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This article is from the Crosswords FAQ, by James A. Lundon (jlundon@xstacy.enet.dec.com) with numerous contributions by others.

10) Crosswords: Define surface reading and how important is it in clueing?

Note: I have strong opinions on this topic, vis a vis the necessity of a
clue having a surface reading.

*My* definition of good surface reading in a clue is:

something (the clue) you could say, or have said in the past, in
conversation and not something, while syntactically and semantically
possible, means nothing.

Tovah Hollander said:

My first-pass definition of acceptable surface reading would be: would
this clue make sense to someone who doesn't know anything about cryptic
clues? (Not "make sense as a clue", but simply "mean something
sensible".)

Better definitions are welcome?

 

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