = BO (Body odor)
Music: “key” = B; “note” = MI; “loudly” = F
Latin: “about” = C (circa); “this month” = INST (instante mense); “right eye” = OD (oculus dexter)
British abbreviations: “gunners” = RA (Royal Artillery); “jolly” = RM (Royal Marine); “king” = GR (King George, Rex); “medal” = OBE (Order of the British Empire); “posh” = U (Upperclass); “Ulster” = NI (Northern Ireland)

38. Plaster the French fortress (6)
Knowledge of foreign language may be helpful
Plaster the French fortress (6)
CASTLE
Plaster = CAST (noun)
“the” French = LE
fortress = (definition)

39. Happy boy follows gram (4)
The charade need not be in order as long as the clue indicates it
Happy boy follows gram (4)
GLAD
Happy = (definition)
boy = LAD
gram = G (unit of weight)
LAD follows G = GLAD

40. Container Clues

41. Container Clues Fodder is put inside other fodder
Indicator suggests some sort of containment
Good Style: both fodders should be unrelated to the answer

42. Russian money in tome is inconvenient (11)
TROUBLESOME
Russian money = ROUBLES
tome = (fodder)
ROUBLES in TOME = T(ROUBLES)OME
is = (connector)
inconvenient = (definition)
Could have used “book” instead of “tome” to make the clue even harder
ROUBLES is plural, but cryptic reading requires singular; fortunately, “money” is usefully ambiguous

43. Head of pig found in excellent meal (6)
Fodder may often be single letters
Head of pig found in excellent meal (6)
SUPPER
Head of “pig” = P
excellent = SUPER
P found in SUPER = SUP(P)ER
excellent meal = (definition)

44. “Two From Virginia Holding Back Attack,” editor confirmed (8)
Charades, containers, and reversals are often combined
“Two From Virginia Holding Back Attack,” editor confirmed (8)
VERIFIED
Two From VIrginia = VI
Attack = FIRE
Back FIRE = ERIF
VI Holding ERIF = V(ERIF)I
editor = ED
confirmed = V(ERIF)I+ED (definition)
Note that the cryptic reading works better if “hold” was “has”, but the surface reading requires it to be “have”.

45. Some Container Indicators
(“container” side)
admit, allow, contain, take in, introduce
about, around, box, circle, encircle, frame, ring, round
besiege, capture, catch, flank, surround
clutch, embrace, enfold, envelop, grasp, hold, swallow, wrap
bridge, harbor, house, shelter
cover, external, outside, without
passive form of “contents” verbs (“entered by,” “splitted by,” etc.)
(“contents” side)
aboard, boards, enters
penetrates, pierces
breaks, divides, interrupts, parts, separates, splits
content, contents, fills, lines, occupies, packs, stuffs
amidst, inside, internal, within
“ing” form of verbs (“stuffing,” “piercing,” etc.)
passive form of “container” verbs (“admitted,” “beseiged,” etc.)

46. Homophone Clues

47. Homophone Clues Fodder sounds like the answer word
Indicator suggest some sort of sounding out
(Strictly speaking, these should be called “heterographic homophone” clues, as the fodder and the answer should have different spellings)

48. Sounds like oil country (6)
GREECE
Sounds like = homophone indicator
oil = GREASE
country = (definition)

49. My lizard is said to be small (6)
Fodder might be multiple words
My lizard is said to be small (6)
MINUTE
My lizard = MY NEWT
is said = homophone indicator
to be = (connector)
small = (definition)
Note that “my” is literal fodder. Talk about whether it is possible to do this if the definition was for “minute” = 60 seconds.

50. Vocally communicate moment of force to the audience (4)
Watch out for regional accents
Vocally communicate moment of force to the audience (4)
TALK
Vocally communicate = (definition)
moment of force = TORQUE
to the audience = homophone indicator
The clue needs British Received Pronunciation to work.

51. Some Homophone Indicators
said, say
announced, pronounced, reported(ly), sounded
audible, aurally, vocal, voiced
as we hear, overheard
audience’s, auditor’s, hearer’s, listener’s, speaker’s
for the audience/etc., to the audience/etc.
in audition, in conversation, in speaking, in recital
on the radio
according to hearsay, by the sound of it, so it’s said, so to speak, so we hear

52. Anagram Clues

53. Anagram Clues Fodder has its letters rearranged
Indicator suggests some sort of rearrangement or mixing or chaos
Second-most common type of clue (most common in poor constructions)
Good Style: fodder should be literally in the clue. “Indirect” anagrams are considered very bad construction!

54. Alas, I’m crazy for Italian sausage (6)
Fodder often is multiple words
Alas, I’m crazy for Italian sausage (6)
SALAMI
ALAS IM = (fodder)
crazy = anagram indicator
for = (connector)
Italian sausage = (definition)

55. After faculty holds out insane aunt, we go back for a soft drink (8,3)
May be mixed with containers, reversals, or charades
After faculty holds out insane aunt, we go back for a soft drink (8,3)
MOUNTAIN DEW
faculty = MIND
out = O (baseball)
insane AUNT = UNTA (anagram)
MIND holds O+UNTA = M(OUNTA)IND
WE go back = EW (reversal)
After MOUNTAIND, EW = MOUNTAINDEW
for = (connector)
a soft drink = (definition)
Mention that this clue was rather contrived to illustrate this example, but actual crosswords may have clues that are also this contrived.

56. Some Anagram Indicators
abnormal, about, absurd, adapt, adapted, addled, adjust, adjusted, adjustment, adrift, afresh, after a fashion, agitated, all over, alter, alteration, altered, altering, amiss, anew, another way, anyhow, around, arrange, arranged, arrangement, arranging, askew, assemble, assembled, assembling, assembly, assorted, assortment, astray, at odds, at sea, at sixes and sevens, awful, awfully, awkward, awkwardly, awry, bad, badly, bananas, bastard, bats, battered, batty, beaten, beaten up, become, becomes, becoming, bend, bent, bizarre, blend, blended, boil, boiled, boiling, break, breaking, brew, brewed, brewing, broadcast, broken, build, building, built, by arrangement, by mistake, can be, careless, carelessly, cast, cavort, cavorting, change, changed, changes, changing, chaos, chaotic, characters, chop, chopped, circulate, circulated, cocktail, complicate, complicated, components, compose, composed, composing, composition, compound, comprise, concealed, concealing, conceals, confuse, confused, confusing, constituents, construct, conversion, convert, converted, convertible, cook, cooked, correct, corrected, corrupt, corrupted, corruption, could be, crack, cracked, crackers, cracking, crazed, crazy, criminal, cuckoo, cunningly, curious, curiously, damage, damaged, dance, dancing, dealt, deform, deformed, demolished, deploy, deployed, derived from, design, designed, develop, developed, deviation, devious, dicky, different, differently, disarray, disfigure, disfigured, disguise, disguised, dishevelled, dislocation, dismantled, disorder, disordered, disorderly, dispersed, disposed, disruption, disseminated, distressed, disturbance, disturbed, disturbing, diversified, dizzy, doctor, doctored, dodgy, dotty, dreadful, dreadfully, dressed, drunk, dud, duff, eccentric, edit, edited, engendering, engineered, ensemble, entangle, entangled, erratic, erupting, essentials, excited, exotic, explode, exploded, exploding, extraordinary, fabricate, fabricated, false, fanciful, fancy, fantastic, fashion, fashioned, fashioning, faulty, fermented, fiddle, fiddled, find, fluid, flurried, foolish, foolishly, for a change, forced, forge, forged, form, fractured, fragmented, fragments, free, freely, fresh, freshly, frolicking, fudge, funny, garbled, generating, gets, gives, giving, grotesque, ground, haphazard, hash, havoc, haywire, hide, hiding, higgledy-piggledy, ill, ill-disposed, ill-formed, ill-treated, improper, improperly, in a ferment, in a jumble, in a mess, in a whirl, incorrect, incorrectly, in disarray, in disguise, in error, ingredients, in ruins, interfered with, involve, involved, irregular, irregularity, jittery, juggled, jumbled, jumping, kind of, kinky, knotted, lawless, letters, liquid, loose, loosely, lunatic, mad, made, made up, madly, make-up, malformed, malfunction, maltreated, managed, mangled, manoeuvre, mash, massaged, maybe, may be, meandering, medley, mess, messy, minced, mishandle, misplaced, misshapen, mistake, mistaken, misuse, mix, mixed, mixture, mobile, modelled, modified, moving, muddle, muddled, mutilated, mutinous, naughty, new, newly, not in order, not properly, not right, not straight, novel, nuts, nutty, odd, off, order, ordered, orderly, organise, organised, original, originally, otherwise, out, out of joint, out of sorts, peculiar, perhaps, perverse, perversely, pervert, perverted>, phoney, pie, pitching, plastic, playing, poor, poorly, possible, possibly, potential, potentially, prepare, prepared, problem, processing, produce, production, pseudo, put out, put right, put straight, queer, queerly, questionable, quirky, ragged, rambling, random, randomly, recollected, rectified, reeling, reels, reform, reformed, regulated, repair, repaired, replaced, resort, reveal, revealed, review, reviewed, revolting, revolutionary, rigged, riot, rioting, riotous, rock, rocking, rocky, rotten, rough, roughly, round, ruin, ruined, ruinous, rum, run, running, runs, rupture, ruptured, sad, sadly, scatter, scattered, set off, set out, shake, shaken, shaking, shaky, shambles, shift, shifted, shifting, shot, silly, sloppy, smash, smashed, smashing, snarled, somehow, spill, spilled, spin, spinning, spoil, spoilt, spread, spun, stagger, staggered, staggering, stew, strange, strangely, stray, substitute, substituted, surprising, surprisingly, suspect, swimming, swirl, swirling, switch, switched, tangled, tattered, tidied, tipsy, tortuous, train, trained, training, transform, transformed, transformer, translate, translated, treat, treated, treatment, tricky, trim, trouble, troubled, tumbling, turn, turned, turning, turns, twist, twisted, twister, undone, unnatural, unrestrained, unruly, unsettle, unsettled, unsteady, untidy, unusual, unusually, upheaval, upset, used, vague, vaguely, variation, varied, variety, version, volatile, wander, wandering, warp, warped, wayward, weave, weaving, weird, wild, wilder, wildly, worked, working, worried, wound, woven, wrecked, writhing, wrong, wrongly
Joke: “If it’s a word, it must be an anagram indicator.”

57. Anagram Indicator Classes
Chaotic/Disarray
Crazy/Foolish
Bad/Evil
Mistake/Problem
Break/Bend
Strange/Weird
Mix/Blend
Confuse/Tangle
Hidden/Fake
New/Original
Different/Change
Fix/Modify
Assort/Arrange
Compose/Generate
Move/Circulate
Fluid/Free
Could be/Perhaps
Pieces/Ingredients

58. Deletion Clues

59. Deletion Clues Fodder loses some letters
Indicator suggests some sort of deletion
The deleted letters are NOT clued (otherwise it would be a charade); only their position in the fodder is
Several varieties, the first two being common enough to get their own name:
Beheadment: First letter deleted
Curtailment: Last letter deleted
First and Last letter deleted
Central letter (or letters) deleted
Indicated letters deleted

60. Actual kingdom is detailed (4)
Good Style: words should be unrelated
Actual kingdom is detailed (4)
REAL
Actual = (definition)
kingdom = REALM
is detailed = curtailment indicator

61. After commencement, waste time for stew (6)
Watch out for multiple words
After commencement, waste time for stew (6)
RAGOUT
After commencement = beheadment indicator
waste time = DRAG OUT
for = connector
stew = (definition)

62. Deletion Indicators Beheadment Curtailment
after start, after commencement
beheaded, decapitated, headless, leaderless
first off, head off, start off
losing opener, missing the first, not beginning, not starting, unstarted
beginning to go, start to go
needing no introduction
scratch the head
initially lacking
uninitiated
Curtailment
before the end
curtailed, tailless, endless
back off, end off, finish off
missing the last, unending, unfinished, without end
almost, incomplete, most, mostly, not completely, not quite, not fully
lacking finish
abridged, clipped, fall short
for the most part
fall short
Interminable
detailed

63. Bemoans heartless commandments (4)
Other letters can be missing as well
Bemoans heartless commandments (4)
RUES
Bemoans = (definition)
heartless = “without the middle letter”
commandments = RULES

64. Take in penalty every second (3)
“Every other letter” can be seen occasionally; the fodder should be literal
Take in penalty every second (3)
EAT
Take in = (definition)
pEnAlTy = (fodder)
every second = indicator
If the fodder isn’t literal, then the solver almost has no chance of seeing it.

65. Initialism Clues

66. Artistic lithography involving Van Eyck starts to be active (5)
ALIVE
Artistic Lithography Involving Van Eyck = (fodder)
starts = initialism indicator
to be = (connector)
active = (definition)
LIVES would work if Artistic was an initialism indicator

67. Punctuation

68. Punctuation
Almost all punctuation can (should) be ignored; they’re for the surface reading
A trailing “?” is an exception; it indicates that the wordplay or definition is questionable or involves a bad joke
A trailing “!” is the other exception; it indicates an “& lit.” clue
Not all constructors follow these rules, so be careful

69. Traitor’s chief purpose! (7)
In an “& lit.” (“and literally so”) clue, the clue is both the “wordplay” half and the “straight definition” half
Traitor’s chief purpose! (7)
TREASON
Traitor’s chief = T
purpose = REASON

70. Questions?