Cryptic glossary

Abbreviation #

A short form such as DR for doctor, AB for sailor or O for love, used as a piece of the wordplay. Many clue words have a standard abbreviation that setters and solvers share.

In Crossmith: The Wordplay tab's Abbreviations list searches both ways: doctor gives DR, MB and others, and O gives love, nothing, ring and others.

Anagram #

The letters of the fodder (the word or words to be rearranged) are mixed up to make the answer, using every letter once. An anagram indicator such as badly, mixed, broken or out tells the solver to rearrange.

In Crossmith: The Wordplay tab's Anagrams tool lists words and phrases that can be made from the letters of the selected answer or from letters you type, including partial anagrams.

Barred grid #

A grid whose answers are separated by thick lines (bars) between squares, rather than by black squares. All the squares are white, which allows longer answers and more unches. Crossmith's rulebook for barred grids is its own set of checks, and new barred puzzles are part of Pro.

In Crossmith: In Shape mode choose Bars to draw them, or press Alt and an arrow key to put a bar on that side of the square in focus.

Charade #

The answer is built by putting smaller pieces one after another, like the parts of a charade game: here CAR and PET make CARPET. The pieces can be words, abbreviations or other devices.

In Crossmith: The Charades tool in the Wordplay tab splits the selected answer into words and abbreviations from your lists.

Checked letter #

A letter that belongs to two answers, one across and one down. A solver who has one answer gets a letter of the other for free.

Container #

One piece goes inside another: here E goes inside PLANT to make PLANET. Indicators include taking in, holding, around, outside and about for the outer piece, and in, inside and within for the inner one.

In Crossmith: The Charades tool in the Wordplay tab also finds containers.

Cryptic definition #

A clue with no wordplay at all: a single definition, worded to mislead. The surface reading points one way and the answer is somewhere else.

Definition #

The part of a cryptic clue that simply means the answer, as a dictionary or a quick clue would. It is always at the start or the end of the clue. Each clue has one (a double definition has two).

In Crossmith: In Clues mode, Mark definition underlines it in your clue. The underline is yours: it is not shown to solvers.

Deletion #

Part of a word is removed: its first letter (beheaded, headless), its last (endless, curtailed), its middle or some other letters. What is left is the answer or part of it.

In Crossmith: The Deletions tool in the Wordplay tab tries removing first and last letters, middle letters, the heart, and odd or even letters.

Double definition #

Two definitions of the same answer, side by side with no wordplay. The fun is that the two meanings are different.

Enumeration #

The number in brackets after a clue, giving the length of the answer: (6) for one word of six letters, (3,5) for two words, (4-3) for a hyphenated word. A phrase such as (2,3,4) has three words. Crossmith works it out from the word list and lets you change it.

In Crossmith: In Clues mode the enumeration is shown beside each clue box, and you can type over it.

Hidden word #

The answer is written, in order, inside the letters of the clue's words, often running across the gaps between them. An indicator such as in, some, part of or held by says so.

In Crossmith: The Hidden tool in the Wordplay tab finds two- and three-word phrases that contain the answer, forwards and backwards.

Homophone #

The answer sounds like another word or phrase. An indicator such as we hear, reportedly, on the radio or aloud says to go by sound. Homophones are judged by ear, so setters differ over accents.

In Crossmith: The Homophones tool lists words that sound alike. It is based on an American dictionary adjusted for British speech, so check by ear.

Indicator #

A word or phrase that tells the solver which device to use: for example mixed up or badly for an anagram, in or inside for a container, back for a reversal, some for a hidden word, we hear for a homophone, initially for first letters. It tells you what to do, and the fodder is what you do it to.

In Crossmith: The Wordplay tab's Indicators list finds indicators by type, and Random 10 offers fresh ones.

Letter selection #

The answer is made from chosen letters of other words: the first letters (initially, leaders of), the last letters (finally, ends of), the odd or even letters (oddly, regularly), or the middle letters (heart of).

In Crossmith: The Deletions tool in the Wordplay tab tries odd and even letters and the heart of a word.

Light #

A white square in the grid, or an entry (an answer) made from them. Setters speak of a seven-letter light, meaning an answer of seven letters. Crossmith's interface says entry and square, and means the same.

Link word #

A small word or two, such as is, gives, for or from, joining the definition to the wordplay. It is not part of either.

&lit (all-in-one) #

A clue where the whole clue is both the definition and the wordplay. Read one way it defines the answer, and read the other way it builds it. They are the hardest to write and are admired for it. Setters say "and literally so" or "all in one".

Partial anagram #

Only some of the answer is rearranged. The rest is given another way (a letter, an abbreviation or a word) and joined to the anagram, so it is a charade with an anagram as one of its pieces.

In Crossmith: The Anagrams tool shows the leftover letters of a partial anagram.

Reversal #

A word is read backwards to give the answer. In a down clue the indicator is usually something like up or going up. In an across clue it is back, returned or going west.

In Crossmith: The Reversals tool in the Wordplay tab finds whole words and parts of words that read backwards as other words.

Spoonerism #

Named after the Reverend William Spooner. The opening sounds of two words are swapped, and the clue gives the swapped version. The solver swaps them back to get the answer.

Surface reading #

What the clue says when you read it as an ordinary sentence. A good surface reading is smooth and makes sense (the example below reads like a remark about a plant), even though the solver has to ignore it to find the real meaning.

Unch #

An unchecked letter: a letter that belongs to only one answer. A British blocked grid never has two unches next to each other in an answer, so a solver always has every other letter from crossings. Barred grids have more unches.

In Crossmith: The Metrics tab in Shape mode counts the unchecked letters, and Rules warns about two side by side.

Wordplay #

The other part of a cryptic clue: instructions, made from words and letters, for building the answer. Whatever is not the definition (and not a link word) is wordplay.

In Crossmith: The Wordplay tab in Clues mode suggests anagrams, hidden words, reversals, charades, containers, deletions and homophones for the selected answer.