What are clues in crossword?

Clue: A crossword clue is a hint that the solver must decipher to find the answer that is then entered into the puzzle grid. Clues are not necessarily dictionary definitions; they can involve puns, anagrams and other types of wordplay.

How do you work out crossword clues?

What are types of crossword clue?

What are crosswords without clues called?

Fill-Ins, also known as Fill-It-Ins or Word Fill-Ins, are a variation of the common crossword puzzle in which words, rather than clues, are given, and the solver must work out where to place them. Fill-Ins are common in puzzle magazines along with word searches, cryptograms, and other logic puzzles.

What are quick clues in crossword?

So, that's what a quick clue is. A definition or description of the answer in a pretty straightforward manner. There is nothing more to a quick clue.

A Beginner’s Guide to Cryptic Crosswords (Anagram clues)

What is the most used word in crossword puzzles?

“ERA” is the most common word in crossword puzzles, as well as “ARE,” “AREA,” and “ORE,” according to Gaffney.

What do the numbers mean in crossword hints?

Cryptic clues are followed by a number or numbers in parentheses indicating the length of the answer: (5) means it's a five-letter word, while (2,3,4) indicates a three-word phrase like “in the know.”

What does it mean when a crossword clue has say?

Comma say is the constructor's way of telling the solver that the clue is just one example or possible meaning of the entry.

What are cryptic clues and quick clues in crossword?

Quick crosswords and Cryptic crosswords are the two most common types. You don't need any special knowledge or skills to attempt a quick crossword. The answer to each clue is another word or phrase that means the same as the clue. You do need special knowledge to attempt a cryptic crossword.

What are the white squares in a crossword called?

As most of you would know, the series of white squares in the crossword grid, into which answers are entered, are called "lights".

What is the most famous crossword puzzle?

The Times Crossword is the world's most famous crossword. This is a compilation of The Times Crossword Books 1 & 4, the crosswords having been compiled by Mike Laws, the former editor of The Times Crossword.

Is there a strategy to crossword puzzles?

Tackle the easiest clues first.

Scan through the clues, and knock out all the easiest ones. Not only will this give your gameplay some structure, but also it'll give you an ego boost! Typically, fill-in-the-blank clues are the easiest.

How do you get good at crossword puzzles?

Do Puzzles Every Day. The only way to improve at crosswords is to do lots of them, and the best way to do that is to work them into your daily routine. For me, that means tackling a few puzzles from an ancient book of 365 Will Shortz crosswords before bed every night.

Can crossword puzzles have two word answers?

However, many times the blank space can be filled in with two or more words. In easier crosswords, multiple words will be indicated with (2 words) or (2 wds.), but more often than not it will be up to the solver to determine how many words fill in the space. Another hint sometimes used in clues is (hyphenated).

How do you know what to answer for a crossword puzzle?

Scan through the clues list and look for the three, four or five letter answers and see if you can solve them easily. It can also be helpful to try and remember some of the words that you come across at this length, they do tend to be used over and over again in crosswords.

What does a clue in brackets mean in a crossword?

Short exclamations are sometimes clued by a phrase in square brackets, e.g., "[It's cold!]" = BRR. When the answer can only be substituted for the clue when preceding a specific other word, this other word is indicated in parentheses.

What do question marks in crossword clues mean?

Question Mark Clues

Clues that end in question marks indicate a play on words in the clue or answer.

Why are some crossword clues in all caps?

Capitalization. The standard convention for newspaper crosswords is to start each crossword clue with a capital letter. Constructors sometimes use this in a devious way to 'disguise' a true capitalization.

What does an asterisk mean in front of a crossword clue?

The asterisks at the start of the theme clues aren't there to mark the theme clues—they stand in for the letters Star. 22a. [*Z, for one], CABLE CHANNEL. Starz. 38a.

What does a dash mean in a crossword clue?

You've probably noticed that some of the clues are nothing but dashes, and the entries for those clues are not numbered. Those are not production errors. The dashes represent the end of the entry after we've added the SUN back to the entry on the other side of it. Let's take a look at 20A.

How many clues are in the largest crossword puzzle?

Holding The Guinness World Records record for its size, this crossword hangs on a full 7' by 7' of wall space and has 28,000 clues for over 91,000 squares.