Small bunches of letters, and may do this with ingenious, though literal, In describing a charade or container, a clue may refer to single letters or 'Keen - railway cars in reverse (5).' Here's another: 'Strike friend's back (keen) is the word 'trams' (railway cars) backward. Upside-down, in the case of a Down answer) makes another word or words. The additional hint may tell you that the solution when seen backward (or

Yielding the clue 'Bovine has eaten everything green (6).' A container for you CALLOW (inexperienced, green) has 'all' inside 'cow,' Other, the clue may say that one part 'contains,' 'holds,' 'grips,' or even If the answer breaks into convenient parts not side by side but one within the In remote Chinese dynasty (7).' Here is another charade: 'A combo on leave (7).' 'far' (remote) and 'Ming' (Chinese dynasty), and could be clued as 'Agriculture Sequentially, as in the game of charades. Naked, we hear (4).' See if you can solve this one: 'Vocal gossip for a lodger (6).'Ī clue may break the answer into two or more convenient parts and define them Word or words, giving a signal such as 'we hear,' 'so it's said,' or 'orally.'Ī homophone clue for BEAR (which sounds like 'bare') could be: 'Animal is The additional hint may tell you that the answer has the same sound as another In a clue, ? and ! are traditionally reserved for signaling puns

In,' 'part of,' and 'housed by.' For example, CAT could be clued as: 'Lover ofīirds imprisoned in Alcatraz (3).' Here's another example: 'Karen always displays an engagement ring? (5)' (Though punctuation is usually mere dressing Look for signals such as 'caught in,' 'buried

Sometimes the answer will be hidden inside a longer word or phrase (as PLEAD is 'fractured.' An anagram clue for STEW could be 'Wild West food (4).' Here isĪnother clue of this type: 'Noises in restless slumber (7).' Scrambled, also giving a signal word such as 'mixed,' 'aimless,' or Type for you to solve: 'Trim a tree (6).'Ī clue may show you what the letters of the answer would look like when Indicates how many letters are in the answer.) Here is another clue of this Might read: 'Cover for the head gangster (4).' (The number in parentheses ForĮxample, HOOD can mean 'gangster' or 'a cover for the head.' So a clue for HOOD The simplest kind of additional hint in a clue is a second definition. The game may be bewilderingĪt first, but determined solvers will quickly learn to recognize in each clue The following paragraphs will explain every basic type of device solvers canĮxpect to encounter in an Atlantic Puzzler. All appearances in a clue should be suspect but remember that everyĬlue has to yield a fair interpretation that directs you to the answer. Tease out the definition by rethinking - and often repunctuating - the clue's The challengeĪnd fun of a cryptic puzzle is to see through the clue-maker's deceptions, to The definition may appear before or after the additional hint,įrequently without any punctuation to mark the point of division. The hitch is that the clue's message is couched in a References to its answer may seem a great advantage to the solver - and in theĮnd this is true, since the definition and the additional hint, when grasped, One part is a normal definition of the answer, and the other isĪn additional hint about the answer's literal makeup. 'British-style,' crosswords is that the clues in the latter have twoĭistinct parts. The important difference between standard American crosswords and 'cryptic,' or

These instructions should provide a clear introduction to this challenging world. Although differently shaped diagrams and other devices may appear from month to month, the underlying method of clue-making will always be cryptic. Every Atlantic Puzzler has its own theme, accompanied by special instructions. The Atlantic Monthly has offered the Atlantic Puzzler since 1977.

Atlantic cryptic crosswords