A recent puzzle here by Brendan had this splendid clue:
19a Start of spectrum initially rearranged for rave-up (4)
wordplay: jumble (“rearranged”) of first four letters of ROYGBIV (“spectrum initially”)
definition: rave-up
We take the first letters of “red”, “orange’, “yellow” and “green” and jumble them for the answer: a riotous or drunken revel, an ORGY.
Unusually for a clue using an anagram, the letters O, R, G and Y are not in front of the solver’s nose, there in the clue. An anagram’s “fodder” is almost always offered directly, not hinted at ambiguously, because no solver wants to spend valuable solving time jumbling, say, the letters of every fruit with a four-letter name that comes to mind before seeing that the answer is, say, MILE. In this case, there is no ambiguity as the colours of the rainbow are immutable (at least at the end we are interested in) and well known.
The clue reminded me that I have been meaning for some years to attempt to describe which types of clue give you the letters of the answer and which don’t tend to, to see whether we agree. So, let’s.
Anagram
The letters are there in the clue: almost always, although they might be separated by some “and”s or “with”s if that helps make the entire clue an interesting sentence.
The letters are in something hinted at: almost never, although we should remember that the Herald’s Wee Stinker felt at liberty to use clues such as “Work out colour (5)” for CHORE (an anagram of OCHRE).
The letters are there in the clue: almost always.
The letters are in something hinted at: almost never, although Philistine pulled off “Fiddle in! (5)”, since the violin AMATI can be found in EXCLAMATION MARK.
The letters are there in the clue: almost always.
The letters are in something hinted at: almost never, although I can imagine something akin to the ROYGBIV example such as: “Swine seen initially in Richard Osman’s teatime quiz (3)“ for HOG via HOUSE OF GAMES.
The letters are there in the clue: now we are starting to change approach. The setter is less likely to offer, say, “Slap flipping friends (4)” for PALS, as the words already look so alike, but might manage it with something longer or less obvious such as DESSERTS and STRESSED.
The letters are in something hinted at: usually.
The letters are there in the clue: the setter might and could offer “Compassionate man wearing hue (6)” for HUMANE, but, in order not to insult the solver’s intelligence, is more likely to go with Pasquale’s “Compassionate fellow wearing a colour”.
The letters are in something hinted at: almost always.
The letters are there in the clue: the words probably have to at least sound different, like “erring” and “herring”.
The letters are in something hinted at: usually.
The letters are there in the clue: never, since the device involves a word that sounds like the answer but isn’t spelt the same way. That word itself is not usually given directly, as most homophones look too similar.
The letters are in something hinted at: almost always.
The letters are there in the clue: obviously not.
The letters are in something hinted at: every time.
Do you agree? And what have I missed?
More guidance
Cryptic devices: hidden answers; double definitions; defining by example; cryptic definitions; soundalikes; spoonerisms; stammering; containers; reversals; initial letters; alternate letters; cycling; replacing one thing with another; taking most of a word; percentages of a word; naked words; first and last letters; middle letters; removing initial letters; removing middle letters; removing final letters; palindromes.
Bits and bobs: Roman numerals; Nato alphabet; Greek letters; chemistry; abbreviations for countries; foreign words; points of the compass; more points of the compass; playing cards; capital letters; boys and girls; clothes; apostrophes; cricket; alcohol; the church; politics; Latin; royals; newspapers; doctors; drugs; hospitals; music; animals; cars; money; jobs; cities; rivers; boats; trains; when the setter’s name appears; when the solver appears; “cheating”.
Individual letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O.
