Another day, another delightful brain-teaser to dissect from the cryptic depths of the daily puzzle. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of unraveling a particularly clever crossword clue, is there? Today, we’re shining a spotlight on a real gem that has been causing a delightful stir:
“Drunk cooked without a top on (5)“
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At first glance, this crossword clue paints quite a vivid, perhaps slightly chaotic, picture – someone intoxicated, perhaps in the kitchen, minus a shirt. But for those of us immersed in the fascinating world of cryptic crosswords, we know that every single word is a carefully placed piece of the puzzle, and the surface reading is often just a charming misdirection. This five-letter marvel combines a definition, an anagram, and a classic bit of wordplay, all wrapped up in a deceptively simple package.
Let’s break down the elements of this intriguing crossword clue, piece by enigmatic piece, to understand how setters construct such clever challenges.
First up, we have “Drunk.” This is usually our definition, guiding us towards the meaning of the five-letter solution. The answer, as indicated by the (5) at the end of the crossword clue, is a word that means intoxicated or in a state of inebriation. However, in the cryptic realm, a word like “drunk” can sometimes pull double duty. It might be the straight definition, or it could be a subtle hint that letters are ‘muddled,’ ‘mixed up,’ or ‘confused,’ leading us toward another common crossword device: the anagram. This dual potential is part of what makes deciphering a cryptic crossword clue so endlessly fascinating.
Next, we encounter “cooked.” Oh, “cooked”! For seasoned crossword enthusiasts, this word instantly triggers a very specific thought process. In the lexicon of crossword clues, “cooked” is one of the most classic and reliable indicators for an anagram. When you see it, it means that the letters of a word or phrase within the clue need to be jumbled, rearranged, or ‘cooked’ into a new order to form the answer, or at least a significant part of it. Other common anagram indicators you might encounter include “mixed,” “muddled,” “broken,” “prepared,” “shaken,” “troubled,” or even “at sea.” So, for this particular crossword clue, “cooked” is a very strong signal that some letters are going to be scrambled.
The real elegance of this crossword clue, however, comes with the phrase “without a top on.” This is another beloved trick in the setter’s arsenal, frequently referred to as ‘beheading’ or ‘decapitation.’ When a crossword clue uses phrases like “without a top on,” “headless,” “start removed,” “lacking a leader,” or “first to go,” it’s a clear instruction to take a word, remove its very first letter, and then use the remaining letters for the wordplay. This subtraction element is a crucial part of the puzzle’s mechanics, narrowing down the possibilities and adding another layer of deduction.
Finally, we have the all-important “(5)” – the letter count. This small number is our guiding star, confirming that our final answer must be a five-letter word. It’s the ultimate constraint that helps us confirm if our deductions are leading us to the correct solution for this challenging crossword clue.
So, how do these seemingly disparate elements – a definition of “drunk,” an anagram indicator, and a ‘beheading’ instruction – combine to lead us to a five-letter answer? The magic of this crossword clue lies in its precise construction. We’re looking for a word that means “drunk,” and that word is derived from another word after its first letter has been removed, and the remaining letters have been “cooked” or anagrammed. This implies a six-letter word that gets ‘beheaded’ to five letters, which are then rearranged to form our answer.
It’s a fantastic example of a cryptic crossword clue that blends definition, letter manipulation, and a touch of clever misdirection into one elegant, satisfying package. Take a moment, ponder the possibilities, and see if you can crack this brilliant crossword clue! The solution is hidden in plain sight, once you understand how all these ingenious components click into place.
Available Answers:
OILED.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Tuesday, 5 August 2025