My current summertime passion is solving cryptic crosswords. In a cryptic crossword, each clue actually has two parts. One part is a straightforward definition of the answer, such as you’d find in a more straightforward crossword. The other part is some sort of word puzzle involving the answer. The challenge is to determine which part is which, determine what type of word puzzle is involved, and (of course) sort out the answer. The Wikipedia article on the subject has a fine summary of the different sorts of wordplay that are employed commonly in cryptics; here are a few quick examples (of my own creation, although admittedly the “lemon”/”melon” bit has been done plenty of times before).

• Yellow fruit confused melon (5). The answer is lemon. Lemon is a yellow fruit, and it’s an anagram (a “confused” version) of melon. Anagram clues are commonplace, and will always include some “signal” word to indicate the rearrangement of letters. (Note that the “5″ in parentheses indicates the number of letters in the answer. This information is often helpful in determining which word or phrase in the clue is being anagrammed.)
• Limo charge includes coffee drink (5). The answer is mocha. Mocha is a coffee drink, and it’s contained letter-for-letter within the phrase limo charge– as suggested by the signal word “includes.” Hidden-word clues, too, always contain some sort of “signal” to indicate the literal inclusion of the answer within the clue.
• Head of Delaware company spins around first Kentucky pier (4). The answer is dock. This one is sometimes called a “charade” clue, and it involves stringing together two or more pieces.
  1. Head of Delaware: The first letter of “Delaware” is “D.”
  2. company spins around: “Company” is commonly abbreviated “co”; “spins around” tells us to run the letters backward as “oc.”
  3. first Kentucky: Again, we take the first letter, the “k.”
  4. Putting the pieces together, D + oc + k = dock, clued by “pier.”
• Terror traps the tickler (7). The answer is feather. This is a “container clue”; the answer involves inserting one word inside another. “Terror” gives fear; inserting the inside “fear” gives feather.

A Few More of Mine

I enjoy solving— and creating— cryptic clues, even in the absence of an actual crossword grid. Here are a few more of my favorite personal creations. I never thought I’d stoop to placing these words on a website of mine, but… Scroll down for the answers.

1. Yankees slugger shockingly razed uglier ox (4,9)
2. Designer article of average quality in rhyme (7)
3. I check Ed, a silly bird (9)
4. Spoiled a shield, left deli meat, ran into true mystery author (8,7)
5. Reportedly bend tiny marks (6)
6. Playground structures, in poor condition, break my son (6,4)
7. Was in debt to poem, they say (4)
8. Term of affection in Latin group hug (2,3)
9. Head of petroleum jelly brand replaced by better-than-average reference level (8)

Answers

1. Alex Rodriguez (anagram of razed uglier ox)
2. Versace, for “designer” (“a” for “article,” plus “c” for “of average quality,” inside “verse” for “rhyme”)
3. chickadee (anagram of I check Ed a)
4. Dashiell Hammett (anagram of a shield, plus “l” for “left,” plus “ham” for “deli meat,” plus “met” for “ran into,” plus “t” for “true.” Dashiel + l + ham + met + t.)
5. flecks (homophone of flex, as clued by signal word “reportedly”)
6. monkey bars (anagram of break my son)
7. owed (homophone of ode)
8. te amo, literally “I love you” in Latin (“team” for “group,” plus “o” for “hug”)
9. baseline (“Vaseline,” with its head “v” replaced by “b” for “better-than-average”)