Before I move on from cryptics altogether, there’s one more aspect of them worth talking about: end punctuation. Most clues don’t have any. So when they do, it’s usually a bit of an extra hint.
Let’s skate past clues that are in quote marks, either because they’re an actual quotation or because they work better if you imagine them being spoken out loud. Most people have a pretty good sense of these, though generally, only American clues really need them. (I’ll use 🇺🇸 and 🇬🇧 emoji to set off American-style and cryptic-style clues here…those should not be read as part of the clues.)
🇺🇸 “Gimme a sitrep, buddy!”—WHAT’S SHAKIN’?
🇬🇧 “He and I
stand with
youin
a leadership role!” (6)—HELIUM (HEL(I)(U)M—I and U in HELM)
In American puzzles, a question mark usually signifies something extra tricky going on in the clue…often some kind of pun or play on word-lover knowledge.
🇺🇸 Body opening?—SOME (as in SOMEBODY)
🇺🇸 Beginnings of victory?—VEE
In cryptics, the question mark gets used when that same rule applies to the “straight” part of the clue. (Or, in the case of double definitions, a straight part of the clue.) This was often how I got around cluing partials.
🇬🇧 Snakes’ plane connection in nonagon? (2,1)—ON A (as in Snakes on a Plane)
🇬🇧 Social customs of those comparatively greater? (5)—MORES (“Social customs” is a definition, but “those comparatively greater” is a goofy plural of MORE, so it earns the question mark)
American clues have little reason to use exclamation points, though sometimes they can add a little sparkle or “voice.”
🇺🇸 It’s getting hot in here!—FURNACE
And once in a blue moon, as in cryptics, punctuation can be parsed to mislead you a little more.
🇺🇸 No…help!—USELESS (“No help”)
Cryptic clues with exclamation points, though…those get interesting. In that case, the exclamation point signals that the entire clue doubles as a straight clue. This can be because the cryptic part reinforces the straight part’s meaning…
🇬🇧 I’m a grayscale border, elephant picture, or melting-face emoji (5)—IMAGE (I’M A G-E (grayscale border))
Or because the cryptic part and straight part are actually the same.
🇬🇧
Ugly,
evil (4)—VILE
Some solvers call these clues “and literally” clues, for reasons you can probably guess. I usually stumbled onto these by pure luck. If I had any more cryptic projects in me, I might try to do a puzzle using no clues but “and literally” clues…I don’t know if anybody’s tried that yet.
But for now, it’s time to take my leave of Crypticville and head back to the American tradition. My next idea pays tribute to that tradition’s very beginnings.