Charade indicator

on

“on” is a charade indicator in cryptic crosswords.

The answer is built by placing chunks next to each other in sequence. Charade indicators use the imagery of following, addition, and joining.

Clue types: Charade
Subtlety: subtle
Part of speech: adverb

Note: X on Y: X is on top of Y in down clue.

Worked example

“Ditch time on northern church (6)”

Answer: TRENCH

Charade: T (time) + RE (on/concerning) + N (northern) + CH (church) concatenate to T+RE+N+CH = TRENCH. Definition "Ditch" (a trench) sits at the start. Surface misdirection: "Ditch" reads as a verb (give up), as if telling someone to stop spending time on a church in the north, but the answer is the noun TRENCH.

Related indicators

above
abut
adjoin
after
ahead of
alongside
and
attach
become
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
by
cap

Explore indicator types

Anagram Hidden word Container Reversal Deletion Homophone Charade Acrostic

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