Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. 'Head' and 'tail' or 'end' indicate the first and last letters of a word. For example, "Thanks pigtail for label. (3)" gives the answer "tag", which is a label; 'thanks' is 'ta' and the 'tail' of 'pig' is 'g'. Now try this one:-
Beside head boy on ponytail. (2)
2. So 'headless' or 'endless' tell you that a word from the clue has lost its first or last letter. For example, "This instrument makes Tim panic endlessly. (7)" gives the answer "timpani" by removing the last letter ('c') from 'Tim panic'. Now try this one:-
Endless crowd boast. (4)
3. Letters can be lost from the middle of a word, too. For example, "Spend drama without left. (3)" gives the answer "pay". A 'drama' is a 'play'; removing the 'l' for 'left' leaves 'pay' which means 'spend'. Now try this one:-
Attempt serving platter losing article. (3)
4. Sometimes it's the letters from a whole word which are taken away. Try this one:-
Move charmingly without lying this month.
5. Very short common foreign words sometimes appear in the answer to a cryptic clue. The French articles are 'le' and 'la' for 'the'; the Spanish definite article is 'el'; the Italian is 'il'; and the German definite articles are 'der', 'die' and 'das'. The word 'article' may not appear in the clue. The French also have 'du' meaning 'of the'. For example, "The German south expires. (4)" gives the answer "dies". Here the word 'German' after 'the' indicates that we want the German word for 'the'. In this case we need 'die'. South is 'S'. So we get 'die-S' or 'dies', which means 'expires'. Now try this one:-
Fight of the French on the Spanish. (4)
6. You can also find foreign words for 'yes' and 'no'. The French words are 'oui' and 'non'; The German words are 'ja' and 'nein'; both Spanish and Italian have 'si' for 'yes'. The word 'and' is translated as 'et' in French and 'und' in German. For example "Yes! French arranged acknowledgement of a debt. (3)" gives the answer "IOU", which is an anagram of the French word for 'yes'. Now try this one:-
American prison? Yes! German on the Italian. (4)
7. As you have seen, clues can contain several different elements. For example "And German in the right noise from a storm. (7)" gives the answer "thunder". 'The right' is 'the-R'. 'And' in German is 'und'. Putting 'und' after the 'th' gives 'th-und-e-R' or 'thunder', which is a noise heard during a storm. Now try this one:-
The French follow a very soft fruit. (5)
8. If you're still not convinced that cryptic clues make things easier, consider the following as an 'easy' clue - 'Fragrances (6)'. You can be fairly certain that the sixth letter is 'S', but what about the first five? 'Aroma', 'smell' or 'scent' all fit, but, unless it's going into a crossword grid and you have enough of the other letters, you're stuck. Now try these clues:-
Argon, nothing on mother's fragrances (6).
9. Here's the next clue:-
Move one thousand and fifty less fragrances (6).
10. Here's another clue:-
Small coins heard fragrances (6).
Source: Author
Lottie1001
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
spanishliz before going online.
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