Daily Mail Cryptic Answers are Here (April 18, 2024)
by Ramya R | Updated Apr 18, 2024
Crossword puzzles are word games played on a grid. The goal is to fill the grid with words that fit the clues. Clues can be definitions, synonyms, or phrases. To play, read the clues and try to think of words that match the clue. Write those words into the grid, make sure they fit with the ones you have already filled in. Let’s start.
Question: A container not quite closed (4)
Answer: AJAR
When something is described as not quite closed, it's often said to be ajar, meaning slightly open or partially closed.
Question: No townsman has beer after 6:50 (8)
Answer: VILLAGER
Referring to a person who lives in a village, this clue cleverly uses townsman to indicate someone from an urban area, suggesting villager for a rural dweller. The mention of time, after 6:50, hints at the word's letters and length.
Question: Last offer (4,3)
Answer: HOLDOUT
Last offer suggests a final attempt or bid in a negotiation or deal, implying holdout, someone who refuses to agree to the terms presented.
Question: Tenth little bird with huge wings (5)
Answer: TITHE
Tenth little bird is a cryptic way of referring to a tithe, which historically represents a tenth of one's earnings or produce given as an offering, often to a religious institution. The mention of huge wings could subtly allude to the concept of giving a portion.
Question: Country star taking in American prosecutor (5)
Answer: SUDAN
This clue combines country star to signify a nation, and American prosecutor to indicate the abbreviation for the United States, resulting in Sudan, a country in Africa.
Question: Cutting tool observed by rascal (6)
Answer: RIPSAW
Describing a cutting tool, the clue observed by rascal hints at ripsaw, a type of saw with large teeth, through wordplay involving the word saw and a mischievous character, a rascal.
Question: Struggle we had seen on TV? (6)
Answer: VIEWED
When we encounter a struggle portrayed on television, we've watched or VIEWED it unfold before our eyes. The word VIEWED encapsulates the act of witnessing or observing the depicted challenge.
Question: Zulu follows this American (6)
Answer: YANKEE
The term Yankee typically refers to an American, with Zulu following it in the NATO phonetic alphabet, so Yankee is the answer.
Question: He provided queen with young beast (6)
Answer: HEIFER
He refers to a male animal, and queen suggests a female animal, typically a cow. Therefore, HEIFER represents a young female bovine, often provided for breeding purposes.
Question: Exclude bread rolls (5)
Answer: DEBAR
To exclude or prevent someone from entering a place or participating in an activity is to DEBAR them. This term aligns with the idea of keeping someone out, similar to removing or excluding bread rolls from a meal.
Question: Stagger from a labyrinth (5)
Answer: AMAZE
When navigating through a labyrinth or maze, one may feel staggered or bewildered by its complexity. Thus, the word AMAZE captures the sense of being confused or astonished by the intricate pathways of a labyrinth.
Question: Oceanic fluid that's a drug (7)
Answer: COCAINE
COCAINE, a potent drug, is often associated with the term oceanic fluid due to its origin from the coca plant, which is primarily cultivated in South America, near coastal regions. The phrase oceanic fluid metaphorically connects to the substance's geographical source.
Question: Only hair for support (8)
Answer: BUTTRESS
Buttress fits perfectly as it denotes a structure built against or projecting from a wall for support or reinforcement, and can figuratively imply the idea of relying solely on hair for support.
Question: Reports from all quarters (4)
Answer: NEWS
News aligns with the idea of receiving reports or updates from various sources, encompassing happenings from all quarters or directions.
Question: Have side mended with glue (8)
Answer: ADHESIVE
Adhesive directly refers to glue, which is commonly used to mend or stick things together, including sides of objects, fitting the context perfectly.
Question: Was sick girl set up? (5)
Answer: AILED
Ailed fits as it means to have suffered from an illness, and when rearranged ('set up'), it forms a question asking if the girl was unwell.
Question: Put in prison, we hear, one after the other (2,4)
Answer: INTURN
In turn means one after the other, which when pronounced ('we hear') sounds like 'in turn', fitting the context of the clue perfectly.
Question: Tulip may be illuminated- (3,2)
Answer: LITUP
Illuminated here implies brightness or light. Breaking down the wordplay, we have Tulip (a flower) and illuminated, leading to the answer LITUP.
Question: Recover a Beatles song- (3,4)
Answer: GETBACK
It's asking for a phrase that means to retrieve something, possibly with a reference to a specific Beatles song. Combining Recover with a Beatles song suggests GETBACK, which is both a phrase meaning to retrieve something and the title of a Beatles song.
Question: Dance that's authentic, by the sound of it (4)
Answer: REEL
Dance that's authentic suggests a traditional form, and the mention of by the sound of it hints at a homophone. This leads us to REEL, a dance style that's both authentic and sounds like real.
Question: Surprise attack putting pressure on lightweight (6)
Answer: POUNCE
Putting pressure on lightweight suggests an ambush or assault, and surprise attack reinforces this. The answer, POUNCE, fits perfectly, denoting a sudden leap or attack.
Question: Cheers for hare sent astray (8)
Answer: HEARTENS
Cheers for hare implies support or encouragement for a rabbit, while sent astray hints at the hare being misled. The solution, HEARTENS, means to give courage or enthusiasm, fitting the context of encouragement for the hare.
Question: Smart worker after unfinished poem (7)
Answer: ELEGANT
Smart worker after unfinished poem hints at elegance combined with industriousness, leading to the answer ELEGANT. This word implies sophistication and grace, fitting for someone who completes tasks efficiently.
Question: Kidnap sailor on tube (6)
Answer: ABDUCT
Kidnap sailor on tube the answer ABDUCT emerges from the concept of seizing someone aboard a vessel.
Question: King of Rome heard in ruins (6)
Answer: WRECKS
King of Rome heard in ruins suggests a monarch's name amidst destruction, culminating in the answer WRECKS.
Question: Father, always poetical, is more lavish (5)
Answer: FREER
Father, always poetical, is more lavish (5) directs us to the answer FREER. It alludes to someone who exhibits generosity or abundance, possibly contrasting with the typical image of a father figure.
Question: Second class journey for groom's partner (5)
Answer: BRIDE
Second class journey for groom's partner suggests the answer BRIDE. This clue hints at a matrimonial context, with the term groom's partner signaling the counterpart in a wedding.
Question: Crude picture of fish swallowing half of us (4)
Answer: DAUB
Crude picture of fish swallowing half of us leads to the answer DAUB. It hints at the act of painting in a rough or unskilled manner, possibly depicting a scene where a fish consumes part of the word us.
