The Cryptic Crosswords group meets on alternate Thursdays whenever at least three of us are available. We usually spend an enjoyable 90 minutes or so solving a few puzzles, often smiling and groaning at the same time as a penny drops and the solution to a clue becomes apparent. The approach is strictly collaborative, not competitive, and whenever one of us cracks a clue, we give the others a chance to think about it before revealing the answer.
To the uninitiated, cryptic crossword clues are a complete mystery. If you’re tempted to have a go, these basic rules may help you:
- Every cryptic clue consists of two parts:
- the “definition”, which matches the solution you are looking for (typically the solution is a synonym of the definition or something that falls within the scope of the definition), and
- the “wordplay”, the cryptic hints that lead to the solution.
- The definition is always either at the beginning or the end of the clue, not in the middle. Sometimes it is fairly clear which end of the clue constitutes the definition; sometimes it isn’t.
Take a look at these examples (where the numbers show the number of letters in the solution):
Diet challenging to some extent? Eat away (4)
To give the game away immediately, the solution is ETCH, which can mean to “Eat away” and is part (“to some extent”) of “DiET CHallenging”. So the definition is “Eat away” and “Diet challenging to some extent” is the wordplay.
Question about energy in dairy product (4)
Here, an experienced solver might immediately think that the solution could be some sort of “dairy product", and would recognise “energy” as a common (at least in crosswords) indicator for the letter E. They would then look for some sort of three letter “question” that they could put around (“about”) the letter E to form a dairy product. Why, of course! The solution is WHEY.
Cruel twist, a source of pain (5)
No crossword is complete without an anagram or two, and solvers learn to recognise the words that setters use to point in that direction. Here that word is “twist”. Can we “twist” the letters of “Cruel” into something that is “a source of pain”? ULCER!
There are many other types of clue that are baffling at first but with experience become second nature.
If you’re intrigued by these examples, or if you would just like to learn more or have a go, then why not come along to the Cryptic Crosswords group. We would be delighted to see you.