The Stickler Weekly 160 Solution

A couple of weeks ago I talked about the unusual clue 0.9 (3) and how it worked. I also mentioned that it took some liberties but ultimately provided enough info for the solver as long as the clue was read out. For success, the “.” must be read as “point”, and in the context of the clue that was the only possibility, however, “.” in other contexts (such as a period at the end of a sentence) wouldn’t work in the same way. So, here we have “.” = “point” = compass direction = “N” (the abbreviation for “north”). In crossword terms, this is an indirect reference, one that can be resolved if a number of right steps are taken, but where there’s no direct relationship between the element in the wordplay and the desired element in the solution. That is, nowhere will you find “.” = N, unlike in a direct reference where a synonym is needed or an abbreviation is used. Indirect references, however, are used all the time in cryptics: Business = company = CO; Way = street = ST; Good man = saint = ST; student = learner = L. Setters need to make up their own minds on whether to use such references, but as they have become crosswordese and therefore recognisable and accepted by solvers generally, they are used all the time.
There’s another type of indirect reference that pops up every now and then involving instructional synonyms. That is, a word or words must be translated into a term, and then that term becomes part of the wordplay. Here’s an example: Bored with the writer following a smear? (6) [down clue] Here, “Bored” must be translated to “fed up”, and the result can then be DEF. [DEF + (ME after A) = DEFAME] It’s super tricky and can only be employed when the synonyms involved leave little doubt as to what’s needed. That is, if “fed up” isn’t in the first couple of synonyms thought of when the solver contemplates “bored”, then it’s no good. This type of technique always leads to at least a two-word synonym (needed to be instructional) which adds complexity to the solving process – even more reason to ensure a question mark is used to indicate to solvers that “language abuse” is in play. Here’s a published example that makes the solver’s job hard IMO:
Limited volume as a precaution to vend car? (7) Here, “as a precaution” must be translated to “in case” before the wordplay is actioned, making this a container and contents clue. [(BOO)K inside CASE = CABOOSE] (Remember, in both examples, there’s no indication that anything more than a synonym is required, so even if the solver works out the synonym, there’s no guarantee they’ll take the extra leap. Nine times out of ten, the trickiness will reveal itself in hindsight.) To me, “as a precaution” doesn’t scream “in case”, which it needs to in order to accomplish its goal. Add to that the need to shorten a synonym before use, and we have a really difficult clue. At least the question mark is present, which can be is effective as long as the setter is consistent with its use.
To summarise, any indirect references in clues need to be, to quote Basil Fawlty, “bleedin’ obvious” to be acceptable.