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125 votes
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Cryptic Clue Guide

(Throughout this post, I will be using cryptic annotations in code blocks. The answer word is made up of all of the capital letters; the punctuation, lowercase ...
Deusovi's user avatar
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40 votes
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Cryptictionary!

The answers are Using the alphanumerics gives: which are additional wordplays, giving us so:
kayzeroshort's user avatar
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40 votes
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Moderation strike: a tired lunatic (4)

I believe the word you're looking for is Wordplay: Who knows? Maybe this'll be one small step towards progress.
juicifer's user avatar
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40 votes
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Explain how π – 1 + 50 + ⅔ × 1000 is PLONK

I would think that it is: Pi - 1 (I) = P 50 = L 2/3 × 1000 = 2/3 x (ONE thousand) = (two-thirds of ONE) K = ONK
kagami's user avatar
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34 votes
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Japanese Fusion Alphabet Soup

The completed dish The reasons why The ultimate message Follow the directions My answer
Deusovi's user avatar
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30 votes

Please explain this answer: “Fruit from Panama about 20 times.”

Fruit from Panama about 20 times =
shoover's user avatar
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29 votes

Why is "lion" the answer to "Take the first left turn at the zoo?"

Maybe "the first" is number one or NO. I (Roman numeral 1), followed by L, an abbreviation for "left". We take all that and turn it around to make L I ON. The definition part would ...
Jafe's user avatar
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27 votes
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Policeman's large Elvish dagger (5)

This is a double definition. Sting, the musician, was a member of the band The Police, hence a 'Policeman'. Meanwhile there is a 'large Elvish dagger' called 'Sting' that appears in the books The ...
Stiv's user avatar
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27 votes
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Explain why "Calf" is the answer to "Ice mass broken off a little lower?"

This clue is
juicifer's user avatar
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26 votes
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The first Density™ Puzzle!

The dots in between the squares... These can be interpreted There are also some other ways to extract similar arrangements of letters: The data collected: The next step needed heavy hinting for ...
Deusovi's user avatar
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24 votes
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Which number am I thinking of?

Most of the hard work has been done by James Webster. I think I have the rest. The first set of clues leads to where I have The second set leads to where I have So despite the coincidence of ...
Gareth McCaughan's user avatar
23 votes
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Circuit Diagram

Initial Notes This puzzle was co-solved by Deusovi, ManyPinkHats, Reinier, SKOG, and many hints from phenomist. If you'd like to solve it yourself, here are the errata (in a spoiler-free way): The ...
Deusovi's user avatar
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23 votes

Why is RYE the answer to "Grass over pretty Cambridge backs"?

"Grass" is the definition of the answer. "Over pretty Cambridge backs" is the wordplay, in which "backs" means "last letters of the preceding words." R from &...
Jafe's user avatar
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22 votes
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The Puzzling Times

Rubio specifically mentioned partial solutions, so I thought I'd start recording information here, starting with the cryptic clues. Unfortunately, I realized that Number 1: For the cryptic clues, ...
Brian Rushton's user avatar
22 votes
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Big star initially shows gratitude (6)

A big possibility is: Explanation:
Tom's user avatar
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22 votes
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Insurrection in Britain

The answer is Explanation:
Ankoganit's user avatar
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22 votes
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2020 election: The results are in!

The trick to this puzzle is that At first tolerate, then back winner (5) Party briefly represented by 500 at the side of reem, regularly (3) Extremely jaded Ohio electrician's name (3) Video-...
HTM's user avatar
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21 votes

Cryptic crossword clue: It detailed visually challenged rodents (7,5)

It's a The visually challenged rodents are
Rand al'Thor's user avatar
21 votes

Explain why "A Fate who didn’t finish the material (5)" is Cloth

One of the Fates of Greek mythology was Clotho. If you don't quite finish that word, you get the word cloth (defined by "the material").
Jafe's user avatar
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20 votes

Riley Riddle in the game

The Riley Riddle resolves to clue the board game: My first can hold flags. My second lasts three months. My last is your attention. My whole is the game you're playing. We're not done yet. ...
Stiv's user avatar
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19 votes
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Attractive when it's in gravy (7)

It's quite a nice and gettable clue: But a couple of comments: EDIT: Similar clue (not quite the same):
boboquack's user avatar
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19 votes
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Emojional cryptics (slight return)

The country is ... Solutions to the cryptic clues: Now ... We are looking for ...
M Oehm's user avatar
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19 votes

Cryptic crossword explanation needed ... pay by a quarter to eight

My explanation is
Weather Vane's user avatar
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18 votes
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A printer's imp has run amok

Feral Ulysses S. Grant keeps the troops aroused (6) A giant horrifies Frankenstein’s monster (5) Superstitious people consider finding a penny or seeing a shooting star to be greens (4) After ...
Will's user avatar
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18 votes
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Cryptic Mastermind

The final word is: I had missed three of the clues, but Silenius has helped me to fill in the blanks. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 Final
M Oehm's user avatar
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18 votes

Which number am I thinking of?

Answer Is the answer Partial Answer Set 1 Call it sin, and mess it up could be between θ and κ is [Unsolved] ...
James Webster's user avatar
18 votes

Crossword solution I’m having difficulty in understanding

"Oddly dismissing Carnegie" = remove odd-numbered letters from the word "Carnegie" = _A_N_G_E. Hall's backer = last letter of "Hall" = L. ANGEL is a type of investor.
Jafe's user avatar
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18 votes

Why is "issued" the answer to "Fire corners if one-a-side matches haven't begun"?

The answer is not ISSUED, no matter what some websites on the internet may say. I found what I think is the same crossword in another, older New Zealand publication. The crossing words give I-G-E- for ...
Gareth McCaughan's user avatar
18 votes

Why is "necropolis" the answer to "Weird arachnid with venomous tail in the French cemetery"?

Hmm, an arachnid with venomous tail is a SCORPION, and "the" French is LE (French translation of "the"), and all that is anagrammed ("weird"), making NECROPOLIS (cemetery)...
oAlt's user avatar
  • 6,796
17 votes
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The Ooh-Aah Cryptic Maze

The cryptic clues: Parses dysfunctional extras. Vehicle decay is orange. Sounds like grace upon toxin. Messy rats begin Abraham Lincoln's cosmically related business. Female birch, Australian ...
Volatility's user avatar
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