Cryptics (3 of 12): Hidden, Initial, and Alternating Clues

The next best thing to just giving away the answer.

Hidden clues are one of the types I like more than the typical crossword constructor—er, crossword setter. (The cryptic fans prefer “setter,” and I’m trying to get into the right headspace, you see.) I think they feel like this type of clue—except as a once-per-puzzle change of pace—is just too easy.

“An…easy kind of cryptic clue?” I hear you say. “Tell me more.”

Costumed hero trapped in tiramasu—PERMANENTLY 😈🤣 (8)—SUPERMAN

You see it, right? Look for the part that’s in both bold and italics.

The answer’s right there! Its letters aren’t even jumbled! If you suspect it’s a hidden clue, all you have to do is know where to look…and if you already had the “S” from a crossing, then you’d narrow it down to “stumedhe” and “superman” in seconds!

Only two things are confusing about hidden clues. One is their name. Like insertion/container clues, they’re about one thing inside another thing, and they use a lot of the same indicators. Even I get the terminology mixed up, sometimes. (No, wait, mixing things up? That’s anagrams.)

The other is that hidden clues can combine with one other type—reversal clues. Reversal clues are likewise simple and simple to explain—you just turn the answer backwards. That’s it.

Flower—oh! Tulips conceal retreating criminal mastermind (6)—LUTHOR

So yes, these aren’t as challenging as the other types we’ve been over or some types still to be described. But I love them. I use them more than any other kind of cryptic clue. I love the idea that other words can hide inside any sentence we build. My favorite discoveries are when the answer lies inside a naturally occurring word or phrase, instead of the contrived pairings above, though those answers tend to be short…

Unhealthy liquid rising in Colorado Springs (4)—SODA

Northeasterner’s all about day full of chocolates (6)—EASTER

They’re neat!

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Initial clues are scarcely coyer than hidden clues. They put the answer directly in the first letters of a string of words, like so:

Initially, sea turtles are rising toward sun (4)—STAR

These clues can get clunky if they have longer lengths, and they’re a little easyish even for me. But all things in moderation. And because so little of the “raw materials” are tied to the answer, you can get more creative than with hidden clues.

Famous firsts: cutting-edge life-expectancy boost, revolutionary assistive technology, explosive dampeners (10)—CELEBRATED

A few initial-like clues are actually ending clues, hiding the answer in the last letters of consecutives words, not the first letters. (And I suppose you can even hide them in the center letters…but that seems like a bit much.)

Titaness ends affair with mature ballerina (4)—RHEA

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Alternations or odd/even clues usually repeat every other letter of a string, making some reference to “odd” or “even” as they do so.

Oddly set pair: two acres in epic interplanetary dispute (4,4)—STAR WARS

Not even you’ll get to Indies on Christmas (8)—YULETIDE

Even-steven jet wash in screen reports (2,4)—TV NEWS

But occasionally, you can experiment with a different “frequency.”

With certain kind of water, every fifth of ale is something I guzzle well (5)—STILL

Tomorrow: time to get trickier!