I see the use of language as a fundamental part of any cryptic clue. It’s all language, of course, but as each clue can have multiple (separate) parts, the way it’s put together to relay the answer is crucial. In modern times it seems a cryptic indicator can sit before or behind the fodder it’s operating on and be in any inflective form. That is, the language isn’t as important as the formula that’s deemed necessary to convey the answer. I came across a question in response to a blog entry explaining a Gemini puzzle recently that I think will demonstrate what I’m talking about.
A poster asks: “1 across and 18 across use ‘change’ and ‘changes’ as anagram indicators respectively. How is it possible for both uses to be right?” An insightful question. The clues and answers are:
1 What is needed is no huge change (6) = ENOUGH
18 So a ring changes a girl’s status in Italy (7) = SIGNORA
“change” and its inflections, “changes”, “changing”, and “changed” would be universally accepted as valid anagram indicators, but does that mean they all can be used (in a language sense) in all circumstances? The answer is no! In 1, for example, how is change being used? Is it instructional: change no huge to get the answer; is it descriptive: a change to no huge gets the answer, or is it something else? For me neither work – the “is” wipes out the instructional use of change and no “a” or the like (“a” no huge change, or “a” change to no huge) rules out the descriptive. To me change here has to be “changed” or “changing” for the language to be right. Now, many solvers may simply discount this complaint and say the fodder’s there and the indicator’s there and they don’t need anything else to get the answer. That’s all true, but is language used correctly in the process, and shouldn’t that matter?
In 18 changes acts on So a ring. Try using the same language to explain to someone how this clue works. You’ll find yourself inserting some extra words to make it right: “So a ring changes to make/to become/to get a girl’s status in Italy”. Without the joining pieces there is no necessary link between wordplay and definition. In fact, such wording means there can’t be a definitive wordplay/definition independence – you can’t take each part and treat them in isolation, which I consider fundamental and is why I avoid using such constructs. As soon as wordplay and definition have a reliance on each other, a basic cryptic concept is missing.
I know I’m in the minority here. I like the language to say what I mean otherwise clues become nothing more than words stuck together, something anyone could do.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RATATOUILLE | |
| Starter of anchovies turned out poorly in presentation of standard French food (11) | [(A)NCHOVIES + anagram of OUT + ILL] inside RATE | |
| 7 | ROD | |
| Staff used motorcycles mostly (3) | (ROD)E | |
| 9 | SPAIN | |
| Health resort in a European country (5) | SPA + IN | |
| 10 | STATUETTE | |
| Small figure organised tute in one area of government (9) | Anagram of TUTE inside STATE | |
| 11 | DIPLOMATIC CORPS | |
| Farmer’s preparation to claim crops confused foreign representatives (10,5) | DIP + anagram of TO CLAIM CROPS | |
| 12 | NARRATE | |
| Rushed back to assess report (7) | RAN reversed + RATE | |
| 14 | GOAL | |
| Move a large object (4) | GO + A + L | |
| 17 | CORM | |
| Underground stem or some garlic or mushrooms (4) | garliC OR Mushrooms | |
| 19 | BLEMISH | |
| Spot sloppy slime in emptied bath? (7) | Anagram of SLIME inside (B)AT(H) | |
| 22 | SHOOT FROM THE HIP | |
| Speak bluntly of mother hit badly in store (5,4,3,3) | Anagram of OF MOTHER HIT inside SHOP | |
| 24 | COSTA RICA | |
| Company principal in contact with one about a South American country (5,4) | CO + STAR + I + CA | |
| 25 | DIRGE | |
| Network played back end to the sad song (5) | GRID reversed + TH(E) | |
| 26 | END | |
| Outside effort not part of trendy design (3) | TR(END)Y | |
| 27 | ENTITLEMENT | |
| Right ingredient filled with wrong tint (11) | ELEMENT outside anagram of TINT | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RESIDENT | |
| Gaping cut sewn up by team doctor (8) | SIDE inside RENT | |
| 2 | TRAPPERS | |
| They may catch end of concert by musicians (8) | CONCER(T) + RAPPERS | |
| 3 | TANGO | |
| Dance beat with oomph (5) | TAN + GO | |
| 4 | UPSTAGE | |
| Top international carrier relocated gate (7) | UPS + anagram of GATE | |
| 5 | LOAFING | |
| A flipper, trapped by log, is hanging around (7) | (A + FIN) inside LOG | |
| 6 | ENUNCIATE | |
| Sister, in possession of diamonds, set up Fed, say (9) | NUN inside (ICE reversed) + ATE | |
| 7 | RETARD | |
| Hold back sailor tucking into wine (6) | TAR inside RED | |
| 8 | DRESSY | |
| Elegant curvy character wearing formal clothing (6) | ESS inside DRY | |
| 13 | ABOUT-FACE | |
| Turn around mismanaged cafe after a period of illness (5-4) | Anagram of CAFE after (A + BOUT) | |
| 15 | LITHARGE | |
| Sort of rag stuffed into flexible part of glass (8) | Anagram of RAG inside LITHE | |
| 16 | SHIPMENT | |
| Fashionable people in street dispatched goods (8) | (HIP MEN) inside ST | |
| 18 | MARXIST | |
| Communist cross is spotted in shopping centre (7) | (X + IS) inside MART | |
| 19 | BOMBAST | |
| Attack a saint’s extravagant boasting (7) | BOMB + A + ST | |
| 20 | PSYCHE | |
| Participants in autopsy checked the mind (6) | autoPSY CHEcked | |
| 21 | POISED | |
| Is energy absorbed by small spaceship collected? (6) | (IS + E) inside POD | |
| 23 | HEDGE | |
| Hard cutter fashioned fence (5) | H + EDGE |
Hi David,
If I understand your explanation correctly, then the clue would have been better written as:
So a ring changed a girl’s status in Italy.
Am I correct?
Thanks,
Greg
Quite right Greg. Then the wordplay and definition are separate but equal to each other. Note that unlike this clue where a simple fix can be done, most can’t be treated this way without compromising the grammar and/or surface reading. A new approach would be needed. Of course getting this sort of thing right requires time, patience and skill which isn’t always available.