Each of these posts are intended to provide simple explanations / introduction to cryptic crosswords. Each post would have A – an answer to a general question on cryptics, B – an explanation of a clue type and C – A Sample clue.

A – How are Cryptic Crosswords useful for kids?

The following are some reasons why kids should be introduced to cryptic crosswords :

• It builds vocabulary. Every time you solve a crossword, you will learn at least one or two new words for sure.
• It promotes thinking “out of the box” – you have to think differently to crack some answers – for eg, in a cryptic clue, a flower could mean a river! Why? Because it “flows”. When kids learn such different interpretations of familiar terms, they almost always want to learn more.
• It trains the whole brain – Cryptic crosswords require using both sides of the brain unlike other brain games that could be oriented towards developing either the left or the right side.
• It builds general knowledge. Very often names of countries, capitals, birds, rivers etc appear in crosswords. Many references require knowledge of trivia and this is certainly a fun way to learn trivia which they may otherwise consider boring.
• It can be addictive – in a good way. Kids hooked to crosswords are less likely to be spending loads of time on addictive video games since they would not find them as mentally challenging.
• Solving cryptic clues releases “feel good” hormones like endorphins which generally improve self-esteem.

B Cryptic technique – Reversals

“Reversals” are another very commonly used technique in cryptic clues. In such clues, you would need to literally reverse “some” or even all the letters for the answer. For E.g., if the clue has “BATS”, the answer would have “STAB”. (Darn! like a 60s tamil movie, I just spent a minute explaining the “title” connection)

These are commonly used along with other techniques. The letters to be reversed (or fodder) could be spelt out in plain sight or clued using a synonym. How would you know what you are looking for?

1. Once again look for the  “definition” – which would be at one end of the clue – either the beginning or the end. The answer has to be a synonym of the “definition”
2. Look for the Enumeration in brackets – This tells you the number of letters in the answer.
3. Look for a reversal indicator. This is a word that literally means “reversing”.  These commonly include words like “return”, “come back”, “sent back” etc. Since crossword grids have both Across and Down clues, the reversal indicators used for these could be different. So, you could have clues that instruct the solver to “return” in an Across clue, while the solver could be told to “Put up” in a Down clue. Some times, setters use terms like “Going West” or “Going North” to indicate directions.  Here is a comprehensive list of Reversal Indicators.

C Examples of Reversal clues

• Prima donna, eager, looks back (4) (Anon, THC)
  • When you see the words “looks back”, you now know that there must be some reversal involved.
  • The position of the indicator after “eager”, tells you that the term that needs to be reversed is either “eager” or a synonym.
  • The Enum of 4, tells you that you are looking for a 4 letter answer. It also tells you that it cannot be the letters of “eager” which is 5 letters long. It should be a four letter word that is a synonym of “eager” that needs to be reversed.
  • Synonyms for eager could be – enthusiastic, keen, fervent, intent, earnest, wholehearted, zealous, impatient, avid, ardent, diligent, longing, yearning, anxious, wishing, greedy, thirsty, hungry etc.
  • From the above, if we eliminate the ones that are not 4 letters in length, we are left with- KEEN and AVID
  • If we reverse each of those, only one leads to a synonym for “Prima Donna”
  • By now you should be able to see that the correct answer is “DIVA”.
  • Often, crosswords will have variations by mixing reversals with other clue types or using them for only part of the clue.

Can you solve these?

Congrats to Jawahar Surti, Raju Umamaheshwar and Ranjani Srikanth. You got all the answers right in our previous set of questions. Also, well done Srikanta Murthy. You missed out on 5. Pagers but got the rest correct.

Now that you have learnt the ABCs of Reversal clues – see if you can solve these.
1. Popular actor returned animals (4) (Incognito)
2. Rest behind wheels (2,2) (Buzzer)
3. Following agreement, I’m reversing position (3-2) (Everyman)
4. Catch partner? Coming-up right away (6) (Guardian, Quiptic)

Leave your responses in the comments section below. The names of those who get it right will be in our next post.

If you have a question on cryptic crosswords that you would like me answer, do let me know in the comments. You can Subscribe to the blog if you liked this post and don’t want to miss the series.