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Thursday 30 July 2015

Master cryptic clues

Simple hidden solutions
These are cryptic crossword clues in their simplest form. The letters of the solution are concealed - in the correct order - inside the crossword puzzle clue.
For example:
'Thought some nosey-parkers dID EAvesdrop' (4) - where the answer is IDEA.

Reversed hidden solutions
The reversed 'hidden' solution is the natural successor to the simple hidden solution. The letters of the crossword solution are concealed somewhere inside the clue, but this time, reversed. For example:
'Mark aimed at coming back from the inTEGRATed planning meeting by 3 o'clock' (6) - where the answer is TARGET.

Crossword clues can often be identified as the reverse 'hidden' type by the inclusion of certain words such as: 'receding', 'return some', 'coming back in', 'to the left', 'rising' or 'going up'.

These crossword puzzle clues are straightforward, giving a quotation with a blank space for you to insert the word. For example:
The lady doth protest too much, ________ (8) - where the answer is METHINKS. It should be mentioned that not every crossword compiler feels that the quotation type clue has a place in cryptic crossword - hence these clues are somewhat rare.

Literary allusions
Many people consider these to be the most difficult type of cryptic crossword clues. They make reference to a literary or a general work, which the solver has to recognise and comprehend in order to find the correct answer. For example: Nobody's son in the garden (5) - where the answer is LUPIN. The clue refers to The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith and Weedon Grossmith (1847-1912 and 1854-1919). In this fictional diary, Mr Pooter (the narrator and 'nobody') lives with his wife Carrie and has a strained relationship with his son - Lupin.
A lupin is also a garden flower. These two explanations together make both the clue and the solution clear.

An anagram is a rearrangement of a certain section of the clue to form the answer.
For example:
Rewrite article for narration (7) - where the answer is RECITAL.
The word 'rewrite' indicates that the solution is an anagram. Other words that might indicate anagrams are: 'strange', 'bizarre', 'muddled', 'wild' or 'disordered'.

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, such as 'meat' and 'meet'.
For example:
We hear twins shave (4) - where the answer is PARE. Pare means shave which is a homophone of pair, or 'twins'. The homophone is indicated by 'we hear'.

Homophone clues always have an indicator word or phrase that has to do with phonetics, such as 'we hear', 'they say', 'utterly', 'by the sound of it' or 'is heard'.

A synonym is a word that means the same, or nearly the same as another word. Easy crosswords are usually compiled using synonym type clues. In the English language, one single word can be a synonym for two different other words.
For example:
Tarry rope (4) - where the answer is STAY. 'Tarry' is a synonym for 'linger' or 'stay' and 'rope' is a synonym for 'thick cord' or 'stay'.

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