Summary | Quotes |
Interactive Examples | Clue Examples | Annotated NYT Example |
References
Summary
- The format/syntax of the clue is often as important as its content.
- Part of speech -- noun: singular/plural; adjective; adverb;
verb tense: present, past, infinitive, gerund;
-- in clue will usually be mirrored in the answer. - Are you sure about part of speech?
e.g., clue: "Red cards" could be a verb (ans: ejects) or a noun (ans: hearts) - First name of an actor/author mirrors first name of role/character; ditto for last name.
- Is first letter of clue capitalized because it's first word or because it's a proper noun? (a 'veiled capital')
- Abbrev. or ACRONYM or other letter sequence in clue will usually be reflected in answer.
- Language of the answer often indicated by language of clue, e.g., French, Spanish, Latin,
or inhabitant's name, e.g., Pierre, Juanita, Caesar,
or place name, e.g., Riviera, Guanajuato, ancient Rome - "___" in a phrase: FITB (Fill in the Blank)
- Expect ambiguity and humor -- and exceptions to 'rules'.
- "?" may indicate esp. tricky, non-obvious answer from an unexpected context
- ? might be omitted in crosswords that are expected to be more difficult in general, e.g., later in the week
- "Taking the Question Out of Question Mark Clues.
Let's look at four examples of when we would use a question mark in a clue:
1. Clue: "'The meeting hasn’t started yet, has it?'" Answer: AM I LATE?
The question mark in this case simply indicates that the answer itself should be read
as a question. Clues in quotation marks generally mean that the answer will be a
spoken phrase, and in this case, it's a spoken question.
If the question mark is not part of a quotation, it is there to indicate that there's some
kind of wordplay. A question mark is like a little elbow nudge.
2. Clue: "Cool-sounding body part?" Answer: HIP
This is an early-week question mark clue. There's nothing particularly misleading;
the question mark is here to signal that this clue is just plain goofy.
3. Clue: "Took on a pet project?" Answer: CAT SAT
The question mark here indicates that you should look out for wordplay, and it's
a little more misleading than in the previous example, because "pet project" is
an idiom that typically doesn't involve cat sitting.
4. Clue: "Does the rite thing?" Answer: ANOINTS
This is another pretty silly clue, and the humor is in reading the clue out loud. No one will
be fooled into thinking the clue is asking for something that means 'doing the right thing.'
The question mark indicates that the clue is playing off a familiar phrase, in this case
with a homophone." ~Christina Iverson, NYT Wordplay newsletter; 11/24/2023 - "There are different types of themes, and they generally get trickier as the week continues.
On Monday, it’s rare to see question mark clues in the theme, except for in the revealer,
which might be a punny descriptor of the rest of the theme answers. For instance, in a recent
Monday puzzle, each theme entry had the circled letters I, C, U and T, which gradually got
closer together. The clues for these entries were straightforward, but the revealer was a goofy hint:
'... what you gradually do with this puzzle's circled letters?' The question mark lets you know
that this is a joke, and that you should interpret the answer CONNECTICUT in a goofy way --
you're connecting the letters I-C-U-T.
Non-thematic clues will still hint at the actual meaning of the words in the grid, but the clues
might be interpreted in a surprising way. In themes, though, the wordplay can take all sorts
of goofy twists. Some themes involve reinterpreting common phrases as if they mean
something completely different, as with this puzzle, which imagines a THREE-WAY TIE a
neckwear for a trio. Or you’ll have to parse phrases differently, perhaps imagining
there's an extra space or a missing space; in this puzzle, we have to parse “Partner in crime”
as 'Partnerin' crime' — 'Bigamy, legally speakin’?' Themes could also have completely made-up
phrases; maybe the same letter(s) are added to (or deleted from) common phrases to make
goofy new ones; maybe a common phrase will use a homophone of one of the words instead
of the usual one. For any wordplay like this, the same gimmick will be used throughout the
puzzle in a consistent way so that once you understand the trick, you can deduce more
theme entries." ~Christina Iverson, Wordplay newsletter; 12/1/2023 - "*" often suggests a theme answer -- look for commonalities between other *-entries;
the center or last theme clue might "explain" the theme (aka 'the reveal / payoff');
next section: Themes - A blank clue (or "-") -- it depends, e.g., reuse a neighboring clue
- 'Cousin', 'relative' or 'partner' often indicates something in same category.
- Occasionally both a constructor and an editor might miss a mistake.
- Clue difficulty can vary by day of week, e.g., BACON (from Quigley):
Mon: "Strips with fried eggs"
Wed: "Sir Francis"
Sat: "Strips in a club" - e.g., STRAP:
Mon: "Subway rider's handhold"
Wed: "Part of a bike helmet"
Sat: "What might keep a watch on you" - The puzzle editor may prefer certain definitions, e.g., OREO
pre-Shortz era (< 1993): prefix for mountain -- as in “oreortyx,” a mountain quail
Shortz era: creme-filled cookie -- and many variations, esp. for day of week - The year of the puzzle may suggest what slang and pop culture references were possible;
also a country's currency, e.g., before or after EU - Is date of puzzle on/near a holiday/event/anniversary?
- Be prepared to think both literally and metaphorically
-- and outside the box(es): - The 'meaning' of a clue may not be a definition, but literally the name or sound of a clue letter,
e.g., "Head of cattle?" = HARD C;
"Carriage part?" = SILENT I;
or a letter sequence, e.g., "RV center" = STU - A clue might "break the 4th wall" and refer to the solver,
e.g., using pen or ink, looking up hints - Some clues might be modified by theme to make sense, e.g., Univ, 1/10/2021
23A. Cement made with 2.5% copper = COPPER PENNY
32A. Theme present = THIS DAY AND AGE
51A. Painfully meshy chaps, perhaps = SHRINKING VIOLETS
68A. Firmest lights = DAYBREAKS
70A. Amexes used by some Native Americans = TOMAHAWKS
87A. Romeo's friend = CHRISTOPHER ROBIN
104A.They circle a games giant = RINGS OF SATURN
121A. "Pretend I'm not here" -- and a hint to the two extra letters in each starred clue = JUST IGNORE ME - An answer square might contain more than 1 letter, e.g., rebus (next section: Themes)
- A block (dark square) might stand for an 'empty' word in a phrase, e.g., "BOX", "BLOCK", "HOLE"
- Online tool, e.g., crosswordgiant.com: enter a clue to find possible answers;
or enter an answer (or pattern) to find possible clues - For UK cryptics (described earlier: Solving: Choose Difficulty), clues are quite different:
e.g., New Yorker interactive Cryptic clue guide Anagram, Hidden Word, Homophone, Double Definition,
Assemblage (Charade), Deletion, Reversal, Container, Bits and Pieces, Multiple
Quotes
- "Learn the rules...
- "Brevity is the soul of wit." ~Hamlet...
- "We don't see things as they are...
- Apparently the Obamas got a 2nd dog named Sunny...
- My wife was solving the crossword in today's newspaper.
She asked, "A beverage, 3 letters and begins with T?"... - "What's another word for an overloaded mailman? 16 Across".
"How many letters?", she replies... - He asks his wife across the table:
"What is a four letter word for a religious song?"
Wife: "Hymn"... - "Place to write letters" or "Utterance from a curmudgeon"=
- "Putting letters in boxes?"=
- "This is not a clue...
Interactive Examples
- How to Solve The New York Times Crossword main article/tutorial; NYT; 11/2017
NYT sections, puzzle examples: - Fill-in-the-Blanks ('gimmes'): mini
- Tense: mini
- Part of Speech: mini
- Plural: mini
- Foreign Language: mini
- Partner Clues: mini
- Cross Referenced: mini
- Abbreviations: mini
- Clues with a "?": mini
- Slang: mini
- "Quotes" and [Brackets]: mini
- Veiled Capitals: mini
- Heteronyms
- NYT: Some common clue patterns and how to answer them sections, puzzle examples:
- 1. Clue/Answer Agreement: mini, full
- 2. Question Mark Clues: mini, full
- 3. Crosswordese: mini, full
- 4. Themes: mini, full
- 5. Rebus Answers: mini, full
Some Interesting Clues I've Collected
- reference to letters/sounds.
RV Center(3)= ;
Head of cattle?(5)= ;
Carriage part?(7)= ;
Workweek sequence: Abbr.(5)= ;
Alphabetic pentad(5)= ;
Queue after Q(3)= ;
Tic-tac-toe win(3)= - music. keys: 'A-G' [MAJOR | MINOR];
Like Bach's second violin concerto(3)= ;
A flat equivalent(6)= ;
It's probably played first(5)= ;
Score keeper?(10)= - people. Happy cohort?(6)= ; Bird, e.g., once(4)=
- directions: U-turn from WNW(3)= ; Needle point?(3)=
- 'Stop! You've got it all wrong!'(6)=
- Lion's home(7)=
- Last picture in an alphabet book(5)=
- Response to a general question?(5)=
- Stirring time?(7)=
- Something played out in a theater(3)=
- Waiting for Godot?(6)=
- Sodium hydroxide, briefly(4)=
- Rapids transit(5)=
- It'll never fly?(3)=
- Do nothing at a bakery?(4)=
- Highland?(5)=
- Departure info?(4)=
- Stayed out?(5)=
- Gambler's opening(4)=
- Iron-deficient?(7)=
- Polar opposites?(13)=
- Cold capital(4)=
- Pique condition?(3)=
- literal references to patterns in grid, direction of clue (ACROSS | DOWN)
- Time before the present day?(12)=
- #10 on a table(4)=
- Flat sign(5)=
- Where cells are of little use(9)=
- Something you can bank on(9)=
- It may have you in an awkward position(9)=
- Definitely not a company man?(6)=
- Rolling stone?(4)=
- Secretive group?(6)=
- Army heads(8)=
- Can of Newcastle(3)= ; John, to Paul, George or Ringo(3)=
- Low tie(6)= ; Low score(6)=
- Complex people?(7)=
- Oh golly, a molding(4)=
- M.A seeker's test(3)=
- Crossword quitter's cry?(15)=
- Geometric suffix(3)=
- French, e.g.,
Three, in Tours(3)= ;
Part of l'ete?(4)= ;
Stop on the Metro?(5)= ;
Like many squares in a French crossword(5)= ;
Security Council veto(3)= ;
Feu fighter(3)= - Spanish:
New Mexican(4)= ;
Enero begins it(3)= ;
Mayo is in it(3)= ;
"Keep them coming, Juan!"(3)= ;
Spanish she-bear(3)= ;
Bit of change in Cuba(7)= - Latin/Roman:
Uncommon in ancient Rome(4)= ;
One quarter of M(3)= ;
Nvmber of bones in the human body(4)= ;
When Othello kills himself(4)= ;
ans: CBVIIINGNEWS(8)=
An Annotated NYT Example
- NYT 1/23/2011 puzzle(blank): [.pdf]; solution: [.pdf] neat, [.pdf] handwritten
- FITB (Fill In The Blank): 32-A, 36-A, 79-A, 85-A (!), 97-A, 128-A, 2-D, 9-D, 11-D, 41-D, 87-D, 95-D*, 121-D
- first name: 1-A, 39-A, 65-A, 67-A, 96-A, 101-A, 118-A, 8-D, 66-D ('familiarly'), 116-D
- last name: 24-A, 89-A, 5-D, 9-D, 58-D
- *-prefix (theme answers): 6-A, 12-A, 17-A, ...
- plurals: 22-A, 47-D ('they'); 42-A&45-A (repetition); 61-A ('and the like'); 8-D ('and others'); 37-D ('array');
28-D, 81-D, 86-D ('?'); 31-A, 46-A, 59-A, 71-A, 124-A, 1-D, 3-D, 16-D, 27-D, 33-D, 46-D, 60-D ('-s') - abbrev./acronym: 28-A ('briefly'), 100-A ('Vette); 105-A, 70-D, 85-D ('org.'); 10-D ('sch.'); 23-D ('Trig');
33-D ('R.N.s'); 81-D ('letters'); 96-D ('acronym'); 112-D ('abbr.'); 82-A, 94-D (?) - singular: ('when repeated'); prefix: 74-A, 114-A; tense: 50-A ('-ed'), 35-D ('took'), 99-D ('-ing')
- adverb/adjective: 18-A, 126-A, 21-D, 51-D, 78-D, 79-D, 105-D
- literal: 22-A(año), 42-A & 45-A ('N N N'); refs to other clues: 61-A
- pop culture/music: 1-A, 24-A, 26-A, 29-A, 36-A, 39-A, 65-A, 67-A, 88-A, 96-A, 101-A, 122-A, 127-A,
8-D, 9-D, 13-D, 38-D, 40-D, 42-D, 54-D, 66-D, 73-D, 77-D, 92-D, 116-D, 117-D - literary (2 Shakespeare!): 32-A, 2-D, 5-D, 52-D; slang/current: 38-A, 85-A, 104-A, 7-D, 92-D, 109-D
- geographical/historical/political: 12-A, 29-A, 89-A, 118-A, 9-D, 14-D, 68-D, 70-D, 87-D, 102-D
- Roman numerals: 78-A
- math/science: 12-A, 23-D, 58-D, 64-D, 87-D, 111-D
- crosswordese: 62-A ('as is'?), 96-A ('Ara'), 28-D ('A-one')
- languages: Spanish: 30-A, 63-A; French: 59-A, 103-A; Greek: 42-A; Latin: 86-D; (?): 93-A ('whence the word')
- compass heading: 48-D
- puns: 76-A ('carrying a toon')
- ambiguity: 31-A ('winds'), 34-A ('touch'), 49-A ('slant'), 68-A ('hood'), 69-A ('shocker'), 90-A ('King'),
98-A ('Numbers'), 116-A ('don't get it'), 114-A ('opening'), 124-A ('homes'), 125-A ('house'),
1-D ('heads'), 6-D ('party'), 15-D ('in a way'), 12-D & 16-D ('pointer(s)'), 28-D ('tops'),
32-D ('prone'), 43-D ('hitch'), 47-D ('keys'), 57-D ('opening'), 81-D ('letters'), 106-D ('bit'),
115-D ('revealing'), 119-D ('straight')
References
- Wikipedia: English plurals: irregular, 'defective', etc.
- Wikipedia: Crossword: types of clues: consistency; non-dictionary words;
themes; indirect clues; cryptics; double-clue lists - The Unspoken Language of Crosswords
solvers must develop strong intuitions about what entries are possible
and how they can be clued; Atl; 8/6/2023 - Life is a lot like a crossword puzzle 7/25/2021
- The Anatomy of an Error as a Puzzler DB; 7/4/2021
- What Climbing and Crosswords Have in Common getting a 'toehold'; Outside; 1/27/2021
- Our Favorite Crossword Clues of 2020 NYkr; 12/24/2020
- What to Do When the Crossword Grid Has Stumped You Reveal 1 letter; DB; 10/19/2020
- Using Sounds as Puzzle Clues Can Make a Crossword More Fun DB; 10/12/2020
- Breaking Down How Broken Up Clues Work on the Crossword Grid "With..." clues; DB; 10/5/2020
- Why Crossword Puzzle Clues and Answers Have to Agree With Each Other DB; 9/28/2020
- How This Common Crossword Puzzle Trap Could Easily Trip You Up same length answers; DB; 7/13/2020
- How the Daily Beast's Crossword Constructor Thinks About Question Marks in Clues
spoiler / wordplay warnings? judgment call, based on factors like how tricky the wordplay is and how difficult that
particular puzzle is supposed to be; 7/9/2020 - Putting Clever Cluing to the Test? PN; 6/6/2019
- Crossword Haikus as cryptic clues; 5/8/2019
- Our Favorite New Yorker Crossword Clues of 2018 NYr; 12/24/2018
- The Crossword From Hell puzzle; PN; 9/21/2017
- Clue discussion between Will Shortz and his assistant, Joel Fagliano:
part 1 NYT; 12/6/2015; part 2 NYT; 12/7/2015 - 101 Words That are Both Plural and Singular 4/4/2014
- Modern Crossword Humor memorable clever, humorous, upbeat and
lively clues and answers from Times puzzles of the past few years; 8/16/2012 - Exploring the history and rules of crossword puzzles 11/2/2010
- Become a Crossword Super Solver by Will Johnston
Rules for clues; Varieties of clues; [.pdf; p4]; 1/19/2010 - NYT: Clueless Editors do make errors;
Constructors sometimes break 'the rules'; NYT; 8/19/2001 - 48 Hardest Clues 12/26/1987
- BarelyBad: Relationships between clue and answer:
Equivalence; Commonality; Set membership;
Fill in the blank (FITB); Analogy - Clever Clue of the Month
- CrosswordTracker.com: puzzle tips
- Saturday Stumper Solving Hints Newsday; What Makes the Stumpers Tough? [.pdf]
- HSW 6: Carefully Consider Clues with Question Marks (?) (and other punctuation)
- HSW 8: Keep in Mind Multiple Meanings of Words
- about.com: 3. Clues Obey Rules; 6. Constructors Love Confusion; 7. Wordplay is Wonderful!
- Word Buff: 2. Become Familiar with Cluing Conventions
- Anatomy of a Crossword Clue: Abbrev.; Partials; Capitalization; Agreement; Wordplay
- 14 Tricky Crossword Puzzle Clues That'll Leave You Stumped
- Wonder 1. Use Grammatical Indicators; 2. Break Down the Clue's Structure