Cato's Dozen Crossword (2024)

FAQs

What do the numbers mean in crossword hints? ›

The simplest kind of wordplay hint is a second definition. For example, HOOD can mean "gangster" or "a cover for the head." So a clue for HOOD might read: "Cover for the head gangster (4)." (The number in parentheses indicates how many letters are in the answer.)

The crosswords are designed to increase in difficulty throughout the week, with the easiest on Monday and the most difficult on Saturday. The larger Sunday crossword, which appears in The New York Times Magazine, is an icon in American culture; it is typically intended to be a "Thursday-plus" in difficulty.

However, many times the blank space can be filled in with two or more words. In easier crosswords, multiple words will be indicated with (2 words) or (2 wds.), but more often than not it will be up to the solver to determine how many words fill in the space.

There is a number or numbers after the clue. This indicates the shape of the answer. A simple (7) will just indicate a seven‐letter word; (3,4) will indicate a two‐word phrase ‐ e.g. Put Down; (3‐4) indicates a hyphenated word or phrase ‐ e.g. Oil‐rigs.

Most cryptic crosswords provide the number of letters in the answer, or in the case of phrases, a series of numbers to denote the letters in each word: "cryptic crossword" would be clued with "(7,9)" following the clue. More advanced puzzles may drop this portion of the clue.

Fill in the blanks first

Every puzzle usually has a small handful of fill-in-the-blanks, so if you're looking to get an early confidence boost, scan the list of clues for fill-in-the-blanks and knock them out early.

A renowned British crossword maker called Marc Breman created in 2018 what's thought to be the world's hardest cryptic crossword to date. Not only are the clues fiendishly hard, but the crossword itself is rather large, with 64 clues.

Force = f, n. Former = ex. Fort = ft. French = fr.

For example – EG (e.g., short for the Latin exempli gratia) Force – F, G (gravity), N (newton) Former – EX. Four – IV (Roman Numeral)

The asterisks at the start of the theme clues aren't there to mark the theme clues—they stand in for the letters Star.

How do crossword puzzle clues work? ›

In cryptic crosswords, the clues are puzzles in themselves. A typical clue contains both a definition at the beginning or end of the clue and wordplay, which provides a way to manufacture the word indicated by the definition, and which may not parse logically.

Fill in the blanks first

Every puzzle usually has a small handful of fill-in-the-blanks, so if you're looking to get an early confidence boost, scan the list of clues for fill-in-the-blanks and knock them out early.

Each crossword contains a mathematical equation. Players need to fill in the blanks to make these mathematical equations true. When players complete the puzzle, they can click the Submit button to see the result.