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Word Constructions

Word construction clues, as my name for them suggests, require a solution that is made up of two or more separate word solutions. An extremely simple example (that you’ll probably never see in The Times) is ‘rainbow’. The clue for this solution would have one part that gave you the word ‘rain’ and another providing …

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Straight

In ‘The Basics’ I said that there is really no such thing as ‘a’ cryptic clue. Well to be honest this type is as close as you might get to that definition. With the types we’ve looked at so far there was a ‘trick’ or a ‘hint’ to how the solution could be found and …

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Initials

I feel like I’ve said this before but initials clue types are really very easy, it’s just a matter of identifying them. As the name suggests, the solution to an initial clue is formed from the initial letters of some or all of the words in the clue itself. Place amorous romance is started initially? …

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Cryptic Crossword Guides

Whether you’re one of those people who claim cryptic crosswords are ‘impossible’ or looking to improve your completion rate or time, hopefully these pages will provide some useful tips. First we’ll look at the basics of tackling a cryptic crossword, then types of clues that you’ll see, then some strategies for tackling a ‘clean’ puzzle. …

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Strategy

It may sound odd to need a strategy for tackling a crossword but it’s an important element of the cryptic style. As mentioned elsewhere in these guides cryptic crosswords rely more upon concealing the true nature of clues and misleading the reader than upon simply being ‘difficult’ so a strategy will help to expose these …

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Hidden Words

In theory, hidden words should be the easiest of all cryptic crossword clues. The solution to a hidden word clue is embedded within the clue itself, with all the letters in the right order, simply spread over two or more words. The letters aren’t jumbled as in an anagram, they’re all in the right order …

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