STRUCTURE OF A CROSSWORD PUZZLE

There is nothing mysterious about a Crossword Puzzle though its clues, especially the cryptic ones look labyrinthine. 

A Crossword Puzzle is a simple set of squares arranged both horizontally and vertically, generally bounded within a bigger square. Most of the squares are blank while some of them are black or shaded. Blank squares are called “Lights” and shaded squares are known as “Blocks”. Words are filled only in “Lights”. Some of these “Lights” contain a number within them. Each of these “Lights” with a number inside is the starting point of a word that forms the answer. 

Clues in a crossword puzzle are generally of two types.

Easy – In this type, clue is a single word or phrase

Cryptic – In this type, the clue is in the form of a phrase or sentence (which may or may not make sense to the reader)

At Mangala's Potpourri "Play with Words" section, readers have the choice of solving Cryptic Clues either in association with a Crossword Puzzle or independantly

To continue reading click on Understanding Cryptic Clues Type "A"
To go back click on A Word about Crossword Puzzles
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