# I don't understand this crossword clue/answer! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044 "2004-11-10T17:48:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/41 "2004-11-15T18:45:02Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I don’t get the “calm fortitude” part. I don’t get the “help mixed up car company” part. In fact, I don’t get cryptics at all. Someone told me that you have to get into the mindset of them before they start to make sense. **twickster** , thanks for the link and the offer of email support. Much obliged. For **twickster** & **astorian** , can one make a living making crossword puzzles? I mean, damn, playing with words all day? That would be my dream… ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/42 "2004-11-15T19:01:35Z")
**Glee** - Postman’s sack = male bag? **Dante** - [spoiler] Help mixed up = p h l e car company = GM (General Motors) Add together to the final part of the clue (calm fortitude) = phle-gm Now do you get it? [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/43 "2004-11-15T19:23:45Z")
Thanks **Shibb0leth**. I have it now. Damn, them’s _are_ tricky! I can see where you need to be in the right mindset to do them. Maybe I’ll give them a try. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/44 "2004-11-15T19:27:53Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > I don’t get the “help mixed up car company” part. “Help mixed up” means the letters in the word “help” are mixed up – i.e., P H L E + GM for “car company.” Yeah, they’re their own universe – it takes a while to learn to solve them. > [@](#): > > **twickster** , thanks for the link and the offer of email support. Much obliged. No prob. > [@](#): > > For **twickster** & **astorian** , can one make a living making crossword puzzles? I mean, damn, playing with words all day? That would be my dream… No, not really. There are only a few people who actually make their living as constructors, mostly because, for freelancers, it’s a limited market that doesn’t pay that well. Actually, being in the biz fulltime doesn’t pay that well – but it is the coolest job in the universe, so that’s gotta count for something, right? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/45 "2004-11-15T19:37:37Z")
Damn, should have spoiler-boxed that answer – sorry. [Here](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812926218/qid=1100547697/sr=8-6/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i6_xgl14/104-2712224-6608751?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) is a really good intro to cryptics, if you’re interested – I’m a huge fan (and friend) of Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, who are the current superstars of American cryptics. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/46 "2004-11-15T22:58:44Z")
I can’t believe people complain about cryptic crosswords being confusing when they have to put up with stuff like NENE and ERN. By the way, stet doesn’t mean “copyedit”. Quite the reverse, in fact - it means “ignore this correction”. (From the Latin, meaning “let it stand”.) I write that several times a day at work! ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/47 "2004-11-16T02:01:43Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > There are only a few people who actually make their living as constructors, mostly because, for freelancers, it’s a limited market that doesn’t pay that well. Actually, being in the biz fulltime doesn’t pay that well – but it is the coolest job in the universe, so that’s gotta count for something, right? So for a freelancer, you would get paid per accepted puzzle, right? What’s the going rate for a puzzle? Is it ten thousand dollars? It’s ten thousand dollars, right? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/48 "2004-11-16T04:06:06Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > So for a freelancer, you would get paid per accepted puzzle, right? What’s the going rate for a puzzle? Is it ten thousand dollars? It’s ten thousand dollars, right? Somewhere, Will Shortz is chuckling evilly to himself… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/49 "2004-11-16T04:41:09Z")
Actually, Will pays a lot better than most magazine publishers – a few hundred for a Sunday paper, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/50 "2004-11-16T04:44:42Z")
Sorry – that should be “Sunday puzzle,” not “Sunday paper.” I believe you can easily get a paper at the usual rate. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/51 "2004-11-16T04:53:00Z")
I know that “Guido’s high note” is ELA. But I don’t know _why_. (Never see that one in the NYT puzzle anyway.) World’s easiest cryptic clue: Gertrude’s mug (5 letters) ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/52 "2004-11-16T10:00:44Z")
> [@Cicada2003](#): > > World’s easiest cryptic clue: Gertrude’s mug (5 letters) Stein ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/53 "2004-11-16T10:04:02Z")
I have an interesting selection of cryptics I’ve compiled somewhere if folks is interested 😃 ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/54 "2004-11-16T15:05:06Z")
> [@Cicada2003](#): > > I know that “Guido’s high note” is ELA. > > But I don’t know _why_. > > (Never see that one in the NYT puzzle anyway.) I should hope not. American cryptic clues are created by dividing the clue into two parts. One part is the synonym of the answer (like in a ‘straight’ crossword puzzle) the other part is a clue that is based on a play on words that sort of constructs the answer. The answer is always a real word. ELA is not a word. It’s just a jumble of letters. It’s created from the clue strictly as word play. A ‘high note’ can be an ‘A’. (As in the major scale C D E F G A B.) Usually ‘C’ is the typical ‘high note,’ but it can be an ear splitting ‘A’, too. ‘Guido’s’ is a clue that mean ‘in Spanish’ (it’s a Spanish name). ‘El’ is the definite article ‘the’ in Spanish. So, ‘Guido’s high note’ is El A, or ELA. Yeah, pretty bad clue. I would have gone for ‘ale’ backwards and did some clue about beer in a mirror. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/55 "2004-11-16T15:30:58Z")
Um, no, actually, **Moriah** , it’s not a cryptic clue at all – and the break is E LA, not EL A. Guido is Guido d’Arezzo, a medieval Italian composer who systematized the musical scale (do, re, mi…) “La,” or “e la” was his high note. [Here’s](http://www.stevenestrella.com/composers/index.html?composerfiles/guido1050.html) a link – sorry, I don’t have time to find a better one. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/56 "2004-11-16T15:36:12Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Damn, should have spoiler-boxed that answer – sorry. > > [Here](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812926218/qid=1100547697/sr=8-6/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i6_xgl14/104-2712224-6608751?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) is a really good intro to cryptics, if you’re interested – I’m a huge fan (and friend) of Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, who are the current superstars of American cryptics. IINM, they’re also the ones who put together the acrostic for the NYT, or at least they did this weekend. I only started doing the acrostic recently and I really like it. This weekend was the first one I finished without a cross-out (I use pen). My puzzles page looked real pretty on Sunday afternoon. Now that I’ve figured out the style, I’ve now finished like 3 straight acrostics although for the Halloween one, I sort of googled something to find the term “ignis fatuus” becuase I was feeling very very stumped. The thought of creating that acrostic frightens me. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/57 "2004-11-16T15:59:34Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > I sort of googled something to find the term “ignis fatuus” becuase I was feeling very very stumped. Was the answer “blue angel”? _Ignis_: From the latin, meaning “to set on fire” _Fatuus_: From the greek, meaning “to fart resoundingly” **twickster** , thanks for the recommendation on the book. It’s on my Christmas wish list. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044/58 "2004-11-17T00:38:17Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Um, no, actually, **Moriah** , it’s not a cryptic clue at all – and the break is E LA, not EL A. Guido is Guido d’Arezzo, a medieval Italian composer who systematized the musical scale (do, re, mi…) “La,” or “e la” was his high note. [Here’s](http://www.stevenestrella.com/composers/index.html?composerfiles/guido1050.html) a link – sorry, I don’t have time to find a better one. Darn. Foiled again. Well, at least I take comfort it’s too esoteric to be a good clue. Now, if you excuse me, I have some sour grapes to complain about. Peace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-this-crossword-clue-answer/274044.md?page=2)