Get the Daily Mail Cryptic Updated Answers Here (April 16, 2024)
by Sivasankari | Updated Apr 16, 2024
Solving a crossword puzzle requires patience because it takes time to think and figure out the clues. If you are trying to crack today's Daily Mail Cryptic Crossword, you can find the clues here. And if you are feeling stuck, you can look at the answers and explanations below. By practicing this crossword every day, you will get better at it.
Sharply worded telegram that forms a barrier (6,4)
Answer: BARBEDWIRE
Sharply worded telegram suggests a form of communication known for its directness and potentially hostile nature. Forms a barrier hints at something used to create a boundary or obstruction. Combining these clues leads to barbed wire, which is often used to form barriers due to its sharp and prickly nature.
Old singer turned tail in church and left (8)
Answer: MINSTREL
Old singer indicates a performer from the past, possibly from medieval times. Turned tail in church and left suggests a reversal or rearrangement of letters found in the word church followed by left, leading to minstrel, a historical singer and musician.
Snakes like pythons not content (4)
Answer: ASPS
Snakes like pythons narrows down the type of snake being referred to. Not content hints at the removal or absence of something, which leads to asps, a type of snake similar to pythons but smaller and more venomous.
Remove some elected officials (4)
Answer: DOFF
Remove some indicates taking away or discarding a part of something. Elected officials refers to a group of people chosen through voting. When you remove part of the word officials, you're left with doff, meaning to remove or take off, often in a respectful manner.
Unyielding man in bible wants wings removed (7)
Answer: ADAMANT
Unyielding man in bible points to a character known for his steadfastness and refusal to compromise. Wants wings removed suggests removing a specific part of the word, leading to adamant, meaning firm, unyielding, or resolute.
Carol turned out in thin singlet (6,5)
Answer: SILENTNIGHT
Carol refers to a traditional Christmas song. Turned out in thin singlet suggests rearranging or mixing up the letters found in thin singlet to form part of the title of the famous Christmas carol, Silent Night, which is often sung during the holiday season.
Soft wood for pipeman? (7)
Answer: PLUMBER
Soft wood hints at a material often used in construction or carpentry. For pipeman? suggests a profession or trade related to pipes or plumbing. Combining these clues leads to plumber, someone who works with pipes and plumbing fixtures, often using soft wood like PVC or copper piping.
Woman left before break of day (4)
Answer: LADY
Woman left indicates the removal of the letter L from a word meaning woman. Before break of day hints at the early hours of the morning, often referred to as daybreak or dawn.
Submarine captain backing old crew members (4)
Answer: NEMO
Submarine captain refers to Captain Nemo, a character from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Backing old crew members hints at Nemo's loyalty to his crew aboard the Nautilus.
Find out about exceptional radiation (5-3)
Answer: INFRARED
Exceptional radiation indicates a type of electromagnetic radiation beyond the visible spectrum. Infrared radiation is known for its longer wavelengths, making it invisible to the human eye but detectable as heat.
Untidy doctor reads diary (10)
Answer: DISARRAYED
Untidy doctor suggests someone who is disorganized or messy, while reads diary implies looking through personal notes. The word disarrayed means in a state of disorder, fitting the theme of untidiness and rummaging through personal writings.
Poet embracing one TV pioneer (5)
Answer: BAIRD
The term poet may refer to someone who is skilled with words or imagery. Embracing one TV pioneer alludes to John Logie Baird, a Scottish engineer and inventor who pioneered the development of television technology.
Fluster-free? (7)
Answer: RESTFUL
Fluster-free? suggests a state of calm or tranquility, while restful describes an environment or condition conducive to relaxation and peace, perfectly matching the clue.
Lord ahead of time? Not quite (4)
Answer: EARL
Lord ahead of time implies someone of noble rank, and not quite suggests a slight deviation from the expected. An earl is a British noble ranking below a marquess and above a viscount, slightly less prestigious than the traditional image of a lord.
Praise for a cook is not rare (4,4)
Answer: WELLDONE
Praise for a cook indicates commendation for culinary skills, while not rare implies something common or frequently encountered. Well done is a common expression used to commend someone for a job or task performed excellently, particularly in cooking.
True capital of Mayan kingdom (5)
Answer: REALM
The True capital suggests a genuine or authentic center of power within the Mayan civilization. In this context, Mayan kingdom refers to the realm or domain of the Mayans, making REALM the fitting answer.
Instrument made from wood found in street (6)
Answer: SPINET
A SPINET is a type of musical instrument, specifically a small upright piano, often made from wood and commonly seen in various locales, including streets.
Girl providing cake decoration (8)
Answer: ANGELICA
ANGELICA fits as it's a common feminine name and also refers to a type of decoration often used in cake making, such as angelica leaves or candied angelica.
Precious metal for Long John (6)
Answer: SILVER
Long John typically refers to Long John Silver, a character from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island, who is associated with pirates and treasure. SILVER is a precious metal often associated with treasure, making it the apt answer.
Family member with a really empty store (7)
Answer: GRANARY
A GRANARY is a storehouse for threshed grain, often associated with farming families, and when empty, it would indeed be a really empty store.
Heading north, wander with one New Zealander (5)
Answer: MAORI
Wander suggests an anagram, and one New Zealander implies a single letter abbreviation for a person from New Zealand. Combining these hints, we rearrange the letters of wander and add the abbreviation for one New Zealander, giving us the solution MAORI.
Buckle under bear (5)
Answer: YIELD
Buckle under implies giving in or surrendering, and bear could refer to enduring or carrying a burden. The answer YIELD is appropriate as it means to give in or surrender.
A great distance covered by safari?- (4)
Answer: AFAR
A great distance hints at the word AFAR, which means at a distance. The question mark suggests a play on words, indicating that safari is not to be taken literally but rather as a clue to the word's meaning.