What are cryptic crosswords?

In a cryptic (British-style) crossword, each clue is a little puzzle in itself—involving wordplay such as anagrams, homophones, hidden words, and other devilish tricks.

The surface reading of the clue is not important. Rather, the clue hints at the solution in two different ways, and thus is composed of two parts:

• The definition

  This part of the clue is a straightforward (or thinly/thickly disguised) definition of the solution. The definition always appears at the start or end of the clue.

• The wordplay

  The rest of the clue is an enigmatic hint, in which wordplay gives a second path to the solution.

Example