Get clued up on where to look for solutions
Do those complicated clues leave you lost for words? Puzzles editor Chris Lancaster has all the answers…
GOING INTO BATTLE
In the previous instalments in this series, we’ve looked at what a cryptic crossword is, and at some of the types of clue you might find when tackling one; hopefully, you’re becoming convinced (well, more convinced) that cryptic crosswords can be solved.
This brings us to an important point, which is that far from being impenetrable and impossible, the aim of a cryptic crossword is that it is meant to be a battle between the compiler and the solver – but one that the solver, ultimately, is expected to win. With that in mind, here are some more of the types of clue you might encounter when going into battle.
HIDDEN CLUES, OR LURKERS
A hidden clue, sometimes referred to as a lurker, is one where the answer is in plain sight, hidden within other words in the clue. Such a clue will consist of a definition, one or more words in which the answer is hidden, and an indicator to tell us that the answer is right there in front of us, if we can spot it. For example:
Architectural feature seen in popular church (4)
If we try to break this clue down, we should start with the golden rule that the definition is almost always at one end of the clue. This makes it likely that the definition is either “architectural feature” or “church”. However, the words “seen in” should start our solving radar twitching.
This is an example of a classic hidden indicator, in which the clue can be read as follows: [Definition] seen in [material] Looking carefully, we can see what might be a possible answer lurking in the clue:
Architectural feature seen in popular church (4)
An arch is an architectural feature, so we have our answer (populAR CHurch).
It’s normal for the answer to a hidden clue to be part of two, three or even four words, as this makes it harder to spot; if you see words such as from, partly, somewhat, seen in, entertained by, these may all indicate that you are looking at a lurker.
TESTING…
Try the following hidden clues (answers at the bottom of the page); in each case we’ve given the first letter of the answer:
1 Found locked in bureau near the door (9) U _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2 Artist somewhat weird? A little (4) D___
3 One flying from Barcelona via Torremolinos (7) A _ _ _ _ _ _
CHARADES
Many clues in a cryptic crossword will involve taking more than one string of letters or words and piecing them together to form the answer.
These are known as charades, or bits-and-pieces clues.
In a basic charade clue, the answer is broken into two or more parts, and each part of the answer given a separate “mini-clue” within the main clue.
For instance, take the word BACKHAND. This can be split into two distinct words, BACK and HAND, so a typical clue for BACKHAND might be a charade that gives wordplay for BACK, wordplay for HAND and a definition of the answer. For instance: Support worker shot in court (8) To support somebody is to BACK them; another word for a worker is a
HAND. Joining these together gives BACKHAND, which is a shot in (a tennis) court. Here is another one to try:
Sword hurt girl (7)
One way to hurt somebody is to CUT them; another word for a girl is a LASS; put one in front of the other, and we come up with CUTLASS.
It’s common to see abbreviations form part of charade clues, especially single-letter abbreviations such as son = S, learner = L, good = G, etc.
Practice makes perfect with these, as many of them appear in almost every cryptic crossword.
Similarly, you might find charades which use just one letter from a word in the clue – so seeing the word “initially” suggests taking the first letter of a word, “finally” taking the last letter of a word, and so on.
FURTHER TESTING …
Try the following charades; the second two use an abbreviation to give part of the answer.
Again, we’ve given some letters to get you started:
1 Couple rented item of jewellery (8) B _ A _ E _ E _
2 Killjoy ruins drink (10)
S _ O _ L _ P _ R _
3 Good space for stable lad (5) _ R _ O _ 4 Hit son on pedal cycle (6) S _ R _ K _
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
Another popular clue type involves placing one thing inside another. These are known as container-and-contents clues, sandwich clues, or sometimes insertion clues. Here is an example: Huge decrease in fossil fuel (8) Puzzled? There aren’t many fossil fuels, so that might be a good place to start. The most obvious one is COAL. As “fossil fuel” is preceded by the word “in”, it might be that we have to put something in COAL to come up with a word meaning “huge” (as the definition must be at the other end of the clue). A synonym of “decrease” is
LOSS; putting LOSS inside COAL gives us COLOSSAL, which is a synonym of “huge”. Clue solved!
If you see words such as aboard, during, entering, filling, going into, inside, parting, wearing or within, this might indicate an insertion clue.
Similarly, you might come across words such as around, covering, hiding, introducing or welcoming, all of which indicate putting one thing outside another:
Offence holding it, a protest (3-2) “Offence holding it” suggests that we need a word that means “offence” going around something that means “it”. This clue is a lot simpler than it looks; putting IT inside SIN (a synonym for “offence”) gives SIT-IN, which is a form of protest.
FINAL TESTING …
Here are some “inside and outside” clues to try; once more some letters of each answer are given: 1 It wears shades for callers (8) V_S_T_R_
2 Stay day in Paris, accommodated by son (7) S _ J _ U _ N
3 Forbidding right to wear type of gun (5) S _ _ R N
ANSWERS
Hiddens: 1 UNEARTHED, 2 DALI, 3 AVIATOR. Charades: 1 BRACELET, 2 SPOILSPORT, 3 GROOM, 4 STRIKE. Inside and outside: 1 VISITORS, 2 SOJOURN, 3 STERN.
TIPS AND TRICKS: CODEWORDS
Codewords are crosswords without conventional clues. All the letters have been substituted for the numbers 1 to 26, and herein lies the clue – each letter of the alphabet has had a unique number assigned to it, which varies from puzzle to puzzle. The compilers of these puzzles helpfully provide some clues, but these are fairly scant. At the most, you will see that the solution grid gives two or three letters to start the process off. The rest is over to you and your skills of logic and deduction.
Each puzzle has two sections: a main grid square where the numbers appear in the corner of each cell, and a long rectangular solution grid where you should place each letter of the alphabet into its corresponding and correct numbered box. There might also be an ordered alphabet that is useful for crossing off solved letters.
If you are stuck when staring at Codewords, these tips might help: The grid will contain many instances of certain letters. Frequency analysis of written English reveals that the most commonly used letters, in decreasing order, are ETAOINS HRDLU. If a number appears many times in the grid, it’s likely to represent one of these letters. Similarly, if a number appears only once, it’s likely to represent a letter such as Q, X or Z. Look for patterns in answers, such as consecutive repeated letters; there are normally only a few letters which can take these values. The compilers make things harder by throwing in curveballs of phrases, hyphenated words and proper nouns such as place names and surnames of famous people. Codewords puzzles appear in The Daily Telegraph every day of the week and in The Sunday Telegraph; there are thousands more Codewords challenges on the Telegraph Puzzles website, at puzzles.telegraph.co.uk.