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.)