Rebus cryptic clue
Digits and letters stand in for sounds: B4 = before, GR8 = great, M8 = mate.
How it works
Digits and letters stand in for sounds, texting style: B4 = before, GR8 = great, M8 = mate. The clue sounds out the phrase; you transliterate it.
It is the youngest device in the book — born from pager and phone-keypad slang — and it shows up exactly as often as the setter wants to feel modern.
Worked example
Texting shorthand where characters stand in for sounds.
Mate, the quick way (2)
AnswerM8
- Definition: mate — M8 in texting shorthand.
- The quick way: read it aloud — "em-eight" sounds like mate.
- Two characters, one word.
Spotting it in the wild
- Starter kit: B4 (before), GR8 (great), M8 (mate), L8R (later), NE1 (anyone).
- The letter count counts characters, not syllables — M8 is (2).
- Read the clue aloud; numbers said out loud are the engine.