Cryptic crosswords are like a kid’s view of kissing – they’re absolutely disgusting, till you get into them, and then you find you can think of nothing else.

Welcome back! In our first installment, you solved your first cryptic clue; this time, you’ll solve your first mini puzzle! First, let’s jump back in to how cryptic clues work. Wordplay and Definitions Every cryptic clue is composed of two parts: the wordplay and the definition. The definition i…

CharadesOur next type of clue is the charade, one of the most common varieties inCryptic World. Like in a game of charades, each word or phrase in the cluerepresents another little piece of the answer, presumably in a misleading way,and you stitch them together to get

Double DefinitionsAs we’ve discussed, every cryptic clue has two halves: a “straight” definitionand a piece of wordplay. But one type of cryptic clue, the double definition,doesn’t exactly have any wordplay: it just has two different straightdefinitions, one after the other. “How is that even…

Your First Mixed Cryptic: Anagrams, Charades and Double Definitions Well, isn’t this exciting: it’s time for your first mixed cryptic, featuring the three types of clue we’ve learned so far: anagrams, charades and double definitions. Here’s reminder of some of the tricks you can use to distinguis…

Reversals Today’s cryptic clue type is the reversal: the wordplay in the clue reveals the requisite letters, and then you turn them backwards to get the answer. Unlike with anagrams, where the “fodder” has to be given explicitly in the text of the clue itself, for reversals the fodder is

Homophones Today’s cryptic clue type is the homophone, where the wordplay involves words that sound the same but mean different things. Let’s have a look.... 🧩Fastener’s levy announced (5) In this clue, “announced” is the indicator for a homophone, and you’re looking for a word that means “fast…

ContainersToday’s cryptic clue type is the container, where the wordplay involves puttingsome extra letters (a word, an initial, an abbreviation) inside another word.Try this: 🧩Mammals that fly around hot tubs (5)In this clue, a word for “mammals thatfly” is wrapped around a single letter repr…

Mixed Cryptic: Reversals, Homophones and Containers Time for another mixed cryptic, featuring our three most recent clue-types: Here’s reminder of some of the tricks you can use to distinguish these different cluetypes, though (of course) it might not be simple to tell in practice.... * Reversa…

Browser Sevens are mini cryptic crosswords with seven clues each, coming out every two weeks. If you’re new to cryptics, read our intro sequence to learn how to solve these delightful, devilish puzzles. Visit the Browser Crossword page for samples of our full weekly cryptic. Browser Sevens #1 (Aug…