In clues with multiple cryptic elements, sometimes the surface sense works better if those elements are presented out of order. For example:
• When cluing the word “year” as Y + EAR *, instead of saying “End of quaternary new era….” you can write:
New era after end of quaternary age (4)
• When cluing the word “nod” as NO + D, instead of saying “Rejection and a bit of duplicity….” you can write:
A bit of duplicity: following rejection, approval (3)
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NOTE: The verbs on this list in present tense (FOLLOWS) also work as indicators in the past (FOLLOWED) and present participle (IS FOLLOWING) tenses.
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AFTER
BEHIND
BELOW
BENEATH
BEYOND
CHASES
COMPLETES
DEXTER
DOGS
EAST OF
ESCORTS
FOLLOWS
IS INFERIOR TO
INTRODUCED BY
ON THE HEELS OF
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
PAST
POST
POSTDATED
PURSUES
RIGHT OF
SHADOWING
SHADOWS
SUBSEQUENTLY
SUCCEEDS
TAILS
TRAILS
USHERS IN
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There is a second set of verbs that can suit this purpose: ones that indicate two clue elements swapping places. These are particularly useful if you need to sneak a verb into your surface sense. For example:
Dee and Romeo’s animal (4)
… is a valid but boring clue, with a grammatically correct but unlikely surface sense. Adding an “exchange” indicator, though, allows us to enrich the clue with what it needs most — a verb:
Romeo and Dee swapped animals (4) [1]
NOTE: In most cases, this trick works best in the past tense, because then it describes a completed action (“Romeo and Dee have been swapped….”). “With Romeo and Dee exchanging…” and “After Romeo and Dee exchange….” are not instructions.
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BARTERED
EXCHANGED
SUBSTITUTED FOR
SWAPPED
SWITCHED
SWITCHING PLACES
TRADED
TRADING PLACES
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[1] DEE + R
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