Across
A clue whose answer reads horizontally from left to right in the crossword grid. In reversal clues, across entries use indicators like 'back' or 'returned'.
Reference
Cryptic Crossword Glossary
A comprehensive guide to the terminology used in cryptic crosswords. Whether you are a beginner learning the basics or an experienced solver looking up a specific term, this glossary covers the language you will encounter in Minute Cryptic clues and beyond.
A
Anagram
A clue type where the letters of the fodder are rearranged to form the answer. Always accompanied by an anagram indicator.
'Wild cat' — the indicator 'wild' signals rearranging the letters of 'cat' to form ACT.
Anagram guide →Anagram Indicator
A word or phrase in the clue that signals the fodder should be rearranged. Common examples: mixed, broken, confused, scrambled, wild, dancing.
See full indicator list →Answer
The solution to a cryptic clue. The answer must satisfy both the definition and the wordplay simultaneously.
B
Beheadment
A type of deletion where the first letter of a word is removed to produce the answer. Indicated by words like 'headless', 'topless', or 'losing head'.
Deletion guide →C
Charade
A clue type where the answer is built by joining shorter pieces — abbreviations, words, or fragments — in sequence.
'S + HARP' gives SHARP, where S = south and HARP is clued directly.
Charade guide →Checking Letter
A letter in the grid that is shared between an across and a down answer. Checking letters help confirm answers and narrow possibilities.
Clue
The complete text provided by the setter. In cryptic crosswords, each clue contains a straight definition and a wordplay component.
Compiler
Another term for the setter or constructor — the person who creates the crossword puzzle and writes the clues.
Container
A clue type where one set of letters is placed inside another to form the answer. Indicated by words like 'around', 'holding', 'embracing', or 'within'.
Container guide →Crosser
A word in the grid that intersects with the target entry. Solved crossers provide checking letters that constrain the answer.
Cryptic Definition
A clue that is entirely a playful or misleading definition of the answer, with no separate wordplay. Often ends with a question mark.
Cryptic definition guide →Curtailment
A type of deletion where the last letter of a word is removed. Indicated by words like 'endless', 'tailless', 'curtailed', or 'unfinished'.
Deletion guide →D
Definition
The part of a cryptic clue that provides a straight synonym or description of the answer. Usually found at the very beginning or very end of the clue.
Deletion
A clue type where one or more letters are removed from a word to produce the answer. Subtypes include beheadment, curtailment, and internal deletion.
Deletion guide →Double Definition
A clue containing two separate definitions that both point to the same answer. Typically short, with no wordplay indicators.
'Fine penalty' — both 'fine' and 'penalty' can define the answer FINE.
Double definition guide →Down
A clue whose answer reads vertically from top to bottom in the grid. In reversal clues, down entries use indicators like 'up' or 'rising'.
E
Enumeration
The number(s) in parentheses at the end of a clue showing the answer's letter count. For example, (5) means a five-letter word; (3,4) means a three-letter word followed by a four-letter word.
F
Fodder
The raw material in a clue that the solver manipulates (anagrams, reverses, hides within, etc.) to produce the answer or part of the answer.
G
Grid
The pattern of white and black squares that forms the crossword. Grids are typically symmetric and determine which letters are checked.
H
Homophone
A clue type where a word that sounds like the answer is used. The indicator signals pronunciation: 'heard', 'sounds like', 'say', 'aloud'.
'Flower heard in spring' — 'flour' sounds like 'flower'.
Homophone guide →I
Indicator
A word or phrase in the clue that signals which type of wordplay operation to apply. Each clue type has its own characteristic set of indicators.
Interlocking
The pattern of overlapping across and down answers in the grid. Well-interlocked grids have more checking letters, making them easier to solve.
L
Letters Latent
A special puzzle variation where one letter is dropped from every answer before entry into the grid. The dropped letters often spell a theme word.
Light
A sequence of white squares in the grid that holds one answer. The term is borrowed from traditional crossword parlance.
Linked Clue
Two or more clues that share a common answer or must be solved together. Usually indicated by 'see X across' or similar references.
M
Misprint
A puzzle variation where one letter in each clue (or answer) is intentionally wrong. Correcting all misprints reveals a hidden message.
N
Nina
A hidden message spelled out by letters in specific grid positions (e.g., the perimeter, a diagonal, or highlighted cells). Named after the artist Al Hirschfeld, who hid his daughter's name in drawings.
P
Pangram
A crossword where every letter of the alphabet appears at least once in the completed grid.
R
Reversal
A clue type where the answer is a word or phrase spelled backwards. Indicated by words like 'back', 'returned', 'reversed', 'up' (in down clues).
Reversal guide →Reversal Indicator
A word that signals the fodder should be read backwards. Across indicators include 'back' and 'returned'; down indicators include 'up' and 'rising'.
See full indicator list →S
Setter
The person who creates a cryptic crossword. Also called compiler, constructor, or cruciverbalist. Some setters use pseudonyms.
Spoonerism
A wordplay device where initial sounds of two words are swapped. Named after Rev. W. A. Spooner. For example, 'crushing blow' becomes 'blushing crow'.
Substring
A sequence of letters taken from within a longer word. Used in hidden word clues and some deletion clues.
Surface Reading
The ordinary, non-cryptic meaning of the clue when read as a normal sentence. Good setters craft clues with a misleading but grammatically plausible surface reading.
U
Unch
Short for 'unchecked letter' — a letter in the grid that belongs to only one answer (across or down) and is not confirmed by a crossing entry.
W
Wordplay
The non-definition part of a cryptic clue. It provides an alternative route to the answer through letter manipulation (anagram, reversal, container, etc.).