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Quiz about Fantastic Cryptics and How to Solve Them

Fantastic Cryptics and How to Solve Them Quiz

Seriously - It is simple and fun

A first timer at cryptics? Try these 10 different cryptics with tons of helpful hints.
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author taidhger

A multiple-choice quiz by misdiaslocos. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
misdiaslocos

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
121,745

Updated
Jun 26 26

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
9 / 10

Plays
42

Last 3 plays: debbitts (10/10), Guest 64 (8/10), Guest 162 (3/10).

Question 1 of 10

1. For these clues, I will try to set off what you need to focus on with quotes if possible. Also, please pay attention to the hints. This quiz is not meant to fool, but to help those interested in trying their hand at cryptic crosswords.

DOUBLE DEFINITIONS - The following is a clue that has two meanings, both pointing to the same word.

"Move towards" the "ship's bathroom"

Answer: ((4 letters - H_ _ _))

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. ANAGRAMS - In these clue hints you will see a word that asks you to rearrange, like scramble, mix, or stir. You anagram a word near the "rearrange" word to find the definition pointed to in the other half of the sentence.

The "teacher" was mixed up so didn't catch "the girl using her calculator during the exams"

Answer: ((7 letters - C_ _ _ _ _ R))

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. HIDDEN ANSWERS - Here the answer is included inside another word or words. You will be given a clue to this with a word that means inside.

The executive hid his purchase of a writing implement in "his expenses"

Answer: ((3 letters - P_ _ ))

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Question 4 of 10

4. HOMOPHONES - In this case, there are two words that are not spelled the same but sound the same. These can be identified by words in the clue relating to sounds or listening. Another hint is that usually the word or phrase closest to that indicator in the clue relates to the bit that will sound like the answer you're actually looking for.

"The group of musicians" was "denied entry", we hear.

Answer: ((4 letters - B_ _ _ ))

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. CHARADES - Here there are two parts of a word that are hinted at and you need to combine them. Warning, these are often not the exact spellings of the word parts. Often the meaning is hidden in the clue as well.

I suggest we "shore up" that "location"

Answer: ((11 letters - P _ _ P _ _ _ T _ _ N))

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. CONTAINERS - This is almost like a HIDDEN ANSWER, but it points to two words, one inside the other, that form a new word. The definition of the word is usually given in the clue as well.

What a disaster! The "attempt" captured the "old" man.

Answer: ((7 letters - T_ _ _ _ _ Y))

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. REVERSALS - These are usually two part clues. You first need to solve the clue then reverse, or spell it backwards, to get the answer. Look for words like "return", "reverse", etc.

The man gave back the money to return his "baby's nappy".

Answer: ((6 letters - R_ _ _ _ D))

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. DELETIONS - Here a letter is either taken off the front or back to make a new word. Look for words like "cut", "chopped", "removed" and "head" or "tail" to point the way.

If "Mom" loses her head, she becomes someone else entirely.

Answer: ((5 letters - O_ _ _ _))

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. SPOONERISMS - This is a fun clue where the first parts or sounds of two words are reversed or a word is reversed internally. They also usually reference the name of Reverend Spooner who gave his name to this type of mix-up.

Did Spooner see the winged insect "flutter by"?

Answer: ((9 letters - B_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _))

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. EVERYTHING ELSE - There are SO many more types of clues that you will find that they can't all be covered here. Given how your brain is now thinking, you can probably solve this one. You have until I get to zero to solve it....10,8,6,4....

"Even" Bionic man is a native of Peru.

Answer: ((4 letters - I_ _ _))

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. For these clues, I will try to set off what you need to focus on with quotes if possible. Also, please pay attention to the hints. This quiz is not meant to fool, but to help those interested in trying their hand at cryptic crosswords. DOUBLE DEFINITIONS - The following is a clue that has two meanings, both pointing to the same word. "Move towards" the "ship's bathroom"

Answer: head

The answer to this clue is HEAD. The first part, "move towards," can be "head" as in "let's head home." The second part, "the ship's bathroom," is nautical slang because sailors and navy crew members call the toilet on a boat the "head." By combining these two completely different meanings, the clue guides you to the single four-letter word that gives the word "head".

2. ANAGRAMS - In these clue hints you will see a word that asks you to rearrange, like scramble, mix, or stir. You anagram a word near the "rearrange" word to find the definition pointed to in the other half of the sentence. The "teacher" was mixed up so didn't catch "the girl using her calculator during the exams"

Answer: cheater

An anagram is a word puzzle where you rearrange all the letters of one word to form a brand-new word. In this clue, you look for indicators like "mixed", "stirred", or "scrambled" to signal the trick, leading you to mix up the letters of "teacher". This reveals the answer CHEATER, which describes the girl using a calculator during her exam.

3. HIDDEN ANSWERS - Here the answer is included inside another word or words. You will be given a clue to this with a word that means inside. The executive hid his purchase of a writing implement in "his expenses"

Answer: pen

A hidden answer trick means the winning word is tucked directly inside other words in the clue, and you can spot it by looking for indicator words that mean "inside" or "absorbed" such as "in", "ate", "swallowed", "hidden", "holding", or "houses". In this case, the word "hid" points to the answer PEN sitting inside the word "exPENses".

4. HOMOPHONES - In this case, there are two words that are not spelled the same but sound the same. These can be identified by words in the clue relating to sounds or listening. Another hint is that usually the word or phrase closest to that indicator in the clue relates to the bit that will sound like the answer you're actually looking for. "The group of musicians" was "denied entry", we hear.

Answer: band

The answer to this clue is BAND. The phrase "we hear" is your audio cue to listen for a matching sound, pointing you toward the "group of musicians" called a "band", which sounds identical to being denied entry or banned. Since the clue that tells you to listen is nearest to "denied entry" or "banned" that is your "audio clue" to the other BAND, your final answer.

Answer: proposition

The answer to this clue is PROPOSITION, which is solved by gluing smaller word parts together to build a longer final word. In this puzzle, the first part "shore up" gives you PROP, the second part "that location" translates to POSITION (since a specific area or location is a position), and when you stick PROP and POSITION together like building blocks, they form PROPOSITION, which matches the direct definition "I suggest" at the very front of the clue.

6. CONTAINERS - This is almost like a HIDDEN ANSWER, but it points to two words, one inside the other, that form a new word. The definition of the word is usually given in the clue as well. What a disaster! The "attempt" captured the "old" man.

Answer: tragedy

The answer to this clue is TRAGEDY. In this puzzle, "the attempt" gives you the outside word TRY, while "the "old" man" gives you the word AGED to put on the inside. When the word TRY "captures" AGED by wrapping around it, the letters spell TR-AGED-Y, which matches the direct definition "What a disaster!" at the very beginning of the clue.

7. REVERSALS - These are usually two part clues. You first need to solve the clue then reverse, or spell it backwards, to get the answer. Look for words like "return", "reverse", etc. The man gave back the money to return his "baby's nappy".

Answer: repaid

The answer to this clue is REPAID. The phrasing "to return" serves as your reversal indicator, telling you to read something in reverse. You look at "his baby's nappy," which in American English is DIAPER, and when you spin the letters of D-I-A-P-E-R completely backward, it spells REPAID.

This matches the direct definition at the very start of the clue, because when a man gives back money he owed, he has officially REPAID his debt.

8. DELETIONS - Here a letter is either taken off the front or back to make a new word. Look for words like "cut", "chopped", "removed" and "head" or "tail" to point the way. If "Mom" loses her head, she becomes someone else entirely.

Answer: other

The answer to this clue is OTHER. "Loses her head" serves as your deletion indicator, which is a cryptic way of telling you to chop the front letter off a word. When you take the word MOTHER ("Mom") and remove its "head" (the letter M), you are left with OTHER, which matches the definition at the end of the clue because she has literally become "someone else entirely".

Answer: butterfly

The answer to this clue is BUTTERFLY, which you get by swapping the starting sounds of two words. In this puzzle, Spooner is mentioned so you should look for a phrase that you can reverse the sounds to get a "winged insect". When you take the phrase "flutter by" and flip the first sounds of each part, it sounds out loud just like a BUTTERFLY fluttering by!

Answer: Inca

The answer to this clue is INCA. I hope you got the "even" meaning from the clue countdown. So now, look at Bionic man. Taking the even letters of B-I-O-N-I-C-M-A-N (skipping the odd letters B, O, I, M, and N). When you pull out those even letters together, they spell I-N-C-A, or INCA a historical native of Peru!

Source: Author misdiaslocos

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Fifiona81 before going online.
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Fantastic Cryptics and How to Solve Them Quiz

Seriously - It is simple and fun

A first timer at cryptics? Try these 10 different cryptics with tons of helpful hints. This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author taidhger

A first timer at cryptics? Try these 10 different cryptics with tons of helpful hints.
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author taidhger