It’s the start of the week and to get you into the puzzle-solving spirit, today’s Crossword is a fun, light exercise in wordplay.
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Each answer in the crossword is a word that starts and ends with the same letter. For instance, what would you call the Thames or Nile (3-Down)? Or fortune-telling cards (23-Across)? Seems easy enough, right?
Crossword creators have used such creative clues since the beginning of puzzle making. Part of the joy of solving crosswords is the range of clues that you have to deal with. Here are some of the common clue types you may come across in Gulf News’ crosswords:
- Anagrams – Here, you will have to rearrange the letters in the clue to give the answer. Sometimes the direct hint ‘(Anag.)’ is used to show you it’s an anagram. For example, “Grin at bizarre cheese topping (6)” would have the answer “gratin” (rearrange the words ‘grin at’).
- Sound clues – Look for words ‘sounds like’ or ‘we hear’ within the clues, because the answer is in how the clue’s words sound. For instance, the answer to “The king has no heir, we hear (4)”, is “bald” (‘no heir’ sounds like ‘no hair’).
- Homographs or double definition clues – The clue will include two definitions: one is a description of the answer, and the other refers to something completely different but will have the same spelling as the answer.
- Homophones – This is a word that is pronounced the same as another but is spelled differently; For example, ‘flew’ and ‘flu’ or ‘right’ and ‘rite’. The clue will involve one word while you will have to supply the other.
- Holoalphabetic puzzle – This simply means the crossword will be a grid in which all of the letters of the alphabet appear.
- Hidden clues – The answer is found within the clue itself and you will have to look for the pointer that indicates the hidden word, such as: in, some, within, holds. For instance, the answer to “Confront them in the tobacco store (6)” is “accost”. The first part of the clue is the definition of the answer, and the last part of the clue holds the answer itself.
- Same word, different adverb – When given a different adverb, some words take on a totally new meaning. For instance, the answer to “It’s in to interrupt and it’s out to omit (3)” is “cut”.
- Puns – A play on words. Look for exclamation marks or question marks as pointers to indicate a twist is included. For example, “An angry nation? (5,6)” is “cross country”.
Crosswords have a lot to offer, and these are just a few clue categories that will help you arrive at the answers! Are you ready to challenge yourself?
Play today’s puzzle and tell us if you enjoyed it at games@gulfnews.com.
