Container indicator

capture

“capture” is a container indicator in cryptic crosswords.

One piece of wordplay is wrapped around or inserted into another. Containers use the imagery of holding, enclosing, or swallowing.

Clue types
Container
Forms
captures, capturing
Subtlety
moderate
Part of speech
verb, participle
Themes
containment
Worked example

Hit band carrying medium (5)

Answer: SMASH

Container clue. Definition is "Hit" (a SMASH hit) at the start. Wordplay: "band" = SASH, "carrying" = container indicator, "medium" = M (clothing size). Inserting M into SASH gives S(M)ASH = SMASH. The surface reads as one coherent image — a chart-topping band touring with a psychic medium — so the insertion indicator "carrying" is buried as natural English rather than announcing the device.


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