Cryptickle is a quick daily cryptic crossword designed to help people learn the basics of cryptic crosswords.
Hints
Each clue has a series of hints that explain the clue that you can find at the bottom left of the mobile keyboard, or below the clue on desktop. With all hints revealed, you should always be able to find the answer.I try not to use any words that are too obscure and to keep the wordplay simple and fair. If you have no experience wih cryptics, below are descriptions of some of the wordplay that you may find.
The basics
Clues will always start or end with a synonym (or sometimes a description) of the answer's definition, the rest of the clue is wordplay. Some words provide an indication of what wordplay is involved. These are called indicators:
Anagram Indicators
Words like shuffled, mixed, confused, broken, upset or any word describing movement or destruction indicate you should find an anagram.
Homophone Indicators
Phrases such as: sounds like, We hear, outspoken & reportedly all indicate the use of a homophone.
Reversal Indicators
These words suggest you should reverse a word or some letters: reflected, flipped over, come back, knocked over & around.
Hidden Word Indicators
Phrases like 'buried in', 'surrounded by', 'part of' & 'a bit of' can indicate a word is hidden within another.
Selection Indicators
Certain words indicate you should select the first, last or first & last letters of a word. For example 'front of line' = L, 'back of line' = E, 'edges of line' = LE
Deletion Indicators
Some words indicate you should remove some letters from a word, such as excluding, without, dropped & cut. Other words can refer to letter positions such as opener, head, tail, end, half & center, which can indicate you should build a word out of letters from other words.
Intermitten Indicator
Phrases like 'every so often', 'regularly' & 'occasionally' indicate to select every other letter. Sometimes there are specific to odd or even letters.