How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords

CrosswordFrom Martin Woods, crossword compiler for The Big Issue in the North since 1999.  This guide was written in December 2008.

Download the PDF version of How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords.

Please see the links below for information on home education in France and for Spot the Different puzzles. This guide is intended for teenagers and adults looking for a guide on how to solve Cryptic Crosswords.

In most crossword clues the clue is composed of two parts, a clue to the answer (a bit like a quick clue only normally not so easy) and a cryptic component that also tells you the answer.  There are several types of clue, as follows.

Anagrams

An anagram clue is comprised of 3 parts:

For example:

Drawn-out, rambling and rude (8)

Here the anagram is drawn-out, the anagram indicator is rambling and the clue is rude. 
The answer is untoward.

Examples of anagram indicators include abstract, absurd, active, addled, adjusted, afresh, after a fashion, alloy, all at sea, alien, altered, alternative, amazing, anyway, askew, awkward, awry, etc.

Sounds like clues

 Like anagrams, these consist of 3 parts:

For example:

Make money talking crock (3)
Here the clue is crock, the sound like indicator is talking and the something that sounds like is make money.  The answer is urn (a type of crock, which sounds like earn).

An alternative variant of these is where the sounds like indicates letters, for example:

Listen, I see easier each a.m. with this cone (3,5)
Here the clue is cone,  the sounds like indicator is listen and the letters are made up as follows:

I           I
See      C
Easier   E-C-R
Each     E (Words are sometimes abbreviated in crossword clues)
a.m       A-M

The answer is ice cream.

Words that indicate sounds like include: say, we hear, listen, speak, utter, pronounce, declare, report, etc.

Pure Cryptic Clues

 A pure cryptic is an obscure way of reaching the answer, for example:

Nice pain (6,5)
Is french bread

(Pain is the French for bread, Nice is a city in France)

When formal, goes over her head (5)
Is tiara

Double Meaning

 Here there are 2 (or more) clues to the answer, perhaps with an = indicator in between.  For example:

Socialist rose (3)
Is red

Furious, mark voted wrong (5)
Is cross, with each of the 4 words meaning ‘cross’

Words that could indicate =  include with, and, also, meets, equals, etc. (though they can also be used to mean other things).

Hidden words

 A hidden word clue is again comprised of 3 parts:

For example:

City in Czechoslovakia (4)
Here, the clue is City, in indicates a hidden word and Czechoslovakia, if you look carefully contains the word Oslo, which is the answer.

Words that indicate a hidden word include: A little of, a portion of, apparent, appears, carried by, content, emerges from, out of, gripped by, herein, holding, in, nursing, portion of, showing, etc.

Crossword Equations

Equations are the most varied of crossword clues and can include various ways of forming a word, for example:

A = B + C

Getting close to Northern jewelry (7)
Here the A is the clue (Getting close), Northern simply indicates the letter N and jewelry is earring.
The answer is nearing, N + earring.

Fury over a painting with eggs (7)
Fury is temper, over indicates above (used in a down clue) the letter a, and the clue is painting with eggs.
The answer is temper + a = tempera

A = B + C + D

Chance for pawn to steal talent (11)
Chance is the clue, pawn is the letter p, steal is rob, talent is ability:
P + rob  + ability = probability

B inside C = A

I’m stuck in glue, but it’s a pleasant diversion (7)
Here the clue is ‘a pleasant diversion’, and I’m  is inside a word meaning glue (paste), so
The answers is pastime:   past  (im)  e

A = B backwards

Beat up for sport (4)
Beat is flog, if you write this ‘up’, you have golf, which is the answer.

Crossword language

As well as the components of crossword language mentioned above, there are also things that are used to indicate individual letters, for example:

Almost any standard abbreviation can be used, sometimes not directly (so accident and emergency might be used to indicate ER (for emergency room)

Roman numerals, one = I, ten = x, etc.

King = k or r (rex)

Queen often means ER (Elizabeth Regina)

Note = any of the letters A,B,C,D,E,F or G

Ring, love, egg, zero, circle can all indicate the letter O.

Summary

 80 or 90 per cent of cryptic crossword clues are written in one of the ways described above, however it obviously takes practice to identify what kind of clue a cryptic clue is and work out how to solve it!  Crossword compilers can also use other methods of coding a clue, which might be unique to that particular clue!

I hope this gives you enough information to get started and you enjoy solving crosswords!

Solving Cryptic Crosswords was written by Martin Woods, who writes a weekly quick and cryptic crossword for The Big Issue in the North. You can download some of his crosswords here (in PDF format):

Quick & Cryptic Crossword 1      Crossword 2     Crossword 3