Cryptic Crossword Reference

Cryptic crosswords are great fun but they have quite a steep initial learning curve. One particularly challenging aspect for newcomers is the use of a word to mean a specific letter or series of letters. Often these are not intuitive and require an explanation to clarify how and why the clue and answer are linked, e.g. ‘sailor’ = ‘able-bodied seaman’ = AB. See our reference table below for some of these – though there are many more, you can really only learn them all by doing lots of cryptic crosswords!

If you’re a beginner or intermediate crossword solver, you may want to check out this book on How To Crack Cryptic Crosswords by The Times or some of our other best cryptic crossword books.

Abbreviations

Clue	Answer	Explanation
1	I	Roman numeral, appearance
5	V	Roman numeral
10	X	Roman numeral
50	L	Roman numeral
100	C	Roman numeral
1,000	M	Roman numeral
A follower	B	Alphabet (B follows A)
About	C, CA, RE	Circa, regarding (re:)
Academic	DD, PROF	Doctor of Divinity, professor
Acceleration	G	Gravity
Account	AC	Abbreviation
Accountant	CA	Chartered accountant
Ace	A	Abbreviation
Advert	AD	Abbreviation
Afternoon	PM	Post meridiem
Against	V, VS	Versus (vs.)
Agent	REP	Representative
Agricultural	AG	Abbreviation
Air conditioning	AC	Abbreviation
Airman	AC	Aircraftman
Alien	ET	Extra-terrestrial
Also known as	AKA	Abbreviation
Aluminium	AL	Chemical symbol
Ambassador	HE	Her/his excellency
America	AM, US, USA	Abbreviation (United States of America)
American ship	USS	United States Ship
American soldier	GI	GI
Amnesty	AI	Amnesty International
Ancient city	UR	Ur
Ancient times	BC	Before Christ
And French	et	et
Anglican	CE	Church of England
Anglo-Saxon	AS	Abbreviation
Answer	AY, AYE	Aye
Arabic	AR	Abbreviation
Arbiter	REF	Referee
Area	A	Abbreviation
Army cop	MP	Military policeman
Army corps	REME	Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Artificial intelligence	AI	Abbreviation
Artillery	RA	Royal Artillery
Artist	RA	Royal Academy
Asian	E	Eastern
At home	IN	Definition (e.g. to eat in)
Attorney	DA, PA	District Attorney, Practicing Attorney
Australia	AUS, OZ	Abbreviation, slang
Avenue	AVE	Abbreviation
Bachelor of Arts	BA	Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts	BM	Bachelor of Medicine
Basque nationalists	ETA	Euskadi Ta Askatasuna
Bearing	N, E, S, W	Compass
Beginner	L	Learner (e.g. L-plate)
Bend	U, S	U-bend, S-bend
Bible	AV	Authorized Version
Bill	AC, IOU	Account, IOU
Bird	TIT	Tit
Bishop	B, RR, DD	Abbreviation, chess, Right Reverend, Doctor of Divinity
Bob	S	Shilling (money)
Bond’s boss	M	M
Bone	OS	Osteo
Book	B	Abbreviation
Books	OT, NT, MS, GEN	Old Testament, New Testament, manuscript, Genesis
Boy	B	Abbreviation
Bridge player	N, E, S, W	Bridge/compass
British	B, BR	Abbreviation
Byte	B	Abbreviation
Calcium	CA	Chemical symbol
California	CA, CAL	Abbreviation
Capone	AL	Al Capone
Car	T, RR	Model T, Rolls-Royce
Carbon copy	CC	Abbreviation
Care of	CO	Abbreviation
Castle	R	Rook (chess)
Celsius	C	Abbreviation
Cent	C	Abbreviation
Centigrade	C	Abbreviation
Century	C	Abbreviation, Roman Numerals
Chapter	C, CH	Abbreviation
Charged	ION	Charge, ion
Chartered accountant	CA	Chartered accountant
Chief	CH	Abbreviation
Chlorine	CL	Chemical symbol
Chromosome	X, Y	Sex chromosome
Church	CE	Church of England
Church of England	CE	Abbreviation
Circa	C	Abbreviation
Circle	O	Appearance
City	NY, LA, EC	New York, Los Angeles, City of London (Postcode)
Civil engineer	CE	Abbreviation
Club	Y	YMCA
Clubs	C	Cards
Coin	P, D, C	Penny, denarius, cent
Colonel	COL	Abbreviation
Colt	C	Abbreviation
Commercial	AD	Advertisement
Common Era	CE	Abbreviation (CE)
Communist	RED	Communist symbolism
Companion	CH	Order of the Companions of Honour
Company	CO	Abbreviation
Compare	CF	Confer (Latin abbreviation)
Compass point	N, E, S, W	Compass
Computer	PC	Personal computer
Concerning	RE	Regarding
Conservationists	NT	National Trust
Conservative	C, CON	Abbreviation
Constable	PC	Police constable
Constant	E, PI	e, pi
Copper	P, D, CU, PC	Penny, denarius, chemical symbol, police constable (slang)
Corner	NE, SE, SW, NW	Compass
Councillor	CL, CLR, CLLR	Abbreviation
Court	CT	Abbreviation
Credit	CR	Abbreviation
Criminal	CON	Convict
Cross	X	Appearance
Current	AC, DC, I, AMP, AD	Alternating current, direct current, unit, Anno Domini
Cystic fibrosis	CF	Abbreviation
Cyprus	CY	Abbreviation
Date	D	Abbreviation
Daughter	D	Abbreviation
Dead, died	D, DEC, EX, OB	Abbreviation, deceased, ex-, obituary
Debts	IOUS	IOU
Decoration	VC, GC	Victoria Cross, George Cross
Degree	D, DEG, C, F, BA, MA	Abbreviation, Celsius, Fahrenheit, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts
Detective inspector	DI	Abbreviation
Detectives	CID	Criminal Investigation Department
Deutschmark	DM	Abbreviation
Diamonds	D	Cards
Diana	DI	Abbreviation
Dinner jacket	DJ	Abbreviation
Direction	N, E, S, W	Compass
Disc, disk	O, EP, LP, CD	Appearance, extended play, long play, compact disc
Disease	TB	Tuberculosis
Doctor	DOC, DR, BM, MB, MD, MO, GP	Abbreviation, Bachelor of Medicine, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Medicinae Doctor, Medical Officer, general practitioner
Dram	DR	Abbreviation, unit (dram)
Drama	NOH	Noh
Drama company	REP	Repertory theatre
Drip	IV	Intravenous drip
Drug	C, E, X, H	Cocaine, ecstasy, heroin
Dry	TT, AA	Teetotal, Alcoholics Anonymous
Duck	O	Cricket
Ducks	OO	Cricket
Each	EA	Abbreviation
East	E	Abbreviation
East Germany	GDR	German Democratic Republic
Ecstasy	E, X	Ecstasy
Editor	ED	Abbreviation
Egg	O	Appearance
Electricity	AC, DC	Alternative current, direct current
Eleven	II, XI	Appearance, Roman numerals
Elizabeth	E	Abbreviation
Energy	E, J	Abbreviation, Joule
Engineer	CE, RE, ME	Civil engineer, royal engineer, mechanical engineer
English	E	Abbreviation
Escape	ESC	Abbreviation
Established	EST	Abbreviation
Estimated time of arrival	ETA	Abbreviation
Europe	EU, EC	European Union, European Community
Exercise	PT, PE, TRAIN	Physical therapy/training, physical education
Exist	BE	To be
Extra	W	Cricket (extra runs from a wide ball)
Extra-terrestrial	ET	Abbreviation
Extra large	XL	Abbreviation
Fahrenheit	F	Abbreviation
Father	FR, DAD, DA, PA	Abbreviation, Dad, Slang
Female	F	Abbreviation
Fighter plane	MIG	MiG
Fine	F, OK	F (pencil), OK
Firm	CO	Company
First	IST	1st
First class	AI	A1
Fish	CARP, COD, EEL, LING, etc.	Fish
Fleet	RN	Royal Navy
Flying bomb	VI	V1
Following	F	Abbreviation
Football association	FA	Football Association
Football club	FC	Football Club
For example	EG	Exempli gratia
Force	F	Abbreviation
Former (partner)	EX	Ex
France	F	Abbreviation
Frenchman	M	Monsieur
Game	RU	Rugby Union
Gas	H, O, N, CO, CS	Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, capsicum spray
German submarine	U	U-boat
Germany	GER, D	Abbreviation, Deutschland
George	G	Abbreviation
Georgia	GA, GE	GA (state), GE (country)
German	G	Abbreviation
Glasses	OO	Appearance
Gold	AU, OR	Chemical symbol, heraldry
Good	G, PI	Abbreviation, pious
Good man	ST	Saint
Graduate	BA, MA, etc.	Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts
Gram	G	Abbreviation
Grand	G, M, K	Abbreviation, Roman numeral, kilo
Grand prix	GP	Abbreviation
Greek character or letter	PI, NU, MU, XI, etc.	Greek alphabet
Group	GP	Abbreviation
Guevara	CHE	Che Guevara
Gunners, gunmen	RA	Royal Artillery
Gym	PT, PE, TRAIN	Physical therapy/training, physical education
Hand	N, E, S, W	Bridge hands
Hard	H	Pencil
Hear	T	Position on hearing aid
Hearts	H	Cards
Hectare	HA	Abbreviation
Helium	HE	Abbreviation
Heroin	H	Abbreviation
Hexadecimal	HEX	Abbreviation
Hire purchase	HP	Abbreviation
Holy man	ST	Saint
Home counties	SE	Southeast of England
Honour	OBE	OBE
Honours	BA, MA, etc.	Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts
Horse	G, GG	Slang
Hospital	H	Abbreviation
Hospital department	AE, ED, ENT	Accident & emergency, emergency department, ear, nose & throat
Hour	H, HR	Abbreviation, unit (hour)
Houses of parliament	HP	Abbreviation
Hug	O	xo
Hundred	C, TON	Roman numerals, ton
Husband	H	Abbreviation
Hush	SH	Shush
Hydrogen	H	Abbreviation
I am	IM	I’m
Iceland	IS	Country code
In charge	IC	Abbreviation
Inch	IN	Abbreviation
Independent	I, IND	Abbreviation
Information technology	IT	Abbreviation
Initial	INIT	Abbreviation
Inspector	DI	Detective inspector
Instant message	IM	Abbreviation
Integrated circuit	IC	Abbreviation
Intelligence	IQ	Intelligence quotient
Internet (provider)	ISP	Internet service provider
Image	PIC	Picture
Iodine	I	Abbreviation
Ireland	IRE	Abbreviation
Irish Republican Army	IRA	Abbreviation
Iron	FE	Chemical symbol
Island	IS	Abbreviation
Jack	J, TAR, AB	Abbreviation, Jack Tar, able-bodied seaman
Jet	MIG	MiG
Jolly	RM	Royal Marine
Journalist	ED	Editor
Judge	J, REF	Abbreviation, referee
Junction	T	T-junction
Junior	JR	Abbreviation
Kelvin	K	Abbreviation
Kentucky	KY	State code
Key	A, B, C, D, E, F, G	Musical keys
Kick off	KO	Abbreviation
Kilo	K	Abbreviation
King	K, R, HM, HRH, GR, CR	Abbreviation, rex, His Majesty, His Royal Highness, King George, King Charles
Kiss	X	xo
Knave	J	Jack
Knight	K, KT, KBE, KG, N	Abbreviation, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Knight of the Garter, chess
Knock out	KO	Abbreviation
Knot	KT	Abbreviation
Labour	LAB	Abbreviation
Lake	L, LA	Abbreviation
Large number	C, D, M, K	Roman numerals, kilo
Last (character)	Z	Alphabet
Last month	ULT	Ultimo
Lawrence	DH, TE	D H Lawrence, T E Lawrence
Lawyer	BL, DA	Bachelor of Law, District Attorney
Lead	PB	Chemical symbol
Learner	L	Abbreviation
Left	L	Abbreviation
Letter	EF, EL, EM	Alphabet; sounds like ‘F’, ‘L’, ‘M’, etc.
Liberal	L, LIB	Abbreviation
Lieutenant	LT	Abbreviation
Line	L	Lower-case L is a line; l
Lines	RY, BR	Railway, British Rail
Litre	L	Abbreviation
Local area network	LAN	Abbreviation
Long wave	LW	Abbreviation
Look	LO	Abbreviation
Los Angeles	LA	Abbreviation
Loud	F, FF	Forte, fortissimo
Love	O	Tennis
Madame	MME	Abbreviation
Maiden	M	Cricket
Male	M, HE, PA	Abbreviation, he, paternal
Manager	MIC	Man in charge
Many	CL, XD, etc.	Roman numerals
Map-makers	OS	Ordinance Survey
Marines	RM	Royal Marines
Married	M	Abbreviation
Master of Arts	MA	Abbreviation
Master of ceremonies	MC	Abbreviation
Masters	MA	Master of Arts
Medal	VC, GC, OBE, OM, etc.	Victoria Cross, George Cross, Order of the British Empire, Order of Merit
Medic	DOC, DR, BM, MB, MD, MO, GP	Abbreviation, Bachelor of Medicine, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Medicinae Doctor, Medical Officer, general practitioner
Megabyte	MB	Abbreviation
Member (of Parliament)	MP	Member of Parliament
Messerschmitt	ME	Abbreviation
Midday	N	Noon
Middle East	ME	Abbreviation
Midfielder	L	Middle letter of ‘fielder’
Military police	MP	Abbreviation
Ministry of Defence	MOD	Abbreviation
Minute	M	Abbreviation
Model	T	Model T Ford
Moment	MO	Abbreviation, slang
Monarch	ER, GR, Q, K, R	Elizabeth Regina, George Rex, queen, king, rex, regina
Monsieur	M	Abbreviation
Months	MOS	Abbreviation (month = mo.)
Morning	AM	Ante meridiem
Mother	MUM, MOM, MA	Slang
Motor racing	FI	F1 (formula one)
Motorway	M, MI	Abbreviation, M1
Namely	SC, IE	Scilicet, id est
National trust	NT	Abbreviation
Navy	RN, ABS, TARS	Royal navy, able-bodied seamen, slang
Nazis	SS	Schutzstaffel
Neon	NE	Chemical symbol
New	N	Abbreviation
New Testament	NT	Abbreviation
New York	NY	Abbreviation
Newspaper	RAG	Slang
Newton	N	Abbreviation, unit (Newton)
Nitrogen	N	Abbreviation
No ball	NB	Abbreviation
No good	NG	Abbreviation
Noon	N	Abbreviation
North	N	Abbreviation
Not applicable	NA	Abbreviation
Note	A, B, C, D, E, F, G; DO, RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI, TE, DOH, NB	Musical notes, nota bene
Nothing	O	Zero
Novice	L	Learner (e.g. L-plate)
Now	AD	Anno Domini
Number	I, V, X, C, D, M, L	Roman numerals
Nurse	RN, EN	Registered nurse, enrolled nurse
Ocean	O	Abbreviation
Odds	SP	Starting price
Officer	OC, CO	Officer Corps, commanding officer
Old	O	Abbreviation
Old boy	OB	Abbreviation
Old city	UR	Ur
Old man	DAD, DA, PA	Slang (father)
Old person	OAP	Old age pensioner
Old record	EP	EP
Old Testament	OT	Abbreviation
One	A, AN, I, ACE	Single articles, one, ace (cards)
Operating system	OS	Abbreviation
Operation	OP	Abbreviation
Order	OM	Order of Merit
Ordinary seaman	OS	Abbreviation
Oriental	E	Eastern
Other ranks	OR	Non-commissioned ranks (military)
Ounce	OZ	Abbreviation
Outsized	OS	Abbreviation
Over the top	OTT	Abbreviation
Overdose	OD	Abbreviation
Oxygen	O	Abbreviation
Page	P	Abbreviation
Painters	RA	Royal Academy
Paramilitaries	ETA, IRA, UFF, UDA	Basque Nationalists, Irish Republican Army, Ulster Freedom Fighters, Ulster Defence Association
Parking	P	Abbreviation
Party	DO, LAB, LIB, LD, CON, C, TORY	Slang, Labor, Liberals, Liberal Democrats, conservatives, Tory
Peacekeepers	UN	United Nations
Pencil	HB	HB
Penny	P, CU	Abbreviation, copper
Phone company	BT	BT
Physical education	PE	Abbreviation
Physical training	PT	Abbreviation
Pint	PT	Abbreviation
Place	PL, SET, SITE, SPOT	Abbreviation, set, site, spot
Plane	MIG	MiG
Plate	L, P	L-plate, P-plate
Playing	ON	Stage
Poem	IF	If
Poet	TS	T S Eliot
Point	N, E, S, W	Compass
Pole	N, S	North, South
Policeman	PC, DI, MET, CID	Police Constable, Detective Inspector, Metropolitan Police, Criminal Investigation Department
Politician	MP	Member of Parliament
Posh	U	Upper class
Post office	PO	Abbreviation
Potassium	K	Chemical symbol
Pound	LB, L	Symbol (weight, currency)
Power	P	Abbreviation
Present day	AD	AD
Priest	PR, REV, RR, DD, FR, ELI	Abbreviation, reverent, Right Reverend, Doctor of Divinity, Father, Eli (Bible)
Prime Minister	PM	Abbreviation
Princess	DI	Princess Di
Printer’s measure	EN, EM	Typographic units
Prisoner of War	POW	Abbreviation
Private investigator	PI	Abbreviation
Promises	IOUS	IOU
Province	NI	Northern Ireland
Pub	PH	Public House
Public Record Office	PRO	Abbreviation
Quarter	N, NE, NW, E, etc.	Compass
Quartet	IV	Roman numerals
Queen	Q, ER, R, HM	Abbreviation, Elizabeth Regina, Her Majesty
Queen’s honour	OBE	OBE
Quiet	P, SH	Piano, shush
Railway	R, RY, BR	Abbreviation, British Rail
Record	EP, LP	Extended play, long play
Referee	REF, UMP	Abbreviation, umpire
Regina	R	Abbreviation
Resistance	R	Unit
Retired	RET	Abbreviation
Reverend	REV, RR, DD	Abbreviation, Right Reverend, Doctor of Divinity
Rex	R	Abbreviation
Right	R	Abbreviation
Ring	O	Appearance
River	R, DEE, EXE, MA, NILE, PO, etc.	Abbreviation, River Dee, River Exe, Ma River, Nile, Po
Road	RD, AI	Abbreviation, A1
Rolls Royce	RR	Abbreviation
Rook	R	Abbreviation
Roughly	CA	Circa
Round	O	Appearance
Royal Academy	RA	Abbreviation
Royal Artillery	RA	Abbreviation
Royal Engineers	RE	Abbreviation
Royal Marines	RM	Abbreviation
Royal Navy	RN	Abbreviation
Rugby	RU	Rugby union
Run	R	Abbreviation
Sailor, salt, seaman	AB, TAR, SALT, JACK, HAND, OS	Able-bodied seaman, slang, ordinary seaman
Saint	S, ST	Abbreviation
Same	DO	Ditto
Sappers	RE	Royal Engineers
Satisfactory	S	Abbreviation
Say	EG	Exempli gratia
Second	S, MO	Abbreviation, moment
Second-class	B	B-grade
Secret service	SS	Abbreviation
Secretary	PA	Personal assistant
Senior service	RN	Royal Navy
Setter	I, ME	Crossword setter
Sex appeal	SA, IT	Abbreviation, the ‘it’ girl
Shakespearean king	LEAR	King Lear
Shilling	S	Abbreviation
Ship	SS	Screw steamer / steam ship
Shirt	T	T shirt
Short time	T	Shortening of ‘Time’
Short wave	SW	Abbreviation
Significant other	SO	Abbreviation
Silk	QC, KC	Queen’s Counsel, King’s Counsel
Silver	AG	Chemical symbol
Single	I	1
Small	S	Abbreviation
Society	S	Abbreviation
Sodium	NA	Chemical symbol
Soft	P, B	Piano (music), B (pencil)
Soldier	RM, RE, GI, VET	Royal Marine, Royal Engineer, General Infantryman, veteran
Son	S	Abbreviation
South	S	Abbreviation
Spades	S	Cards
Spectacles	OO	Appearance
State	CA, FL, etc.	California, Florida, etc.
Stone	ST	Abbreviation
Street	ST	Abbreviation
Square	S	Abbreviation
Student	L, NUS	Learner, National Union of Students
Submarine	SUB, U	Abbreviation, U-boat
Sweat	BO	Body odour
Tabloid	SUN, RAG	The Sun, slang
Take	R	Recipe (Latin for ‘take’)
Tar	AB	Able-bodied seaman
Tax	VAT, GST, IRS	Value added tax, goods and services tax, Internal Revenue Service
Teachers	NUT	National Union of Teachers
Team	XI	Roman numerals (eleven players in football or cricket team)
Teetotal	TT, AA	Abbreviation, Alcoholics Anonymous
Temperature	T	Abbreviation
Ten	X	Roman numerals
Territorial Army	TA	Abbreviation
Terrorists	ETA, IRA, UFF, UDA	Basque Nationalists, Irish Republican Army, Ulster Freedom Fighters, Ulster Defence Association
Thanks	TA	Ta
That is	IE, SC	id est, scilicet
The thing	IT	It
Theologian	DD	Doctor of Divinity
This month	INST	Instante mense
Thousand	M, G, K	Roman numeral, grand, kilo
Time	T, S, M, AGE	Abbreviation, second, minute, age
Times	X	Multiplication symbol
Toilet	WC	Water closet
Top class	AI	A1
Tory	CON	Conservative
Translator	TR	Abbreviation
Trendy	IN	Slang
Tripod	Y	Appearance
Tungsten	W	Chemical symbol
Tyro	L	Learner
Unknown	X, Y, Z	Variables
Variable	X, Y, Z	Mathematical unknowns
Versus	V, VS	Versus (vs.)
Very	V	Abbreviation
Very black	BB	Pencil
Vessel	SS	Screw steamer / steam ship
Viscount	VIS	Abbreviation
Vitamin	A, B, BI, C, D, etc.	Vitamins (BI = B1)
Volunteers	TA	Territorial Army
Vote	X	☒ (voting)
Way	RD, ST, AVE	Road, street, avenue
Weight	G, LM	Gram, pound
Wheel	O	Appearance
Whistle-blower	REF	Referee
Wide	W	Abbreviation
Wife	W	Abbreviation
Will	LL	Contraction
With	W	Abbreviation
Without	WO	Abbreviation
Women’s supporter	BRA	Brassiere
Work	W, OP, OPUS	Abbreviation, operation, opus
Worker	ANT, BEE	Worker ant, worker bee
X	IO	Roman numerals (10)
Yard	Y, YD	Abbreviation
Year	Y, YR	Abbreviation
AYours truly	I, ME	Definition
Zero	O	Appearance

Others:

• Abbreviations
• Chemical symbols
• Conventional abbreviations/codes for cities, states and countries
• ICAO/NATO phonetic alphabet
• Tertiary degrees

Structures

Coming soon

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