Reversal cryptic clue
Spell a word backwards. On a grid, direction words double as reversal flags.
How it works
Spell a word backwards and you get the answer. The indicator is often a direction word — back, reversed, up, west — or a phrase like returned or overturned.
Direction words are leftovers from grid solving, where a down answer really is written upwards. On Icqu Cryptic they survive as flavor: any backwards word counts.
Worked example
DESSERTS written right-to-left says exactly how a tight week feels.
Strained, like sweets served backwards (8)
AnswerSTRESSED
- Definition: strained — a tight week leaves you STRESSED.
- Backwards is the flag; the fodder is sweets = DESSERTS.
- DESSERTS written right-to-left is STRESSED. Sweet.
Spotting it in the wild
- Indicators: back, backward, returning, reversed, overturned, up, west.
- If the fodder is a palindrome, reversal is wasted — setters avoid it, so a palindrome word rarely signals this device.
- Reversals pair well with charades and containers.