Anagram cryptic clue
Rearrange the letters of the fodder. The definition still tells you the answer.
How it works
An anagram hands you the letters of the answer directly — but shuffled. Some phrase in the clue, the fodder, contains exactly the letters of the answer, and an anagram indicator nearby tells you to stir them up.
The definition still sits at one end of the clue, so you always have two anchors: what the answer means, and a pile of letters to rearrange. If the fodder is long, write it in a circle and look for common endings (-ING, -ED, -S) first.
Worked example
The classic two-route clue: a shuffled word plus a plain meaning.
Notes scattered produce rock (5)
AnswerSTONE
- The definition is rock — the answer is a piece of rock.
- Scattered is the anagram indicator; the fodder is NOTES — five letters, matching (5).
- Rearrange N-O-T-E-S and you get STONE. Rock means stone — both routes agree.
Spotting it in the wild
- Classic indicators: mixed, broken, confused, wild, shaken, off, upset.
- The fodder usually sits right next to the indicator.
- The letter count in brackets must match the fodder exactly — a quick sanity check before you start shuffling.