Cryptic crossword reference lists > 1001 Cryptic short words
1001 Cryptic short words
How to solve cryptic charade clues, part 2.
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Letters and short words are the building blocks of cryptic charade clues. Short words could be English, foreign or archaic.
Related content How to solve cryptic charade clues, part 1 - 1001 Abbreviations How to solve cryptic charade clues, part 3 - 1001 Cryptic letters |
Jazz fan
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A
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a French - un, une
a German - ein, eine a Scottish - ane able - can able seaman - salt, tar about - on, re acceptable - fine accompanied - and accomplishment - art account - tab acknowledge - own act - deed, do action - deed acting - on actor - ham, tree (Herbert Beerbohm) adage - saw admitting - am, iam, im advanced - lent affluent - rich after the style of - ala (French) again - bis (Latin), re |
age - eon, era
agent - spy agreement - aye, yes ahead - up airborne soldier - para allow - let alternative - or always - aye (archaic), eer, ever an - a anarchist - red ancient city - troy, ur and French - et anger - ire appeal - sue appearance - air application - use approach - near appropriate - bag approve - ok approval - nod approximately - some |
archer - tell (William)
arena - ring aristocrat - toff arrow - dart article - a, an, the as - qua (Latin) association - tie at home - in at university - up at work - in atmosphere - air attempt - go, shy, try attending - at Australia - oz author - pen available - on ave - Catholic petition average - mean, par away - out |
B
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bad French - mal
badly - ill ball - orb band - ring bargain - go bark - tan, woof barrier - dam batting - in battle - loos, nile beam - ray beard - awn (botany) bears - has beat - lam, tan because - for bed - cot beer - ale before - ere beg - bum |
behalf - for
behind - late behold - lo benefitting - for biblical character - job, lot bikini - atoll bird - tit bit - ort (archaic) biting - icy bitter - ale blight - rot blood - gore, red bloody - red blue - sad bluetit - nun blunder - err boasting - am, iam, im bomb - egg |
bombast - rant
bone - rib book - tome born - nee bounder - cad boy - lad boyfriend - beau branch - arm Brazilian - para (state), wax bridge - span broadcast - on brown - bay, tan bug - flu bull - ox bum - beg business - ado, firm by - per |
C
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Cambridgeshire city - ely
can - able, may, tin cape - hope, horn captain - old man capture - net car - ford, mini card - ace cardinal - red care - tend career - run cat - mog cattle - kine, neat, ox celebrity - star censor - edit cent - red certain - sure certainly - yes champion - ace charge - ion cheat - do cheated - did, had check - dam, rein cheeky - pert cheerful - up cheers - ta |
cherished - pet
chess master - tal (Mikhail) chess piece - pawn chewed - bit child - brat children - seed china - ming Chinese dynasty - han, ming circle - disc, ring city - ely clear - rid clock - see close - by, near, nigh, seal closely - hard cloth - rep coach - bus cocaine - snow Cockney girl - er cocktail - egg college - eton common sense - nous commotion - todo communist - red company - firm completely - all |
comprehensive - full
concerning - about, re condition - if conference - pear (fruit variety) conflict - war congress - sex conservative - blue continent - asia contrivance - art control - rein cook - do copy - ape corporation - tum (body) corruption - rot county - avon, down cover - hood, lid craft - art cream - best criminal charge - rap cry of delight - ole cry of triumph - io (Latin: io triumphe) cunning - art current - now curve - arc custom - use |
D
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daily - char
daisy - cow dance - pas (French) dart - fly dear French - cher, chere debauchee - roue decay - rot decree - act deep - main, sea depart - go deposit - park desert - rat desert fighter - rat deserter - rat |
designer - dior
desire - urge dessert - fool (pudding) detectives - yard diamond - ice, rock difficulty - ado, er diocese - see dismissed - out display - air ditch - haha doctor - who doctrine - ism dog - cur, mutt, tail don't change it - stet (Latin) |
don't speak - sh
donkey - ass, ned dossier - file doubt - er, um drink - ale, beer, deep, gin, main, rum, sea, tea drinking - on drug - dope, grass, hash, hemp, ice, joint, junk, pot, weed, whack drug-addled - high drunk - sot dry - sec (French) duke - fist Dutch uncle - oom |
E
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earn - gain
earth - gaia, ge (Greek goddess) east German - ost economist - mill (John Stuart) ecstatic - sent educational establishment - eton effective - bit Egyptian god - geb, nut, seth Egyptian goddess - isis elected - in employ - use employment - use enclosure - pen |
encore - bis (Latin twice)
encourage - egg energy - go engine - gin (gin trap) entertainment - fun ergo - so (Latin) err - sin error - miss essay - try ever - aye (archaic), eer every - each everybody - all everyone - all |
everything - all
evil - sin eviscerate - gut examination - oral, scan, test except - bar, save excited - up exist - be, is existing state - asis expert - able, ace, buff, dab, pro express - air extremely - so extremity - toe |
F
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fabric - net
face - mug family - kin farewell - vale fashion - rage, ton (French) fashionable - in fashionable people - ton fast car - rod fastener - pin father - dad, pa, pop, time favoured - in favourite - pet fellow - don, gent, man female - hen, her, she female support - bra field - lea fighter - man filthy place - sty fine - scot (historic tax) finish - die, end firm - fast, set |
first person - Adam, I, me
fish - cod, eel, gar, ide, ling fit - apt flash - moon flower - lily, rose flowers - lei fly - dart fly larva - bot fool - ass foot - pay footballer - back, wing for - pro for each - per for every - per for example - say for instance - say former - old, once four feet - ell fragment - ort (archaic) free - rid French agreement - oui |
French art - es (French etre)
French article - la, le, les, un, une French flower - lis French king - roi French priest - abbe, cure French queen - reine French said - dit French say - dire French sea - mer French street - rue French wall - mur French who - qui French wine - vin friar - tuck (from Robin Hood) Friday - man (from Robinson Crusoe) fright - fear from French - de from the French - dela, du front - van fuss - ado |
G
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Gaelic - erse
gain - earn gallery - tate gamble - bet garden - bed, eden, plot gathering - do generation - era German agreement - ja German article - das, der, die, ein, eine German with - mit |
gift - gab
girl - gal god - lar, pan, ra, sol god of agriculture - pan goddess - ate, hebe, isis goddess of mischief - ate gold - or (French) good man - dean goodbye - tata, vale gosh - wow |
gracious me - my
grain - rice grass - hay, rat Greek god - ares, eros, pan Greek goddess - ate, eos, hera greeting - ave, hi group - set growth - cyst gun - arm, bren, gat, sten |
H
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hail - ave
hand - man happy - up hard water - ice hat - lid head - ness, pate heavenly body - star hedge - haw (hawthorn) hell - dis (Roman), pit hello - hi |
here in Rome - hic (Latin)
hesitation - er, erm, um high - up hill - tor hindrance - let Hindu god - agni, kama, rama, siva Hindu goddess - kali, maya, sita hip - in holiday - rest horse - arab, barb, cob, nag |
horse race - oaks
hostilities - war housekeeper - lar (Roman god) humbug - cant hundred - ton hundred thousand - lac, lakh (Indian) hunter - orion hurry - hare husband - man hush - sh |
I
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I - a, an
I object - me I, being French - je I'm astonished - coo, wow if - an ignited - lit illness - flu immediately - now impertinance - gall important - big in court - up in favour of - for, pro |
in Paris, I - je
in the style of - ala increase - rise individual - i individuality - ka (Egyptian) infantry - foot inferior - less inferior horse - tit information - gen informer - nose inn - bar instinct - id |
intimate - hint
investigate - suss Irish house - dail irritation - itch is French - est island - ait, eyot, inch, man issue - son it - a Italian article - gli, i, il, la, le, lo Italian banker - po Italian flower - po |
J
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Japanese play - noh
jazz fan - cat jelly - gel |
jerk - tic
jersey - neat (cow) joke - gag, pun |
journey - ride
joyful cry - io just - fair, only |
K
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keen on - into
key - tab |
knew - wist
knight - sir |
L
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label - tab, tag
ladder - run lady - dame, eve, she lake - loch large amount - lot, ton laugh - ha, haha, hehe lawman - earp (Wyatt) lawyers - bar leave - go, part leaves - tea left - port, went leftist - red |
leg - on, pin
legal document - deed length - ell lettuce - cos life symbol - ankh (Egyptian) like - as limb - arm, leg line - row lit - on little - wee little devil - imp little horse - gee, ned |
live - be
lives - is local - inn, pub loch - ness long time - age, eon look - la, lo, see, vide love - nil low - moo low down - gen lunchtime - one |
M
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maestro - ace, pro
maiden - io, over main - deep, sea male - he, him man - he, isle manage - run managed - ran marketing - hype marsh - fen match - test, tie maths function - sine |
mature - age
means - end measure - ell, em, en member - arm, leg, toe men only - stag mine - pit minor- wee mischievous child - imp mischief-maker - ate (Greek goddess) miscreant - cad mole - spy |
moment - tick
money - cent monster - ness moon - io mother - dam, ma, mam, mum mountain - alp, tor mounted - up much-liked - in musical - cats, hair Muslim leader - aga |
N
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near - nigh
neat - cow, kine, ox neat sound - moo news - word newspaper - sun no French - non no longer available - off no Scottish - na, nae |
nobleman - don
Norse god - odin, thor not at home - out not out - in not Scottish - na, nae not working - off note - do, fa, la, mi, re, si, sol, ti nothing - nil |
notice - see
novel - book, new, she number - pin number one - me number one French - un, une number one German - ein, eine number one Italian - una, uno |
O
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obsessive - anal
of French - de of the French - dela, des, du of the Italian - del offense - sin offensive - tet (Vietnam War) office - den, loo old age - eld (archaic) old agreement - ay old city - troy, ur old fiddle - gue old goat - gate (archaic) old hat - out |
old injury - teen (archaic)
old king - offa (Mercia) old man - dad, pa, pop old paint - limn old Prime Minister - eden, pitt old ship - argo old thing - res (Latin) old way - via (Latin) old wine - tent (Spain) old woman - ma on - leg one - a, ace, an one French - un, une |
one German - ein, eine
one Scottish - ane opener - key operating - on opposing - anti organ - ear otherwise - or our man - he out there - odd outlaw - ban over - re own Scottish - ain ox - kine, neat |
P
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painting - art
paradise - eden particle - ion partner - mate partnership - ns, we (game of bridge) party - do, rave pass on - die peak - alp peg - tee penitentiary - can people - men, race per - a perform - do performance - act performing - on period - age permit - let petition - sue piece - bit, king, pawn, rook |
pilot - ace
pin - leg pitcher - jug playing - in, on plot - bed plotters' street - cato (1820 conspiracy) Pluto - dis (Roman mythology) PM's address - ten (Downing Street) point - head, ness, tor pole - rod poor actor - ham poor horse - tit popular - in port - aden, left, rio portly - fat possesses - has pound - lam present - here, now pretty girl - dish |
prevent - bar
previously - then primate - ape primitive - ur printer's measure - dpi, em, en prison - can, hock, jug, nick, pen, quad, stir prisoner - con, lag pro - for problem - sum prohibition - ban prominence - tor promises to pay - ious propeller - oar provided - if punt - bet pure - net purpose - end put - set put on - don |
Q
quiet - mum, sh
quite - yes
quite - yes
R
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rage - ire
raised - up rating - rank ready - go, set reared - bred record - disc, log refer - cite refusal - no relationship - pi relative - aunt, ma, nan, pa, son remains - ash |
request - ask
resort - spa restore - fix restrain - dam retreat - den revolutionary - red riding - up ring - disc river - aire, alph, avon, cam, dee, ea, exe, fal, isis, nile, ob, ouse, po, tay, tees, ure rock - ore |
Roman god - mars
row - ado, tier rowing boat - four rubbish - rot, tat running water - ea rush - hare, tear rushed - tore Russian agreement - da Russian river - ob |
S
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said French - dit
sailor - jack, salt, tar salt - jack, tar same - idem (Latin) sanctimonious - pi sash - obi save - bar saying - saw scab - rat Scandinavian - thor schedule - list school - eton, pod scoffed - ate scores - many Scottish chimney - lum sea - deep, main seaman - jack, salt, tar second hand - used second person - you secret - key see - lo, vide (Latin) self-confessed - am, iam, im service - mass setter - I, me sex appeal - it sheep - ewe, ram shipping company - line shoulder - bear sick - ill siege - troy sign of approval - nod, tick |
silence - mum, sh, tace
sin - err single - I, run skill - art skip - omit sloth - ai small - tiny, wee small measure - em, en smaller - less smuggle - run smuggled - ran snake - asp, boa so - ergo so long - tata socialist - red soldier - man soldiers - impi (Zulu) solve - do solver - you song - air, aria, lay soon - anon space - em, en Spanish agreement - si Spanish article - el, la, los spasm - tic speculator - bear, stag speed - rate spike - ear , lace spiritual - fey sports car - rod spring - spa |
spy - bond
stall - bay stalwart - rock standard - par, norm state - aver step - pas (French) still - yet stitch - sew stop - end, plug storm - gale stray - sin street - road strikebreaker - rat study - con, den, read style - elan stylus - pen submariner - nemo (movie) success - go, win sudden growth - boom suffering - ill sum - add sun - ra sun god - ra, sol superior - up support - bra, leg, prop, tee supposing - if surgeon - vet swan - cob, pen swear - aver swimmer - cod, eel, ling swindle - con |
T
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tavern - inn, pub
tax - scot (archaic) tea - cha teacher - sir team - side tee - peg tend - care test - exam, oral thanks - ta that old - yt (archaic) that hurt - ow that Latin - id the old - ye the French - la, le, les the German - das, der, die the Italian - il, la the man - he the Spanish - el, la, los the thing - it |
the woman - her
theory - ism therefore - so third person - he, it, she this French - ce, cet this Latin - hic this person - me through - per thunder god - thor thus - sic, so time - age, eon times - by tinker - sly to be - am, are, is to the French - ala, au, aux toilet - bog tom - cat Tosti's song - tata (Paolo Tosti: Goodbye) tot - add |
traffic signal - go, stop, wait
train - aim tramp - hobo transport - bus, cab, car, cart, tram trap - gin travel - go tree - ash, elm, fir, teak, yew trendy - in tribe - dan, gad (Israel) trick - con triumphant cry - io trophy - cup trouble - ado, ail turned - off twenty-five pounds - pony (slang) twice - bis (Latin) twitching - tic two - bis (Latin) |
U
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uncle - eme (archaic)
undergarment - bra underworld - dis (Roman mythology) undivided - one |
unfashionable - out
uniform - even unit - a, I united - one |
university teacher - don
untreated - raw unwell - ill |
V
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very - so
very French - tres very Scottish - unco |
vessel - can, tin
vestment - alb veteran - old |
victory - win
voice - air |
W
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wander - err
warning - cave (Latin), fore (golf) watch - spy water - wee way - path we object - us wearing - in weight - ton well - so whales - gam, pod what French - que |
when - as
whip - cat wife - rib, ux wine - asti, port, tent wing - ala (botany, zoology) witchcraft - obi (West Indies) with a tenant - let with it - in without - sine (Latin) wizard place - oz woman - eve, her, she women only - hen |
word - news
work - do, go, opus work unit - erg worker - hand, man working - on worn - on worried - ate worry - eat wreath - lei writer - nib, pen wrong - sin |
Y
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yearning - yen
yellow - or (French) yes - ay yes French - oui yes German - ja |
yes Italian - si
yes Russian - da yes Spanish - si you - thou you and I - we |
you and me - us
you old - ye young sheep - teg your - thy yours truly - I |
