Combination
It’s common for clues to employ more than one type of wordplay. A single clue will often involve two, three, or even more types of wordplay. Learn Cryptic will show you how wordplay types can be combined in a single clue.
Examples
Boosting not nearly all of a musical sound (5)
- The definition is of a musical sound
- A clue like this would be used in a Down crossword clue. Boosting instructs us to write not upward (a reversal), giving us ton
- nearly indicates a deletion on all, giving us al
ton + al = tonal
tonal
Caressed, Don excitedly bolted outside (7)
- The definition is Caressed
- bolted can be fled
- outside indicates a container involving fled
- excitedly indicates an anagram of don, giving us ond
f(ond)led = fondled
fondled