So pigs sort of chinwag? (6)
Obviously they don’t, but that’s the point: cryptic crossword clues are never as they seem.
If you’ve ever wanted to tackle cryptics, but found their witty wordplay and sly misdirection impenetrable, you’re in the right place. Our crossword compilers are revealing some of the common tricks you’ll find in their puzzles and sharing their top solving tips, including telltale words to help you interpret the clues.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s time to challenge yourself with our daily cryptic crossword — or try for a speedy solve with our bite-sized mini and larger quick crosswords.
Still puzzled by those chinwagging pigs? You’ll find the answer and Rose McGinley’s helpful explanation below.
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Cryptic clues are generally a quick clue with an extra play on words. In 90 per cent of cryptic clues, the quick clue is at the beginning or end.
You could solve most of the crossword without understanding the cryptic part of the clue, but where’s the fun in that? Getting familiar with five or six cryptic tricks makes the crossword more interesting and satisfying to solve.
There are always a few anagram clues. I find them the easiest to solve. They consist of: definition of the answer, a word that indicates mixing up, and a word or words with the same number of letters as the answer. The definition, or quick clue, may be at the beginning or end of the clue, so you’ll have to try both ways. Here are a couple of examples.
Clue: Strong desire for a new t-shirt (6) Answer: thirst
The definition, strong desire, is at the beginning of the clue. The word new indicates a different arrangement of letters in the following word. And t-shirt has six letters like the answer. The letters of t-shirt can be rearranged to give the answer.
Clue: So pigs sort of chinwag? (6) Answer: gossip
The definition, chinwag, is at the end of the clue. The words sort of indicate changing the order of the letters in the previous words. So pigs, which has six letters, is an anagram of the answer.
To start solving a cryptic crossword, my advice is to scan the clues for words like mix, about and cook that come just before or after a word or phrase with the same number of letters as the answer.
Be warned, compilers get pretty creative with their anagram indicators!
Wordplay is all around us, from advertising slogans and shop names to newspaper headlines and groan-worthy dad jokes.
Cryptic crossword setters use all of these familiar linguistic tricks, hiding the answer within words that seemingly have very little to do with the clue’s topic.
What we call the surface of the clue is the literal meaning of the sentence as a whole. A good solver knows to read the clue word by word and ignore the image it produces.
A standard cryptic clue is made up of two elements: wordplay and definition. If you’re good at spotting the definition (the straight part of the clue), you’re well on your way to breezing through cryptic life.
A quick guide to cryptic wordplay
Containers involve putting one set of letters inside another (indicators include in, around, holding)
Deletions remove letters from the fodder (indicators include endless, losing, heartless)
Reversals flip letters or words (indicators include back, returned, reversed)
Homophones use words that sound alike (indicators include we hear, said, audibly)
Charades simply place elements side by side (indicators include with, and, after)
Hidden word clues are where words are nestled within other words (indicators include concealed, trapped, squeezed)
– Liam Runnalls
The wordplay is where things get kooky. Wordplay is made up of indicators (words that tell you what type of wordplay to use) and fodder (words and letters to be manipulated).
Let’s start with the most common type of wordplay: the anagram.
Clue: Distant meteor explosion (6)
Our job is to look at the clue word by word and identify the definition, indicator and fodder.
Anagram indicators are words or phrases that tell the solver to rearrange letters. They are often associated with mixing, scrambling, change, madness or disorder. Examples include mix, wreck, new, broken, lost, nutty. In this clue, there is a valid anagram signpost: explosion.
If we create an “explosion” of the fodder word next to it — meteor — we can rearrange those six letters to find the answer. We know meteor is the fodder because it has six letters, leaving distant as the definition.
Answer: remote
So if you see a word in a clue that suggests destruction, change, movement, or mistreatment, you might just have an anagram on your hands.
Beyond anagrams, cryptic clues rely on a relatively small set of recurring wordplay types. Once you start recognising these patterns – and the indicator words that signal them – cryptic clues stop feeling mysterious and start feeling playful.
In some cryptic clues, the answer is hiding in plain sight. You don’t notice it because you’ve been distracted by the story of the surface. These clue types are called hiddens.
Here’s an example: Sample early Richards line from song (5).
If we take a sample from early Richards we get LYRIC, a word that means line from song.
Here’s another: Sewing tool held by youth – I’m blessed (7).
Don’t be fooled by the punctuation or the capital letter. You can safely ignore those as a sneaky distraction. This clue tells us the answer is held by the letters of youth – I’m blessed, giving us THIMBLE, a sewing tool.
Let’s try one more: Guessed at best I’m a tedious inclusion (9).
Resist getting drawn into the setter’s sad story and look for the inclusion amongst the letters. The definition is almost always at one end, so you’re looking for a word that means guessed or guessed at. And then like a Magic Eye picture, it jumps out at you in best I’m a tedious.
Often compilers only include one of these hidden clue types per puzzle, but they can be very handy to spot if you’re struggling to find your way in. Scan the clues for words that could indicate something is hiding within – words such as among, extract, found in, piece, string, inside or even just plain in.
Play our daily mini, quick and cryptic crosswords here.
What are your top tips for solving cryptics? And what are the toughest cryptic clues you’ve come across? Tell us in the comments.
