Deletion indicator
strip
“strip” is a deletion indicator in cryptic crosswords.
You remove part of a word — its head, tail, heart, or ends — before using what remains. Deletions use the imagery of loss, cutting, or being incomplete.
- Clue types
- Deletion
- Subtlety
- moderate
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Themes
- conflict
“Pardon, stripped of support, to collapse (4)”
Answer: GIVE
Definition: "collapse" — GIVE, as in a structure starting to give. "Pardon" gives FORGIVE (to let someone off). "support" gives FOR (being in favor of something). "stripped of" signals removing that fragment from the source word. Take FOR off the front of FORGIVE: FORGIVE minus FOR leaves GIVE.
Related indicators
- abbreviate
- abridge
- after the first
- almost
- assault
- bare
- batter
- behead
- blast
- bombard
- borderless
- boundless
- brief
- briefly
- centreless
- clip
Explore indicator types
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