9) Standard tips for solving a cryptic crossword?
Description
This article is from the Crosswords FAQ, by James A. Lundon (jlundon@xstacy.enet.dec.com) with numerous contributions by others.
9) Standard tips for solving a cryptic crossword?
The explanation below is taken from rec.puzzles and I will endeavour to
take over the responsibility of maintaining and improving this list from
the maintainer (Chris Cole) of the rec.puzzles archive.
This is a brief set of instructions for solving cryptic crossword
puzzles. For a more complete introduction, send a self-addressed,
stamped envelope to The Atlantic Puzzler, 745 Boylston Street, Boston,
MA 02116, USA. The below description is taken from this introduction.
It was written by Henry Rathvon and Emily Cox, who do the puzzles for
The Atlantic. It is slanted towards the American type cryptic.
The characteristic common to all cryptic crossword puzzles is the format
of the clues. Each clue is a miniature word puzzle consisting of a
straight definition of the answer and a cryptic definition of the
answer. For example,
Axle is poorly splined (7)
yields SPINDLE. Axle is the straight definition. The cryptic
definition (poorly splined) indicates an anagram of "splined". The
number in parentheses is the number of letters in the answer.
Punctuation and capitalization may be ignored in interpreting the clues.
There are *only* (really?) eight categories of clues, as follows:
1. Anagram
An anagram is a word formed by mixing up the letters of another word.
An anagram clue is indicated by some word that means "mixed up", for
example, out, crazy, bizarre, insane, etc. One or more words may
contribute to the anagram. For example:
Tim goes insane from selfishness (7)
for EGOTISM (anagram of "Tim goes")
2. Double Definition
A double definition is simply two definitions of the word. Most
two-word clues are double definitions. For example:
Release without charge (4)
for FREE
3. Container
A container clue indicates that something is to be put in (or wrapped
around) something else. A container is indicated by phrases such as
eaten by, contains, in, gobbles, etc. For example:
In Missouri, consumed by fear (7)
for AMONGST (MO = Missouri in ANGST = fear)
4. Hidden Word
A hidden word is a word embedded in another word or words. It is
indicated by phrases such as spot in, hides, at the heart of, covers,
etc. For example:
Worn spot in paper at typo (5)
for RATTY (find ratty in "paper at typo")
5. Reversal
A reversal is a definition of a word with the letters reversed. It is
indicated by words such as back, reversed, up (for down clues), leftward
(for across clues), etc. For example:
Egad! Ray entirely reversed the lot of cloth (7)
for YARDAGE ("Egad! Ray" reversed)
6. Homophone
A homophone definition is a definition of a word that sounds the same as
the answer, but is spelled differently. A homophone is indicated by
words such as in audience, I hear, mouthed, verbally, etc. For example:
Regrets prank, I hear (4)
for RUES (the homophone is RUSE = prank)
7. Charade
In a charade, the pieces of the word are "spelled" out in order. There
are no auxiliary words that indicate a charade. For example:
Excite a jerk extremist (7)
for FANATIC (FAN = excite, A, TIC = jerk)
8. Deletion
A deletion is a clue where you are instructed to remove a part of some
word to make another word. For example,
Times with poor wages (4)
for AGES (with-poor WAGES, where with is abbreviated by W)
Often the clue types are combined. Some common examples are 1) hidden
word reversals where the answer is found backwards embedded in other
words, and 2) containers or charades where the parts are anagrams. For
example:
Car shops have broken gear immersed in gasoline. (7)
for GARAGES (RAGE = gear anagram in GAS = gasoline)
All manner of common abbreviations, acronyms, and other symbology such
as roman numerals are allowed. For example:
c one hundred, cup, or centigrade
vi six
h hot
s small
ca california
Two punctuation marks at the end of the clue have been reserved for
special meaning. A question mark (?) indicates that the straight clue
is not entirely straight (usually a pun). For example:
I tie down mascara holder soundly? (7)
for EYELASH (homophone of "I lash", mascara holder is a punning
definition of EYELASH)
An exclamation point (!) indicates that some part (usually all) of the
clue overlaps. For example, the straight definition may also be the
anagram indicator. Here is an example that entirely overlaps:
A moped also has these! (6)
for PEDALS (hidden word)
Here, the entire clue indicates the hidden word, but the entire clue is
also a straight definition of the answer.
After all that explanations an example is needed. This crossword was
compiled by Roy Trearle (Roy.Thearle@uknet.ac.uk). It originally
appeared in the rec.puzzles archive?
Each clue has two solutions, one for each diagram; one of the answers
to 1ac. determines which solutions are for which diagram.
All solutions are in Chamber's and Webster's Third except for one solution
of each of 1dn, 3dn and 4dn, which can be found in Webster's 2nd. edition.
#######################################################################
#1 |2 | | |3 |4 |5 #1 |2 | | |3 |4 |5 #
# | | | | | | # | | | | | | #
#----+----###########----#----#----#----+----###########----#----#----#
#6 | |7 | | # # #6 | |7 | | # # #
# | | | | # # # | | | | # # #
#----#----#----######----#----#----#----#----#----######----#----#----#
# # # #8 | | | # # # #8 | | | #
# # # # | | | # # # # | | | #
#----#----#----######----#----#----#----#----#----######----#----#----#
#9 | | | # # # #9 | | | # # # #
# | | | # # # # | | | # # # #
#----#----#----######----#----#----#----#----#----######----#----#----#
# # #10 | | | | # # #10 | | | | #
# # # | | | | # # # | | | | #
#----#----#----###########----+----#----#----#----###########----+----#
#11 | | | | | | #11 | | | | | | #
# | | | | | | # | | | | | | #
#######################################################################
Ac.
1. What can have distinctive looking heads spaced about more prominently
right. (7)
6. Vermin that can overrun fish and t'English tor perhaps. (5)
8. Old testament reversal - Adam's conclusion, start of sin.
Felines initially with everything there. (4)
9. Black initiated cut, oozed out naturally. (4)
10. For instance, 11 with spleen dropping I count? (5)
11. Provoked explosion of grenade. (7)
Dn.
1. Some of club taking part in theatrical function, for the equivalent
of a fraction of a pound. (6)
2. Close-in light meter in one formation originally treated as
limestone. (6)
3. Xingu River hombres having symmetrical shape. (5)
4. About sex-appeal measure - what waitresses should be? (6)
5. Turned stale - died - was preserved. (6)
7. IRA to harm ruling Englishman; extremes could be belonging to group. (5)
Answers: +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ |r e d c a p s|d e x t r a l| + + +-+-+ + + + + +-+-+ + + + |o t t e r|o|a|r o a c h|s|a| + + + +-+ + + + + + +-+ + + + |u|a|h|f a l l|a|z|m|t o m s| + + + +-+ + + + + + +-+ + + + |b l e d|r|i|t|c o o n|m|i|t| + + + +-+ + + + + + +-+ + + + |l|o|i r a t e|m|o|n o b l e| + + + +-+-+ + + + + +-+-+ + + |e n r a g e d|a n g e r e d| +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Notes.
Left grid: Ac. 1. R + spaced (anag). 6. T'E tor (anag). 8. F-all. 9. B-led.
10. I-rate. Dn. 1. Ro-ub-le. 2. T.A.L. in one (anag). 4. it in pole.
5. anag of D+stale. 7. anag of initial letters.
Right grid: Ac. 1. D-extra-L. 6. 3 mngs. 8. OT (rev) + m-s.
9. initial letters. 10. No.-b(i)le. Dn. Dra-c-ma. 2. Zoo(m) in one (anag).
3. hidden. 4. SA (rev) + mile. 5. anag of D+stale. 7. anag of final letters.
How I built it: it was hard!
Basically, I started with a couple of word pairs which were easy to clue
(e.g. enraged/angered - same meaning and anagrams of each other) and
built a grid around them, trying to ensure corresponding words had
something in common, either in meaning (their, among) or structure,
(EtalON, EOzooN) and making sure that there was at least one word which
could be used to distinguish the two grids (dextral).
The clues were built in one of two ways:
either the words had a common definition, and so a subsidiary indication
which could refer to either was needed; or it was necessary to define
each word in such a way that it was a subsidiary definition for all or
part of the corresponding word, and deal with any remaining parts as
before. I think the single hardest part was finding a definition of
"interferometer" which could also be interpreted as "zoo" or "ozo".
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