<p>Edited by Patti Varol, the LA Times Crossword puzzle is full of music, TV, and film references. This typically themeless crossword puzzle gets harder as the week goes on. Weekday and Saturday puzzles are 15x15 grids; Sundays are 21x21.</p>

<p>As crossword stans, we know that crossword puzzles are a great way to challenge your vocabulary and problem-solving skills. But for those just dipping their toe into the world of <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles">crossword puzzles</a>, the grid itself may appear daunting. Understanding the crossword puzzle clues is your ticket to solving them down to the last square. Ahead we’ve put together a cheat sheet for reading and understanding crossword clues.</p><h2>Pay Attention To Tense</h2><p>Crossword answers will always follow the same tense as the clue. So be sure to pay attention to whether the clue is in past, present, or future tense. Your answers depend on it.</p><p>Here’s an example from the February 7, 2024, level of <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles/universal-crossword/2024/02/07"><strong>Universal Crossword</strong></a>:&nbsp;<br><strong>Clue:</strong> Intended<br><strong>Answer: </strong>MEANT</p><h2>Mind Plurals and Singulars</h2><p>Keeping an eye out for hints at plurality is another key piece of the puzzle (see what we did there?). Hints like "many," "several," or simply adding an S to the clue's subject are dead giveaways.</p><p>The February 13, 2024, level of <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles/modern-crossword/2024/02/13"><strong>The Modern Crossword</strong></a> demonstrates this well:<br><strong>Clue: </strong>Some short skirts<br><strong>Answer:</strong> MINIS</p><h2>Take Note of Parts of Speech</h2><p>Crossword clues often challenge players by using words with multiple meanings or changing a word’s part of speech. If a crossword clue hints at a person, place, or thing, the answer will be a noun. If it hints at an action word, the answer will be a verb.</p><p>Check out <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles/universal-crossword/2024/01/26"><strong>Universal Crossword</strong></a>’s January 26, 2024, level for what we mean:<br><strong>Clue: </strong>Actress Menzel of “Wicked”<br><strong>Answer:</strong> IDINA</p><p>And this one from <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles/universal-crossword/2024/01/24">January 24, 2024</a>:&nbsp;<br><strong>Clue: </strong>Does some basic math<br><strong>Answer:</strong> ADDS</p><h2>What are Question Mark Clues?</h2><p>While question marks indicate a straightforward inquiry for the rest of the world, seasoned puzzlers will tell you crossword clues with question marks often indicate wordplay or a pun. You’ll have to put your thinking cap on for these clues and expect the unexpected—double meanings and clever twists are the name of the game.</p><p>The February 6, 2024, <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles/universal-crossword/2024/02/06"><strong>Universal Crossword</strong></a> level serves up a playful example:&nbsp;<br><strong>Clue:</strong> Hit game?<br><strong>Answer: </strong>BATTLESHIP</p><h2>Understand Clues Ending in “Say”</h2><p>If your crossword puzzle clue ends in “say,” this typically indicates that the answer belongs to a broader category. Before you pencil in 31-Across, keep in mind that clues that end in “say” aren’t always one-to-one synonyms—multiple answers may fit the definition and interpretations may be broad.</p><p>We got a kick out of this clue in the February 1, 2024, <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles/universal-crossword/2024/02/01"><strong>Universal Crossword</strong></a>:&nbsp;<br><strong>Clue: </strong>Puff on a joint, say<br><strong>Answer: </strong>SMOKEGRASS</p><p>And this one from <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles/universal-crossword/2024/01/27">January 27, 2024</a>, which may make you LOL:&nbsp;<br><strong>Clue: </strong>Passed Go and collected $400, say<br><strong>Answer: </strong>CHEATED</p>

This handy guide will help you make sense of cheeky and clever crossword puzzles. 

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<p>Since their introduction in the 1920s, cryptic crosswords have captured the hearts and minds of puzzlers the world over. John Halpern, a cryptic crossword compiler for newspapers like The Guardian, The Times of London, and the Daily Telegraph, describes cryptic crosswords as “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA7Zz8W_Loc">the hidden magic within language</a>.” And if you’ve ever tried to complete a cryptic crossword only to walk away questioning your cleverness, you should know that you’re in excellent company—the entire teaching staff of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA7Zz8W_Loc">Oxford’s Balliol College once failed to finish a cryptic crossword</a>. We thought that might make you feel better. Here’s a little more on these persnickety puzzles. &nbsp;</p><h2>What is a Cryptic Crossword? &nbsp;</h2><p>As <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA7Zz8W_Loc">Halpern explains</a>, cryptic crosswords are “normal crosswords with the definition in the clue, but there’s an extra part of the clue—a cryptic part.”</p><p>If that’s as clear as mud, we’ll explain.</p><p>Cryptic crossword puzzles have a grid, like a <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles">typical crossword puzzle</a>, but the clues are like brain teasers, if you will. Whereas <a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/member/crossword-puzzles">standard crossword clues</a> test your knowledge of trivia and general word wizardry, each clue in a cryptic crossword is a mini puzzle, typically in the form of a wordplay (hidden answers, homophones, double definitions, anagrams, puns, and riddles) you must solve first in order to find the answer, which you then pop into the grid.</p><h2>Where Did Cryptic Crosswords Come From?&nbsp;</h2><p>The roots of cryptic crosswords can be traced back to the early 20th century, with the first known cryptic crossword published in The Saturday Westminster Gazette in 1925. English translator and poet Edward Powys Mathers set the crossword using only cryptic clues and is hailed as the inventor of the cryptic crossword.</p><p>Fast-forward seven decades, and we find Hendrik Hertzberg, the senior editor and staff writer of <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/cryptic-crossword/reintroducing-the-new-yorkers-cryptic-crossword">The New Yorker</a> at the time, breathing new life into cryptic crosswords, running them in the back of the magazine from 1997 to 1999. Since then, cryptic crosswords have taken on a life of their own. While these crosswords have beguiled puzzlers and amassed a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/cryptic-crossword/reintroducing-the-new-yorkers-cryptic-crossword">robust fan base in Britain</a>, it’s more of an acquired taste for Americans.</p><p>On an interesting side note, the poet Mathers set that first cryptic crossword under the pseudonym “Torquemada,” the 15th-century Spanish inquisition torturer—no doubt a nod to the puzzle’s degree of difficulty. Since then, subsequent setters (cryptic constructors are known as setters) have followed suit, also deriving their pseudonyms from various Spanish grand inquisitors.</p><p><a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/crossword-puzzles/modern-crossword"><strong>Try the Puzzle Society’s original crossword puzzle, The Modern Crossword</strong></a><strong>!</strong></p><h2>Examples of Cryptic Crossword Clues</h2><p>Ahead, we’ve rounded up a few categories of <a href="https://s.wsj.net/blogs/html/wsjcrypticguide.pdf">cryptic crossword clues</a> you may encounter on your next date with the grid. The Puzzle Society’s own crossword and puzzle editor, David Steinberg, gives us guidance and explanations.</p><h3>Double definitions (words with more than one meaning)&nbsp;</h3><p>Clue: Trim a tree (6)&nbsp;<br>Note: the number in parentheses denotes the number of letters in the answer.<br>Answer: SPRUCE<br>“As an adjective, ‘spruce’ is synonymous with ‘trim’; as a noun, ‘spruce’ is a tree.”</p><h3>Anagrams (also known as word scrambles)&nbsp;</h3><p>Clue: Wild West dish (4)<br>Answer: STEW<br>“‘Wild’ signals that a neighboring word—’West’ in this case—can be scrambled to yield the answer, and stew is also a dish.”</p><h3>Hidden Answers (the answer is hidden inside a longer word or phrase in the clue)&nbsp;</h3><p>Clue: Lover of birds imprisoned in Alcatraz (3)<br>Answer: CAT<br>“A cat is a lover of birds, and ‘cat’ is hidden (aka imprisoned) in ‘Alcatraz’.”</p><p><a href="https://www.puzzlesociety.com/crossword-puzzles/squared-away"><strong>Do you enjoy non-traditional crossword puzzles? Give Squared Away a go!</strong></a></p><h2>Tips for Solving Cryptic Crosswords</h2><p>When you first read a cryptic crossword clue, it can make no sense. However, once you learn to find the clues hidden within the clue, and discern what these linguistic puzzles are asking of you, you’ll be off to the races in no time. Here are a few tips to help you get started.&nbsp;</p><h3>Familiarize yourself with common clue types.&nbsp;</h3><p>Cryptic crosswords often contain anagrams, hidden words, homophones, and double definitions. Learning to recognize these clue types is the key to decoding.&nbsp;</p><h3>Solve the easier clues first.&nbsp;</h3><p>Like standard crossword puzzles, it’s best to solve the easiest clues first and then tackle the corresponding entries in the grid. Doing so provides additional letters that will help you solve more challenging clues. Like standard crossword puzzles, sometimes solving other clues unlocks the key to the previously challenging ones.</p><h3>Practice patience.&nbsp;</h3><p>Patience and perseverance are the unspoken rules for cryptic crosswords. If you’re stumped, move on to others and return to it later with fresh eyes.</p>

Attention fans of anagrams, puns, and riddles: Cryptic crosswords may be your new obsession.

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<p>Creator interviews, exclusive LA Times Crossword hints and tips, and the latest in puzzling news.</p>

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LA Times Crossword

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Put your pop culture, word play, sports, and humor acumen through the paces with this daily crossword.

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A contemporary crossword puzzle jam-packed with fun features.

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The Modern Crossword

This classic puzzle is the perfect combination: challenging yet accessible for crossworders of all skill levels.

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USA TODAY Crossword

<p>Try playing the LA Times Crossword with our free preview packs.</p>

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<p>Put your pop culture, word play, sports, and humor acumen through the paces with this daily puzzle, which gets tougher each day of the week.</p>

How to: LA Times Crossword

Put your pop culture, word play, sports, and humor acumen through the paces with the Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword puzzle, which gets tougher each day of the week. Become a Puzzle Society member to play!

LA Times Crossword - Crossword Puzzles | Puzzle Society

Play the LA Times Crossword: For fans of pop culture 

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<p>How to play the LA Times Crossword, in-depth solving strategies, and more.&nbsp;</p>

LA Times Crossword

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5 Essential Tips to Understand Crossword Clues

Cryptic Crosswords: A Spin on Traditional Crossword Puzzles We Think You’ll Love

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