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contest (4) Crossword Clue. The Crossword Solver found 56 answers to "contest (4)", 4 letters crossword clue. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. Enter the length or pattern for better results.
3 days ago · Our ultimate guide has everything, like where to find crossword games, how to solve crosswords, the most common crossword clues and answers, and other fun facts about America’s favorite word-puzzle game.
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Mar 22, 2024 · If you are in the middle of a cryptic crossword and have already identified some letters within the remaining answers, try using WordsRated’s Word Finder to complete the puzzle!
- Overview
- Identifying the Main Parts of the Clue
- Creating New Words from Letters Present in the Clue
- De-Coding the Clue’s Meaning
- Re-Ordering Words to Find the Answer
Unlike standard or “New York Times-style” crosswords, cryptic crossword clues almost never have a literal meaning. Instead of reading such a clue to determine its answer, you must carefully decode it in order to reveal the answer. Every cryptic clue contains a definition, wordplay, and an indicator term. After you learn this formula as well as the ...
Pick out the clue's “definition."
Look near the beginning or end of the sentence to determine which word in the clue is the definition. Definitions are almost always located near the beginning or end of the sentence. The clue’s definition is very important because it tells you the literal meaning of the answer you are looking for.
Consider the following clue: “Quoted from edict wrongly.” “Quoted from” is the definition because it comes at the beginning of the sentence and hints at the clue's answer. The definition is often a synonym of the clue's answer, which is “cited” in this case.
When the definition is less obvious, identify the two possibilities then eliminate one by considering the rest of the clue. In “Desire for Japanese money,” the definition could be “desire” or “Japanese money.” "Japanese money” is the definition and a synonym of “Yen,” which is the answer to this particular clue.
Rearrange the clue's letters when dealing with anagram clues.
Solve an anagram by rearranging the letters of a word to reveal the hint, which, along with the definition, will help you find the clue’s answer. As with the previous clue, “edict” becomes “cited” after you shuffle the letters in the wordplay around.
Spot an anagram by looking for words that indicate change or modifications. Common anagram indicator words include “transfer,” “cook,” “dress,” “out,” “off,” “moved,” or “lost.”
The words you will need to jumble will be located either directly before or after the indicator word.
For example, the following clue is an anagram: “Dress suiting a saint.” “Saint” is the definition and “dress suiting a” is the wordplay. “Dress” indicates that this is an anagram because it implies change. Since there are no words preceding “dress,” you know that the words that follow it, “suiting a,” are the words that need to be rearranged. “Suiting a” can be reshuffled to reveal “Ignatius,” a saint!
Anagrams are often the longest words in the crossword puzzle.
Infer the clue's second meaning to solve double definition clues.
Look for linking words such as “into,” “by,” and “and" to spot double definitions. These clues typically don’t use indicator words and vary a bit from the standard clue format. Instead of having a definition, wordplay, and indicator, they have two definitions whose meaning points to the same solution.
For example, consider the clue “expose tactics by removing glove.” You know that “expose tactics” is one definition and is joined to the second definition “removing glove” with the connector “by.”
After reflecting on the meaning of both definitions and trying to assess what they have in common, you’ll arrive at the answer: “Show one’s hand.”
Decipher the clue's riddle when solving a cryptic definition clue.
Examine your clue for question marks to identify a cryptic definition clue. With cryptic definition clues, the entirety of the clue is your hint—there’s no wordplay section of the clue.
Insert words inside of other words to solve container clues.
Look for indicator words such as “within,” “around,” “in,” “inside,” and “retain” to identify a container clue. Container clues require inserting either letters or words inside of another to form a new word, which will hint at your answer. As always the words to be combined will be located in the wordplay section of your clue.
For example, in the clue “Make a change and put me in last,” “Make a change” is the definition and “put me in last” is the wordplay. “In” signifies that this is a container clue. Because inserting "me" into "last" doesn't yield any immediate results, you'll need to think in terms of synonyms and abbreviations.
When you consider synonyms, you’ll discover that “end” is a synonym of “last” and when you insert “me” in the middle of “end” you’ll get “emend,” which means to “make a change.”
The Crossword Solver found 30 answers to "questions contest", 4 letters crossword clue. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. Enter the length or pattern for better results. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues .
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Feb 23, 2024 · Cryptic crosswords are a notoriously difficult variation on the classic crossword format, combining complex wordplay and misleading clues to test even the most talented solver. While they are considered the gold standard for crossword enthusiasts, this level of challenge can also make them inaccessible to a newcomer.
