Double-Edged Indicators

Most clue type indicators tell us exactly which way the wordplay works.

For example:

A swallowing B => A is the outer word, B the inner in a container clue.
A held in B => A is the inner word, B the outer in a container clue.
A lacking B => letter of B are to be removed from A in a deletion clue.
A discarded by B => letters of A are to be removed from B in a deletion clue.

Not all indicators are so clear-cut; some can logically work both ways. Here's a look at some such indicators.

Stopping

To stop is:

1. to fill or close, as in stopping a hole
2. to check or intercept, as in stopping a landslide

So, A stopping B in a cryptic clue can mean:

1. A acting as stopper inside B
   Times 24633: Stopping revolt at last, become elevated as emperor (5) TITUS
   [revol]T, in SUIT (become) reversed
   

2. A taking hold of B
   Times 24692: Heart stopping left a problem (7) TICKLER
   TICKER (heart) around L (left)

Leaving 

To leave is:

1. to go away from, as in boy leaving hometown
2. to neglect or let go of, as in boy leaving math lessons (to study literature, maybe)

So, A leaving B in a cryptic clue can mean:

1. A going away from B
   ET3382: Airmen leaving flashy angle (5) FISH
   RAF (airmen) going away from RAFFISH (flashy)
   

2. A letting go of B
   Times 23712: Notices ducks leaving river by double bend (5,3) SMALL ADS
   S (double bend) MALLARDS (ducks), letting go of R (river)

Out of

"Out of" implies:

1. lacking, as in pen out of ink
2. going away from, as in PM out of country

So, A out of B in a cryptic clue can mean:

1. A lacking B
   Everyman 3341: Fish cigarette out of front of sideboard (5) GAPER
   GASPER (cigarette) lacking S[ideboard]
   

2. A going away from B
   ET 3150: Top performer right out of the running (3) ACE
   R (right) going away from RACE (running)

Packing

To pack is:

1. to cover or envelop, as in packing oneself in warm woollens
2. to fill, as in crowds packing a train

So, A packing B in a cryptic clue can mean:

1. A covering B
   Guardian Quiptic (Pan): Take a gamble, packing thin cover for bed (7). BLANKET
   BET (take a gamble) covering LANK (thin)

2. A filling B
   Times 24406: Way to pack fodder to be able to last through the winter (5) HARDY
   RD (way) filling HAY (fodder)

Solve These

Enjoy solving these clues with double-edged indicators.

Times 24390: Frugal poet stopping penny payment (9) __O__D___
Times 22604: What transvestite does to thwart coercion, leaving university (5-5) C____ ____S
Times Championship Final 2010: Girl married out of spite (5)

Related Posts:

• Without Ado: Another multi-purpose indicator
• Reverse Anagrams: Anagram fodder and anagrind in the answer, not in the clue!
• Wordplay Inversion: When you're supposed to do the opposite of what the indicator says

If you wish to keep track of further articles on Crossword Unclued, you can subscribe to it in a reader via RSS Feed. You can also subscribe by email and have articles delivered to your inbox, or follow me on twitter to get notified of new links.

Thingumabob or whatever it is

A word used when you cannot or will not recall the name of something, "thingumabob" has many spelling variants.

Chambers lists:
thingamy, thingummy, thingamybob, thingamyjig, thingumabob,
thingumajig, thingumbob, thingummybob, thingummyjig

It's all too easy to make a wrong grid entry for this word if you go by the definition or a few crossings alone. Be sure to fully work out the wordplay first – the setter might be expecting a different spelling.

Some examples of ways in which the word has been spelt in crosswords:

Times 20112: Unspecified object producing rare high bounce (11) THINGAMYBOB
THIN (rare) HIGH (gamy) BOB (bounce)

Guardian 25156 (Rufus): Skinny, toothless what's-his-name (9) THINGUMMY
THIN (skinny) GUMMY (toothless)

Times 24696: What's-his-name's light adhesive — a shilling  (11) THINGUMABOB
THIN (light) GUM (adhesive) A BOB (shilling)

THC 10001 (Gridman): G-man and hobbyist tossed gadgets for which you can't recall the name (12) THINGAMYBOBS
(G MAN HOBBYIST)*

Other clues for thingumabob that you can recall?

Related Posts:

• Flavours of Saki
• The Other Side of Sinister
• A Setter's References to Self

If you wish to keep track of further articles on Crossword Unclued, you can subscribe to it in a reader via RSS Feed. You can also subscribe by email and have articles delivered to your inbox, or follow me on twitter to get notified of new links.

The Game Of Bridge In Cryptic Crosswords

Bridge figures prominently in cryptic crosswords but even if you don't play the game, you can get by with just a little surface knowledge about it.

This article gives you an overview of what to know for solving bridge-based cryptic clues.

The Bridge Table

Bridge is played between four players in two competing partnerships. Partners sit facing each other.

It is traditional to refer to the four players by their position at the table - North, South, East, West. North-South and East-West are the two partnerships that play against each other. The placement of partners and opponents forms the crux of most bridge-based cryptic clues, so take in bridge table layout:

 

 

Players

Clues that refer to bridge players individually may lead to full words for their positions - North, South, East, West – or their abbreviations N, S, E, W. These abbreviations give great "bits and pieces" fodder for clues.

The definition could be a direct one like "card player" or "bridge player", or more subtle like "one who holds a hand".

Times 24679: Most wonderful bridge player holding deck I shuffled (9) WICKEDEST
WEST (bridge player) around (DECK I)*

Times 24177: Have a hand in game — no hard finishes  (5,3) PLAYS OUT
PLAY SOUTH (have a hand in game) hard = H

Times 24164: British card player one’s terribly upset to beat? (6) BREAST
BR (British) EAST (card player)

Jumbo 869 Most bridge players after imbibing wine? They’re offensive (7) NASTIES
N,E,S (most bridge players) taking in ASTI (wine)

Partners

A mention of bridge partners in the clue leads to a two-letter pair in the answer - NS/SN or EW/WE. You can narrow the choices for which pair to use according to where it occurs in the word. Start of a word, think on the lines of SN or WE;  end of a plural word, bet on NS.

The clue could say "partners" or, less specifically, something about bidding together.

Times 24245: Rather frail partners holding hands getting a peck from a drunk (7) WEAKISH WE
WE (partners) A KISH (peck from a drunk)

Times 24657: Extremely slick, bidding team to change direction suddenly (4) SKEW
S[lic]K EW (bidding team)

Times 24460: Couple bidding to follow the second person’s desires (4) YENS
YE (second person) NS (couple bidding)

When the clue says "partner" in the singular (this is rare, and I don't like it much), it is equivalent to any player (N, S, E or W).

Guardian 25008: Lazes about, supported by partner's immoral practices (6) SLEAZE
(LAZES)* E (East, partner of West)

Opponents

For each player, there is one partner but two opponents, which makes the task a little more difficult for the crossword solver – the number of possible replacements for "opponents" are twice as many as for "partners".

Opponents in the clue could lead to any of these letter pairs:

NE ES SW WN
EN SE WS NW

Opponents are also neighbours, those bidding against each other, or rivals playing tricks.

Times 24048: Opponents caught by light blow and left spinning (6) ASWIRL
SW (opponents), inside AIR (light blow) L (left)

Times 24629: Bread, tea and hamburgers two neighbours at table missed ... (8) CHAPATTI
CHA (tea) PATTIES (hamburgers) – ES (two neighbours at table)

Times 23686: Penalises opponents for risky card play (7) FINESSE
FINES (penalises) SE (opponents). This meaning of "finesse" - risky card play – is another bridge term to keep in your vocabulary.

Times 23884: High-spirited man on bridge opponents charged (5) LADEN
LAD (high-spirited man) EN (bridge opponents)

As with the singular "partner", the singular "opponent" is equivalent to any player – N, S, E, W.

In Closing

You don't need to know the ins and outs of the game to be able to solve most bridge-related cryptic clues. There will be the odd mention of specialist bridge terms (I've seen chicane and tenace in a the last few months), for which a non-player can look up a good glossary of bridge terms.

For most clues just remember these as you'll do fine -

Players : North (N), South (S), East (E), West (W)
Partners: Opposite compass points NS/SN or EW/EW
Opponents: Adjacent compass points - NE, ES, WS, etc.

Solve These

Times 24567: Degenerate reluctant to kidnap partners? It’s not entirely clear (11) T_________T
Guardian 25160 (Orlando): Discover South Americ­an bridge player abroad (4,3) SU__ ___
Times 24265: Superlatively clean strike caught by player sitting down (7) _HI___
Guardian 24597 (Brendan): Opponents at bridge almost overcome in what follows (6) S__U_L

Related Posts:

A set of articles on the other game you find a lot of in cryptic crosswords.

• Cricket and Cryptic Crosswords: Part I
• Cricket and Cryptic Crosswords – Part II
• Cricket and Cryptic Crosswords – Part III

If you wish to keep track of further articles on Crossword Unclued, you can subscribe to it in a reader via RSS Feed. You can also subscribe by email and have articles delivered to your inbox, or follow me on twitter to get notified of new links.