Every Cryptic Crossword clue will contain a definition or key-word
describing the answer (usually at the beginning or the end), or the whole clue will be
the definition.
Lesson-1 was about ANAGRAMS or a re-arrangement of the letters. We have seen a number of
examples. Usually, Anagram clues contain words like 'broken', 'jumbled' etc. to indicate
they are anagrams.
Lesson-2 was about 'CHARADES, where the answer is broken into two or more
manageable parts and a clue is provided for each part, usually in the same order.
The elements may be defined directly or by the use of equivalents.
Lesson-3 was about 'CONTAINERS or SPLIT WORDS, which are similar
to charades, but to get the answer that fits the definition, one part of the solution goes
inside (or outside) the other, with an indicator to alert you.Again, the elements may be defined
directly or by the use of equivalents.
Lesson-4 was about DELETIONS, in which the answer is arrived at by removing one or
more letters at the begiining or end of the clue. These clues usually use flags such as
"beheaded", "unbegun", and "after initial" to signal the removal of a word's first letter(s),
and flags such as "endless" and "almost" to signal removal of a word's last letter(s).
This month, I shall cover DOUBLE DEFINITION. The double definition clue has no real wordplay. You get two straight definitions or possibly one straight definition and a pun, both of which mean the same thing. The only trick here is to realize that you have two definitions and then determine where they split. Normally, Double Definition clues are very short.Here are some simple examples.
Tough covering (4) =HOOD (which is a term used for 'tough men' and is also a covering).
Carry a teddy (4) =BEAR, which is easy
Shoe coating from Warsaw (6) =POLISH, which has a bit of pun.
As usual ten clues are given below. All the clues are any one or a combination of the four types
covered so far, viz., ANAGRAM, CHARADE, CONTAINER (SPLIT WORD), DELETION and DOUBLE DEFINITION. As last time,
the TYPE OF CLUE, the KEY-WORD (which is the synonym of the solution), the
COMPONENTS of the solution and the SOLUTION will be revealed to you only if you want them by
clicking on the button to the right. Get cracking....
Complain about protection (4)
Ached in torment when not free (7)
Fail spectacularly in attack (4)
Parent loses weight for the lady (3)
Tell people about his first struggle (6)
One makes life difficult for people in high places (9)