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).
Lesson-5 was about DOUBLE DEFINITION, in which you get two straight definitions or possibly one straight definition and a pun, both of which mean the same thing. Normally, Double Definition clues are very short.
Lesson-6 was about HIDDEN WORDS. The hidden word clue is probably one of the easiest to solve if you know what you're looking at., though the indicators are often the same as CONTAINERS (Split Word). In the hidden word clue, you can find the answer hiding in the letters of the clue. There are also some variations to watch out for, e.g., the words could be hidden backwards or on the ends or only every other letter or the first letters in a series of words may be clued. In each of these cases, you will be told how they are hidden by the indicator. For these clues, you could have "holds back", "off the borders", "oddly" (referring to the letters in the odd positions) and "heads of" respectively.
Lesson 7 was on Homophones, which are words that sound exactly alike such as BEAR and BARE. When they are used in a cryptic clue, both of them will be clued with a definition. Only one of these can be the right answer so the other one has an indicator that tells you that it only sounds like the right answer. Look for phrases such as "we hear", "sounds like", and "audience".
Lesson 8 was on REVERSALS. In Reversal clues, the order of the letters in a clue word or phrase are reversed to find the answer. Reversals are always accompanied by a word or phrase that suggests reversal (or rising up, or heading left or west).
Lesson 9 was about a special type of clue known as an "&LIT." (short for "and
literally so"),in which the definition and the wordplay are one and the same. A common example is 'Still angered(7)' which gives the solution 'ENRAGED'.
This month, I shall cover the last lesson, which is on 'Straight Clues.' These use proverbs, quotations etc. But a good Crossword composer will slightly twist the clue. e.g., A clue will not say 'They wait for none(4,3,4)' for which the answer is TIME AND TIDE. The clue is more likely to be 'Don't they wait for anybody?(4,3,4)
The straight clues may also be more direct, as in
Mind the children (4,3)
which gives the solution 'BABY SIT'
The solution to 'What moving home entails(6,2,8)' is
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
As usual ten clues are given below. All the clues are any one or a combination of the various types of clues covered in my lessons. As usual,
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....
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