Charades Explained

How to solve “charade” clues in cryptic crosswords

Imagine, if you will, the charade clue in a cryptic crossword as a culinary concoction. The chef (crossword constructor) haphazardly tosses various ingredients (word segments) into a pot (clue), hoping to create a harmonious symphony of flavours (a coherent word). Just as a pioneering chef might combine seemingly mismatched ingredients, the charade clue in a cryptic crossword brazenly amalgamates disparate word segments, seeking to bewilder and bemuse the puzzled solver, while also satisfying their tastebuds and appetite.

In this culinary analogy, each segment of the charade clue represents a separate ingredient, with its unique flavour and texture. These segments are akin to a jumbled medley of spices, vegetables, and meats, thrown into the cauldron of linguistic chaos, creating a bubbling concoction of confusion. Just as the mishandled culinary fusion might result in an unpalatable disaster, the misaligned amalgamation of word segments in the charade clue would lead to a cacophony of semantic disarray, challenging even the most discerning diner, or solver, to distinguish and appreciate the mishmash of flavours.

Imagine the hapless diner, unsuspectingly served a dish concocted from an incongruous blend of flavours (mismatched word segments), unable to discern the distinct taste of each ingredient, much like the solver of a cryptic crossword struggling to decipher the individual meaning of each segment in the charade clue. In this cuisine calamity, the disjointed tangs of flavour clash and collide, as do the disjointed word segments in the charade clue, creating an enigmatic maze of textual convolution that demands the utmost patience and perseverance for the diner to swallow (or for the setter to decode).

Meanwhile, a delectably inspirational dish in the finest restaurant might sadly be lost on uncultured palates. Just as the diner has a role to play in realising the wonder of a well-prepared meal, so too must the solver pull their weight in consummating a perfectly good charade. But what of the risk of rodent infestation? Even the finest restaurant is never far from a rat, regardless of its impeccable standards of cleanliness and a disciplined and orderly staff. The charade clue is no different. Just as vermin might infiltrate the larder of a culinary establishment, so might a shared root creep into the pantry of the clue, to gnaw at the setter’s resolve.

As the ill-fated chef’s misguided culinary creation stirs up a whirlwind of taste bud confusion, so too does the charade clue in the cryptic crossword propel the solver into a vortex of semantic perplexity, urging them to disentangle the haphazard amalgamation of linguistic fragments to unlock the elusive treasure trove of wordplay hidden within.

When explained in this way, the charade is seen to be by turn the most delicious and the most nauseating clue to be encountered in the multifarious food court that is the cryptic crossword.