Cryptic Crosswords - "We split!

Sometimes a clue will be for a phrase, not a single word. Sometimes it will be for a compound (hyphenated) word. Sometimes it will be for a phrase which is distributed across the blank, occupying more than one word space and forming the answer to more than one of the clues.

Let's see how some of these conventions work out...

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All out! - commander hit (7,6)

The answer here is "general strike" - “all out!” is the definition and a “general” is a commander and to “hit” is to strike. Note that this was indicated to be a seven letter word followed by a six letter one. The space is dropped when the words are written into the crossword blank, so it would end up looking like:

G E N E R A L S T R I K E

Hyphens in compound words and apostrophes within phrases are dropped in the same way that spaces are.

B Y L A W

would be indicated as (2-3) or very occasionally (and not in the best crosswords) as (2,3) - and

S O D S L A W

would be shown as (4,3), removing the apostrophe and counting the S as part of the word it follows.

Something you might find a helpful strategy when you come across such a more-than-one-word target is to thicken the line in the blank where a word break occurs. That will help show how things will fall, and can often help solve the puzzle.

On other occasions, the compiler will end up with a target phrase too long to be fitted in - indeed it may be too long to fit across the width or height of the whole blank. He may then split this phrase among several of the word spaces on the grid, giving one clue for it at the point where it starts, and then some other indication for the other clues.

For example:

clue: Saying Mick Jagger makes a poor sphagnum harvester. (1,7,5,7,2,4)

The answer is, of course, "A rolling stone gathers no moss", which is a "saying" and the rest paraphrases a variant meaning of the real thing. It would be a rare newspaper which could print a crossword having enough width for a single answer of 26 letters. This answer would be distributed over the grid, occupying the space for several clues and answers. It may be divided, for example, into an eight letter answer, plus a five letter answer, plus a nine letter answer plus a four letter answer. AROLLING STONE GATHERSNO MOSS. The divisions must, of course, coincide with word breaks - you couldn't divide it AROLL INGSTO NEGATH ERSNOMOSS.

The clues list may then look something like this: (Don't try and reconstruct the grid, because it won't work!)

ACROSS

1) All stop! - commander hit (7,6)

7) Saying Mick Jagger makes a poor sphagnum harvester. (1,7,5,7,2,4)

9) Viewer of royalty starts disaster (3)

13) See 7 across

14) Follow faithfully a flame support (3)

17) See 7 across

21) Trams she changes for storers in cheeks (8)

23) See 7 across

DOWN

2) Reed backs roe (4)

3) Mute pale takes direction for Laker (4)

etc.....

Often the various numbered blanks are listed at the head of the clue:

7, 13, 17, 23) Saying Mick Jagger makes a poor sphagnum harvester. (1,7,5,7,2,4)

If that is the case, the cross-references [23) See 7 across - etc.] may well not be present. Space is usually at a premium in publications, and any chance to save some will be taken. It may also be the case that not all of the components of the answer are in the same alignment, in which case A and D may appear in the clue number list:

7a, 13a, 17d, 23a) Saying Mick Jagger makes a poor sphagnum harvester. (1,7,5,7,2,4)

Now let's look at a selection of real clues and see how they relate to their answers...