cryptic crossword
British clue game
A cryptic crossword is a crossword puzzle where each clue contains two paths to the answer: a definition and a piece of wordplay.
The wordplay might involve anagrams, hidden words, homophones, or other linguistic tricks: The clue "Flower found in artisticreamwork" hides ASTER.
Solvers must parse the clue's structure to find where the definition ends and the wordplay begins.
The form originated in British newspapers and remains more popular there than in America, where straightforward definition clues dominate.
- anagramReshuffled letter word
- spoonerismsSound-swapping speech errors
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- punWordplay using double meanings
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- puzzlespuzzles, sudoku, jigsaw puzzle, puzzle cube, jigsaw
- word gamesScrabble, anagram, anagrams, Taboo, charades
- cryptic puzzlesriddle, cipher, code, cryptogram, enigma
- crosswordsacross, acrostic, clues, codeword, crosser
- puzzle competitionsspeedcubing, puzzle hunt
cryptic crosswordstraightforward
Clear and uncomplicated
easy · plain language · literal meaning · simple · transparent
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