# Explain a cryptic crossword clue **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [June 18, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568 "2021-06-18T19:45:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/61 "2021-06-30T17:34:12Z")
Oof. I would never have figured that out. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/62 "2021-06-30T21:30:46Z")
What’s the animal that comes to most people’s minds when you say desert? Camel. Arrived=Came Left=L. Arrived and left= Came L. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/63 "2021-06-30T21:55:16Z")
“fluid” indicates there may be an anagram involved - words that indicate a change often imply an anagram. And WATE is an anagram of “A WET” ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2021, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/64 "2021-07-01T03:30:41Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Is “wate” a common cryptic crossword word? Am I supposed to know “wate”? I don’t think anybody has explicitly said this yet, so: “wate” is not meant to be a word. It is just a rearrangement of the letters “a wet” that form the first part of the answer, and adding "r’ completes it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2021, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/65 "2021-07-01T10:17:04Z")
I’ve also seen ‘plastic’ (something that can be molded or reshaped) and ‘bananas’ (something crazy and mixed-up) used to indicate that some sequence of letters hae to be anagrammed. In a well-written clue, those meanings don’t necessarily jump out at you. A phrase like “plastic tray” of “ripe bananas” has an ordinary meaning, too. Cryptics do take practice. I find that I can do a puzzle from my favorite constructors in about an hour. I think I’ve grown accustomed to their particular tricks and style. I’m running out of their puzzles, though, so I’ve been trying some others and it’s almost like starting over. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/66 "2021-07-01T13:27:29Z")
I regularly do The New York Times crossword puzzle (except for Saturdays) and have recently started to do the ones in The Washington Post. But that doesn’t take long so I’m thinking of trying to do cryptic crosswords regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/67 "2021-07-01T15:43:38Z")
Games Magazine, The Wall Street Journal online, and Harper’s have good cryptics. The Harper’s puzzle is usually the most difficult, but very rewarding. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/68 "2021-07-01T23:22:03Z")
Got another one that I don’t understand, maybe someone can explain it: Clue: Himalayan creature less deadly when beheaded? (3-4) Answer: SHE-BEAR ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/69 "2021-07-01T23:36:53Z")
I haven’t got the whole thing but beheaded she-bear is ‘he-bear’. As the poem says “The female of the species, she’s more deadly than the male.” ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2021, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/70 "2021-07-01T23:47:59Z")
Ah, thanks, I think that’s getting close. I had never heard that poem before, which put me at a disadvantage. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/71 "2021-07-02T00:46:10Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Games Magazine, The Wall Street Journal online, and Harper’s have good cryptics. The Harper’s puzzle is usually the most difficult, but very rewarding. Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon are my favorite cryptic constructors. I was first exposed to cryptics in Games Magazine when I was young, but couldn’t make heads or tails out of them. About twenty years ago I discovered the cryptics in _The Atlantic_ and finally made some progress, and those were by Cox and Rathvon. These days, the WSJ carries their puzzles once a month. Several months ago I went to a showing of _The Last of Sheila_, a very puzzling movie. As I was leaving, I heard someone say that that’s the movie he puts on when he’s constructing a puzzle. I should have asked if he’s a professional or if I might have seen one of his puzzles somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/72 "2021-07-02T01:41:05Z")
I also like the puzzles by Cox & Rathvon. I wish I could find more by them. I’ve got a book of puzzles from The Nation by Frank Lewis. Those are not bad, but he’s got some strange quirks. For example, a clue will span several entries. For example: 24 Across and 27 Down: The way one might casually ride to put someone under, perhaps associated with a tale or two! (10) Answer: CANTERBURY, but split so CANTER is 24 Across and BURY is 27 Down. He’s also much wordier than other constructors, as here. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/73 "2021-07-02T02:15:24Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I also like the puzzles by Cox & Rathvon. I wish I could find more by them. [https://chall.us/hex/hex\_all\_wsj.html](https://chall.us/hex/hex_all_wsj.html) [http://chall.us/hex/hex\_puzzles.html](http://chall.us/hex/hex_puzzles.html) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/74 "2021-07-02T06:55:07Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Clue: Himalayan creature less deadly when beheaded? (3-4) > Answer: SHE-BEAR I don’t see what is particularly Himalayan about a bear, nor where the “she” comes from. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/75 "2021-07-02T08:19:47Z")
It’s the first verse of the [Kipling poem](https://www.bbc.co.uk/poetryseason/poems/the_female_of_the_species.shtml): When the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride, He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside. But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail. For the female of the species is more deadly than the male. As @DocCathode says, “beheaded” is crossword-ese for “take away the first letter” so turning a Himalayan she-bear into a he-bear makes it less deadly (according to Kipling. Use this advice at your own risk) . A good clue if you know the poem, an utter bastard if you don’t. If it were in a Kipling-themed puzzle, with clues referencing The Jungle Book, Man Who Would Be King etc. then it would I think be fairer in that either you’d know early on if you were comfortable with the theme, or you’d be primed to a bit of Googling (never be ashamed to Google for extra knowledge). ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/76 "2021-07-02T09:00:38Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > It’s the first verse of the [Kipling poem](https://www.bbc.co.uk/poetryseason/poems/the_female_of_the_species.shtml): Ah, I’m not familiar with the poem (though I am familiar with the saying that comes from it). > [@Stanislaus](#): > > As @DocCathode says, “beheaded” is crossword-ese for “take away the first letter” so turning a Himalayan she-bear into a he-bear makes it less deadly Sure, that bit is clear enough once you have the “She Bear” bit and is a common enough cryptic direction to give. > [@Stanislaus](#): > > A good clue if you know the poem, an utter bastard if you don’t. Without any other guidance I think that clue is a _little_ inelegant but as you say, a lot depends on the general tone and theme (if any) of the whole puzzle. If the rest of the clues use fairly straightforward references with a cryptic twist then it wouldn’t be too fair to drop that one in without a little more guidance. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/77 "2021-07-02T09:37:10Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > A good clue if you know the poem, an utter bastard if you don’t. If it were in a Kipling-themed puzzle, Q: Do you like Kipling? A: I don’t know, I’ve never Kipled. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/78 "2021-07-02T10:05:20Z")
I read the whole poem and of course it’s not just an observation on nature, it’s an argument against women voting on the grounds that a) they don’t understand abstract concepts like Justice and b) their proper role is to have children and support men. Kipling’s gonna kiple, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/79 "2021-07-02T12:04:54Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I’ve got a book of puzzles from The Nation by Frank Lewis. Those are not bad, but he’s got some strange quirks. For example, a clue will span several entries. For example: It’s not terribly uncommon in American-style puzzles to have one answer across multiple spaces. It’s usually clued as “41 across: With 17 down, flamboyant singer” and “17 down: See 41 across”, or the like. Or a puzzle might have four or five very long answers, spanning almost the full width of the puzzle, that all together make a saying or quip: Those will be clued as “Saying about \_\_\_\_\_: Part 1”, and “Part 2 of saying”, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568/80 "2023-12-20T05:50:57Z")
There isn’t one single thread for cryptic crosswords, but this is close. It appears that my favorite crossword constructors, Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, have retired. Their final puzzle was this week. (Their puzzles ran for years in _The Atlantic_, and more recently in _The Wall Street Journal_. Many were online, although not all, and not all in one place. Until now. While writing this post I found [https://coxrathvon.com/](https://coxrathvon.com/), which seems to have all their Atlantic and WSJ puzzles going back to 1977.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-a-cryptic-crossword-clue/944568.md?page=5)