Translation cryptic clue
A foreign word does the work. A city or country name is usually the flag.
How it works
A foreign word does the work. The flag is a place — in Paris, in Berlin, a Spanish port — telling you which language to borrow from.
The vocabulary is small and repeats constantly: a few French, German, Spanish, and Italian words cover nearly every translation clue ever set.
Worked example
The place name is the language switch.
Animal in Paris? (3)
AnswerCAT
- Definition: animal — CAT.
- In Paris signals French: the French for cat is chat.
- Translate back to English: CAT (3).
Spotting it in the wild
- Starter kit: chat (FR, cat), chien (FR, dog), ami (FR, friend), Hund (DE, dog), vino (IT, wine), amigo (ES, friend).
- The city or country name tells you the language — nothing more.
- The answer is always the English word.