Past Clues & Difficulty Explorer
Missed yesterday’s puzzle or looking to practice a specific wordplay technique? Browse every past clue, filter by setter difficulty, and track your completion history.
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"Listen carefully to produce quiet" (6)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Carefully" serves as an anagram indicator signaling that the 6 letters of LISTEN must be rearranged to form SILENT, matching the definition "quiet".
"European country without adult needing food" (6)
Setter: Puzzler Prime
The European country is HUNGARY. When you remove "A" (Adult film certificate abbreviation), you get HUNGRY, which satisfies the definition "needing food".
"Drunk actor in musical performance" (7)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Drunk" serves as an anagram indicator reorganizing the 7 letters in "ACTOR IN" into CONCERT, matching the definition "musical performance".
"Secret agent concealed in modern spycraft" (3)
Setter: Telescope
The indicator "concealed in" tells you that the answer is visibly embedded inside the phrase "modern SPYcraft". Extracting the letters gives SPY ("Secret agent").
"Reportedly permitted spoken message" (5)
Setter: The Sounder
"Reportedly" is a homophone indicator. The word ALLOWED (meaning permitted) sounds identical to ALOUD ("spoken message").
"Returned reward for drinking vessel" (3)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Returned" dictates that the preceding word GUM must be reversed backwards, giving MUG ("drinking vessel").
"Metal tin holding gold for church singer" (6)
Setter: The Scribe
A metal tin is a CAN. It is "holding" OR (heraldic gold). Inserting OR into CAN yields CANTOR, meaning a church singer.
"Tree bark on canine" (3)
Setter: The Dualist
A classic Double Definition: BAY is a type of laurel tree, and to BAY is to howl or bark deeply like a hound.
"Automobile and domestic pet make floor covering" (6)
Setter: Puzzler Prime
Join CAR (automobile) with PET (domestic pet) end-to-end to construct CARPET ("floor covering").
"Taxi and fashionable friend build shelter" (5)
Setter: The Architect
A taxi is a CAB. Fashionable translates to IN. Placed together they form CABIN ("shelter").
"Troubled heart on our planet" (5)
Setter: Cosmo
"Troubled" is an anagram indicator signaling that the 5 letters of HEART should be scrambled to yield EARTH ("our planet").
"Juicy fruit discovered in major anger" (6)
Setter: Telescope
The indicator "discovered in" reveals the letters O-R-A-N-G-E hidden across the phrase "majOR ANGEr", naming the juicy fruit ORANGE.
"Reportedly dark time for armored hero" (6)
Setter: The Sounder
"Reportedly" tells us that the word NIGHT (dark time) is spoken aloud, which sounds identical to KNIGHT ("armored hero").
"Friend holding a playing card in grand residence" (6)
Setter: The Scribe
A friend is a PAL. It holds A and ACE (playing card) inside to create PALACE, defining a "grand residence".
"Serious burial place" (5)
Setter: The Dualist
A classic double definition: GRAVE means solemn or serious, and a GRAVE is a burial place.
"Racket sport seen in rotten nineteen" (6)
Setter: Telescope
"Seen in" reveals the letters T-E-N-N-I-S concealed within the consecutive phrase "rotTEN NIneteen", identifying the racket sport.
"Abandon dry wasteland" (6)
Setter: The Dualist
To DESERT someone is to abandon them, while a DESERT is a dry wasteland.
"Ship's weight tossed on char" (6)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Tossed" indicates an anagram of the 6 letters in "ON CHAR", forming ANCHOR ("Ship's weight").
"Crossing over card game" (6)
Setter: The Dualist
A BRIDGE is a physical crossing over water or road, and BRIDGE is a renowned partnership card game.
"Yellow citrus fruit found in gentle monarch" (5)
Setter: Telescope
The indicator "found in" tells you that LEMON is concealed within "gentLE MONarch".
"Contract to rent rearranged easel" (5)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Rearranged" instructs an anagram of the 5 letters in EASEL, forming LEASE ("Contract to rent").
"Tree found in dark ashram" (3)
Setter: Telescope
The indicator "found in" reveals the letters A-S-H concealed inside "dark ASHram", identifying the tree ASH.
"Gold and fish create aquarium pet" (8)
Setter: Puzzler Prime
Join GOLD (precious metal) and FISH (aquatic creature) end-to-end to create GOLDFISH ("aquarium pet").
"Returned wolf creates stream" (4)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Returned" indicates reversing WOLF backwards to produce FLOW ("stream").
"Automobile holding ring for freight" (5)
Setter: The Scribe
A CAR (automobile) is "holding" O (letter shaped like a ring) to yield CARGO ("freight").
"Audibly correct ritual ceremony" (4)
Setter: The Sounder
"Audibly" signals a homophone: RIGHT (meaning correct) sounds identical to RITE ("ritual ceremony").
"Fire starter and sports contest" (5)
Setter: The Dualist
A Double Definition: a MATCH is a fire starter, and a MATCH is an athletic contest.
"Downpour as locomotive loses head" (4)
Setter: Puzzler Prime
"Locomotive" is TRAIN. When it "loses head" (the initial letter T is deleted), it leaves RAIN ("Downpour").
"Crazy horse for seaside area" (5)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Crazy" is an anagram indicator signaling that the 5 letters of HORSE rearrange to form SHORE ("seaside area").
"Hot drink discovered in delicate atoll" (3)
Setter: Telescope
The indicator "discovered in" reveals the letters T-E-A concealed inside "delicaTE Atoll", naming the hot drink TEA.
"Shower and bead create falling water" (8)
Setter: Puzzler Prime
Combine RAIN (shower) and DROP (bead) end-to-end to create RAINDROP ("falling water").
"Returned desserts cause emotional strain" (8)
Setter: Acrostic Ace
"Returned" indicates that DESSERTS is read backwards, spelling STRESSED ("emotional strain").
"Line and writing fluid build connection" (4)
Setter: The Scribe
Join L (standard abbreviation for line) and INK (writing fluid) to build LINK ("connection").
"Male holding hearing organ in body pump" (5)
Setter: The Scribe
HE (male) is "holding" EAR (hearing organ) to produce HEART ("body pump").
"Flowering season and jump forward" (6)
Setter: The Dualist
A Double Definition: SPRING is the flowering season after winter, and to SPRING is to jump forward.
How to Practice Cryptic Crosswords Systematically
To transition from beginner to intermediate solver, deliberate practice is essential. Instead of randomly solving clues, use this archive with the following technique:
Filter by "Hidden Word" or "Anagram". Solve 5 clues of that exact category consecutively to train your brain to spot that specific pattern. Master all mechanisms in our Techniques Directory or look up signal words in our Indicator Lexicon.
Start with Level 1 clues. Only move to Level 2 once you can solve Level 1 clues in under 2 minutes without using hint tier 3. Need a refresher? Work through our bite-sized Beginner Academy.
Even when you solve a clue correctly, click "Reveal Solution & Formula" to review how the setter fooled your brain with their surface reading. Ready for full grids? Try our 5x5 Mini Crossword Arena.
Archive Frequently Asked Questions
Q1.Can I replay past cryptic clues without resetting my streak?▼
Yes! Solving past clues in the archive is free practice and will not break your daily streak. If you solve an archived clue cleanly without using hints, it counts toward your Total Puzzles Solved.
Q2.How are difficulty ratings (1 to 4) determined?▼
Level 1 (Beginner) clues feature obvious indicators, short enumerations, and single-step wordplay like hidden words or simple anagrams. Level 4 (Fiendish) clues feature complex charades, archaic or heraldic abbreviations, deceptive surface readings, and multiple nested wordplay operations.
Q3.How many clues are available in the archive?▼
Currently, there are 35 verified daily cryptic clues and 5 5x5 mini crossword grids available to solve.
Q4.How frequently are new clues added to the archive?▼
A new daily cryptic clue and mini crossword unlock every day at midnight local time. All past puzzles remain permanently playable in this historical archive.