Judiciousness and fairness in the use of words that are arguably extraneous to a clue is a worthy topic for creators and solvers.  From my point of view, some latitude must be granted to designers when it comes to the standards for connectors.

Many cryptic clues contain words that, if you want to be technical, don’t need to be there and often serve mostly to confuse.  Yet, without really injuring the sense of the clue, many of these words lend a flow — a rhythm — to the clue, making it more palatable and easier to read.  I think we can all agree that tossing in superfluous words that have no other reason for being there other than to confuse is not a preferable, or fair, approach to drafting clues.  On the other hand, while creators strive to be reasonably fair — and the best extremely fair — some leeway, some flexibility, for the sake of readability of clues, should be tolerated.  “Padding” is a pejorative term sometimes used to describe extraneous words that unfairly confuse a clue.

Keep in mind, several types of clues, for instance, double definition, normally do not contain linking words.

Here are some linking words that convention suggests may immediately precede the definition/answer of a clue — these linking words, therefore, follow the wordplay:

is, for, giving, yielding, becoming, leads to, lead to, offering, to get, getting, becomes, being, was, produces, makes, delivers, constitutes, creates, is considered, seems like

And, some linking words that follow the definition/answer (thereby preceding the wordplay):

derived from, from, is, given by, can be, derived from, could be, might have been, is considered, might be, comes from

In many cryptics, “of,” “at,”  “with” and “on” are also used as connectors.  “A,” “an” and “the” work in some situations too.

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings.  Hence, the homophone portion of a clue generally defines a word that sounds like the answer (or part of the answer) we are seeking.  Some common homophones:  blue; blew, can’t; cant, no; know, break; brake, desert; dessert.

There are usually three, and sometimes four, parts of a homophone clue.  These parts are put together, ideally, in a somewhat grammatically-correct way, to make up the clue.

1.  The definition of the answer.

2.  The definition of the word that sounds like the answer.

3.  The indicator.  In a homophone, the indicator word or words relate to the concept of “sound(s) (like).”  Words like, “I’ve heard that,” “noise,” “audible,” or “hearsay.”  We’ll provide a few more below.

4.  Linking words — throwaway words to connect the definition to the indicator and fodder.

How do We Detect a Homophone Clue?

The most obvious sign that you are dealing with a homophone clue is the indicator.  Again, these indicators, without exception, related to “sound.”  A few more:  “reportedly,” “it is said that,” even “on the radio,” “in a speech,” or “we discussed.”

When you see a word that you believe is an indicator for a homophone, the next task is to identify which word in the clue is the “sounds like” word, and which is the definition.  Convention generally requires that the “sounds like” word must be adjacent to the indicator.  Though, there may be some linking words in between.  And, depending on the construction of the clue, the indicator may, by necessity, next to the definition word.  For example:

Some say a person had a victory. (3)

The answer is “won.”  The indicator is “some say.”  “(A) person” defines the word (“one”) that sound like the answer.  “(H)ad a victory” is the definition.

According to hearsay, massage is a requirement (4)

The answer is “need.”  “According to hearsay” is the indicator.  “Massage” is the definition of the homophone, “knead.”  “Requirement” is the definition.

Watch for homophone clues that use words that don’t sound exactly like the answer.  For example:

Pumped oneself up sounding a bit like rust. (6)

The answer is “crowed.”  “Pumped oneself up” is the definition.  “Sounding a bit like” suggests that the homophone is close, but not exact.”  “Rust” is the definition of “corrode.”  (Due to the ambiguous placement of the indicator here, arguably, the answer here could be “corrode.”  In this case, after you figure out the two words involved, the only way to know which is the correct answer is to consult the number of letters in parentheses.)

Here are a few more homophone indicators:  in conversation, overhead, to the listener, spoken, say, said, according to reports, vocal, dictated, by the sound of it, recital, pronounced, by one’s mouth, whined, they say.

Anagrams are probably the most basic cryptic clues — often the simplest to recognize — and easiest to solve.

There are usually three, and sometimes four, parts of an anagram clue.  These parts are put together, ideally, in a somewhat grammatically-correct way, to make up the clue.

1.  The definition

2.  An indicator — word or words that tell you to scramble letters on either side of the indicator (I’ve seen this component referred to as an “anagrind” — anagram indicator)

3.  The words or letters you must scramble — sometimes referred to as “fodder.”

4.  Linking words — throwaway words to connect the definition to the indicator and fodder.

The first indication that you are looking at an anagram clue is clumsy construction.  While creative use of anagram indicators, and occasionally extreme luck finding fodder that makes some sense, alleviate some of this problem for the creator, there is usually no hiding the funny-looking words used as fodder.

What does an anagram indicator look like?

Look for words that signal that you should scramble something, or that something is out of order, or simply “not right.”  A few examples of common anagram indicators:  mixed, disrupted, in error, convert, terrible, rebuilt, hidden, in chaos or chaotic, spinning, strange, weird, modified, adjust, revolutionary, improper, inappropriate, stupid, silly.  The list can go on for pages.

Note that different tenses and forms of these indicators can used to suit the syntax of the phrase or sentence of the clue.  Many of the indicators can be easily changed from verb to adjective to adverb and, in some cases, to nouns, comparatives and superlatives as well.  An indicator that appears to be a noun can even be made into a plural.  For example:  disruptive, converting, terribly, rebuilding, spun, strangely, modification, adjusting, revolutionaries, inappropriately, silliest.

Cryptic convention dictates that the words/letters  to be scrambled — the fodder — must appear in the clue immediately before or after the indicator, and no extraneous words or letters can be included in the fodder.

Here are some simple examples of anagram clues:

Goat dressed in a robe (4)

Here the answer is “toga.”  “Goat” is the fodder.  “Dressed in” is the indicator.  “A robe” is the definition.

For longer answers, the puzzle designer often looks for multiple words to use as fodder.

Last chance toss at seed rep (9)

Here the answer is “desperate.”  “Last chance” is the definition.  “Toss” is the indicator.  “At seed rep” the fodder.”

Concentrate to redesign catalogue (9)

Here the answer is “coagulate.”  “Concentrate” is the definition.  “Redesign” is the indicator.  “Catalogue” is the fodder.

In future posts, we will discuss some examples of clues that use anagrams in combination with other indicators.

Let’s start with a non-exhaustive list of the most common types of cryptic crossword clues (these titles are pretty much agreed upon by most creators and often used in abbreviated form in the “Answers” in the back of a book or the following issue of the periodical).  Keep in mind that, from time to time, you may come across a clue that does not fit neatly into any of the categories listed here.

Anagrams (anag.)

Acrostics (acros.)

Charades (char.)

Containers (con.)

Cryptic Definitions (cryp.)

Deletions (del.)

Double Definitions (d.d.)

Hidden Words (hid.)

Homophones (hom.)

Letter Exchange (exch.)

Letter Sequences (l.seq.)

Letter Shifting (l.shft.)

Reversals (rev.)

Substitutions (sub.)

Puns (pun)

And Literal (&lit.)