Solving Cryptic Clues
(Some Examples)
Each of these ten cryptic clues leads to the same answer: PEARL
a) Initially Pigs Entering Abattoirs Rarely Leave.
‘Initially’ should direct you to the initial letters of the
following words.
b) Student follows Williams for example.
Student (learner) = L
(cryptic clues frequently contain abbreviations)
‘Williams’ is an example of a pear
L following pear = Pearl.
c) These appear largely in shellfish.
‘(Appear) in’ suggests you look inside the clue to see what
is held there.
d) Carol Rae protectively held her back.
Similar to (c) but ‘held back’ suggests it is held in reverse
order within the clue.
‘her’ also suggests you are looking for a girl’s name (Pearl).
e) Parking with real mixed stone.
Parking = ‘P’ (cryptic clues frequently contain abbreviations)
‘mixed’ suggests an anagram, an anagram of ‘real’ = earl (anagrams are very common)
‘P’ with earl = pearl (the stone)
f) Not a plain stitch by the sound of it.
‘Not a plain stitch’ = purl
which ‘sounds like’ pearl.
(Homonyms can be suggested by a range of indicator words)
g) Leave Amrit out of premarital arrangements.
‘Leave AMRIT out of’ suggests you take the letters
A, M, R, I & T from ‘premarital’ and you are left with ‘pearl’.
h) Even spied Avril with one of these.
‘Even’ suggests looking at the even numbered letters in the
following word(s).
Letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 of ‘spied Avril’= pearl
i) Harbour oyster.
Two-word clues usually have both words leading to the
same answer.
In this case: ‘Pearl Harbour’ and ‘Pearl Oyster
j) Initially Stevenson starts off with a legume.
‘Initially’ could refer to ‘S’, but in this it case refers to
Robert Louis = R.L.
An example of a legume is a pea and ‘starts off with’
suggests it comes at the start.
In harder clues like this you may often have to use a
synonym instead of what you read.
EASY! (once you know what to look for)
Now try the main quiz of 100 cryptic clues – but watch out for red herrings.
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