Pick of The Week

In addition to Tim Morey's cryptic crossword puzzle in every issue, The Week magazine (UK version) sets its news-hounds fossicking through other journals' crosswords for their "Clue of the Week". Here are three nuggets of cruciverbalist gold they dug up recently.

I take sustenance after ten (6 letters, from The Times Jumbo)

As we know, each cryptic clue has both a definition and some cryptic word play, which together point to the answer. Moreover, the definition is always a string of words at the very beginning or at the very end of the clue; thus in the above clue the definition could be "I take", or "ten" or "after ten" and so on; the definition can even be the whole clue with the word-play embedded in it -- these are known as "&lit" clues. To solve the above clue, it helps to know, or consult, the periodic table, and to realise that when "ten" is written in digits, it can also be read as two letters.

The second clue is due to Kairos in The Independent.

Fun was had in bed cavorting as newlyweds? (7,3,4)

Look out for the anagram signifier.

And finally, a very lateral clue with some gallows humour devised by Imogen for The Guardian.

Death - by hanging? (8, first letter C)