{"id":139735,"date":"2021-03-22T09:21:21","date_gmt":"2021-03-21T22:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/?p=139735"},"modified":"2021-03-23T09:32:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T22:32:52","slug":"learn-how-to-solve-cryptic-crosswords-with-denise-sutherland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2021\/03\/22\/learn-how-to-solve-cryptic-crosswords-with-denise-sutherland\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn how to solve cryptic crosswords with Denise Sutherland!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"For<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For 30 years For Dummies books have been transforming complex concepts into the easy-to-understand, and Booktopia is spending this month celebrating this amazing book series. Today, we have Denise Sutherland on the blog to share her top tips for cryptic crosswords, all taken from her book, Solving Cryptic Crosswords for Dummies<\/a><\/strong>. Read on!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Denise<\/a>

Denise Sutherland<\/p><\/div>\n

How to Solve a Cryptic Crossword<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Ah, cryptic crosswords. Is there a more perplexing puzzle in existence? Here are some insights on how they work, and how to make a start on one.<\/p>\n

Basically, each clue is a tiny puzzle, (almost) always consisting of a definition (like any regular crossword clue) and some wordplay. The definition and the wordplay should give the same answer. <\/p>\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crooked cr\u00eape dish cracks (9)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this clue, the wordplay section is at the start: Crooked cr\u00eape dish<\/em>. The definition is at the end: cracks<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter indicator (9) tells you that the answer is nine letters long. Notice that cr\u00eape dish<\/em> is also nine letters long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crooked <\/em>is a word that indicates this is an anagram (any word which gives a sense of something being upset, unusual, moving, jumbled or even drunk can be an anagram indicator).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what happens if you jumble up the letters of cr\u00eape dish<\/em>? You get DECIPHERS \u2014 which can be defined as cracks <\/em>(as in cracking a puzzle, which you just did!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, reading this clue as a set of instructions you get: A crooked <\/em>version of the letters of cr\u00eape dish<\/em> gives you a word that means cracks<\/em>. Both the wordplay and the definition lead to the word DECIPHERS. Ta dah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost all cryptic clues have a pattern of Wordplay + Definition = Answer<\/strong>, or Definition + Wordplay = Answer<\/strong>. The definition won\u2019t ever be sandwiched between different parts of the wordplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cryptic wordplay includes things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n