(Those who are just starting out as constructors will want to start here.)
Although constructors are allowed to clue words in any way their editor allows, there are a few finer points of cryptic cluing that I adhere to, and that you will see reflected throughout the Cryptic Toolkit:
Finer Point #1: The wordplay part of the clue can’t just be a jumble of words: it has to explain to the solver what is going on.
Finer Point #2: When your indicator is a verb, watch your tenses.
Finer Point #3: Your anagram indicator must actually indicate anagramming.
Finer Point #4: A good cryptic clue has only three parts: (a) the definition, (b) the wordplay, and (c) nothing else.
Do you have to abide by these rules in order to write cryptic clues? A lot of constructors don’t – for example, the wickedly clever Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto of the Nation, who I am a huge fan of (despite their occasional misdemeanor). That’s why I don’t call these “rules,” but just “the finer points.”
Call me a purist or a fundamentalist or just picky as hell, but I find clues that break any of these rules are less interesting, less satisfying, and (frankly) less clever. A truly strong cryptic crossword composer can always generate clues that adhere to this framework. (In fact, a truly truly strong cryptic crossword composer can generate several clues that adhere to this framework and then select the clue that works the best.)
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