Every crossword solver knows the feeling. Your pen is flying, answers are falling into place, and then you hit a wall. It’s a clue that seems too straightforward, a word that fits but feels slightly off, or a definition that doesn’t quite align with the crossing letters you’re sure are correct. This is the domain of the suspicious crossword clue—a deliberate feint by the puzzle constructor designed to test your wits, not just your vocabulary. These clues are not mistakes; they are meticulously crafted traps, and learning to spot them is what separates a novice from a seasoned solver.
The Misdirection: When the Surface Reading Lies
The most common form of suspicious clue is one that employs masterful misdirection. The “surface reading” is the phrase as it appears to the untrained eye—a sensible, often witty sentence that seems to point directly to an answer. However, this is a smokescreen. The constructor is using wordplay to lead you down a garden path. For instance, a clue like “He’s always getting stuck in traffic?” might intuitively suggest “commuter” or “driver.” But the question mark is your first hint of suspicion. In this case, the answer is likely “GLUE,” as in the adhesive, playing on the word “stuck.” The solver must learn to ignore the obvious narrative and dissect the clue for its component parts—looking for homophones, anagrams, and double definitions hidden within the innocent-looking phrase.
The Devilish &lit (And-Lit) Clue
Perhaps the crown jewel of suspicious clues, the &lit (short for and literally so) is a clue where the entire phrase serves as both the definition and the wordplay. There is no separate part defining the answer; the entire clue does double duty. For a solver, these clues often look bizarrely vague or overly broad. A classic example might be “Writers take them to be winners (5).” On the surface, it makes little sense. The trick is to see that “Writers” could be a verb meaning “inscribes,” and “take them to be” sounds like “pens” (as in, “take them to be pens”). And what are pens? They are tools for writers, and they are also what winners are enclosed in (a pen for animals, like a winner’s enclosure at a race). The answer is PENS. The entire clue is the wordplay, and the entire clue is the definition. Spotting an &lit requires a leap of logic and a deep appreciation for the constructor’s cleverness.
The Dreaded Abbreviation and Foreign Word Trap
Crossword puzzles are filled with shorthand, and constructors love to exploit this. A clue that seems to be asking for a common word might actually be seeking an abbreviation, a foreign word, or an archaic term. A clue like “Right-hand page” is not looking for “content” or “side”; it’s asking for the printing term “RECTO” (the right-hand page of a book). Similarly, “Spanish hero” is almost certainly not “superman” but “EL CID.” These clues prey on the solver’s assumption that the answer will be a common English word. The suspicion should arise when a common English word of the required letter length simply doesn’t fit with the crossing answers, forcing you to consider more obscure lexicons.
Pop Culture Pitfalls and Modern References
In modern puzzles, especially those with younger or more pop-culture-savvy editors, a suspicious clue can be one that seems rooted in general knowledge but is actually a very specific reference. “She sang about ‘rolling in the deep'” might seem to point to a generic singer, but the constructor is specifically asking for “ADEL” (Adele). Conversely, a clue might use outdated slang or reference a forgotten celebrity, making the solver suspicious that such an old-fashioned answer could be correct in a contemporary puzzle. This demands a flexible knowledge base and sometimes a good guess based on crossing letters.
Conclusion: Trust Your Instincts, Then Question Them
The suspicious crossword clue is not a flaw in the puzzle; it is its highest form of art. It is a battle of wits between the constructor and the solver. The key to overcoming these traps is to cultivate a healthy sense of paranoia. That little question mark at the end of a clue? It’s a direct warning. An answer that fits perfectly but feels too simple? It probably is. When the crossing letters start to create nonsense words, it’s not the puzzle that’s wrong—it’s your initial, trusting interpretation of that one suspicious clue. Embrace the deception. Learn the conventions. The greatest satisfaction in solving doesn’t come from filling in the easy squares, but from cracking the code of a brilliantly misleading clue and emerging victorious on the other side.
FAQ
Q: What is the most common sign of a suspicious clue?
A: The question mark is the universal symbol for a clue that involves wordplay, misdirection, or a non-literal interpretation. Always treat a clue ending with a “?” with extreme suspicion.
Q: An answer fits the clue but makes the crossing words wrong. What do I do?
A: This is the clearest signal that you’ve fallen for a trap. Revisit the suspicious clue immediately. Your answer is almost certainly incorrect, and you need to re-analyze the wordplay.
Q: Are some crossword editors known for more suspicious clues than others?
A: Absolutely. Puzzles from outlets like The New York Times (particularly the later-week puzzles by editors like Will Shortz) or The Guardian (especially the cryptic crosswords) are famous for their clever and deceptive cluing style. Beginner-friendly puzzles tend to have more straightforward clues.
Q: How can I get better at solving these tricky clues?
A: Practice is key. The more puzzles you do, the more you recognize common tricks and conventions. Don’t be afraid to look up answers you don’t understand and reverse-engineer how the clue worked. This is how you learn the constructor’s language.
