You know those crossword clues that just make you wince? The ones that hit you with a dose of the bizarre, maybe even a touch of the grotesque? Every seasoned solver knows the thrill of staring down a seemingly impenetrable crossword clue. This particular six-letter challenge, “Lift out Henry’s extremities – disgusting! (6),” certainly falls into that category. It’s the kind of cryptic crossword clue that demands a certain level of mental fortitude and a deep understanding of the setter’s art.
The immediate impact of “disgusting!” is undeniable. It’s a powerful adjective, and in the world of cryptic crosswords, such strong emotional indicators are rarely there just for show. Is it part of the definition? Is it an anagram indicator, suggesting something has been horribly mixed up? Or perhaps it hints at the very nature of the six-letter solution itself? When a
crossword clue
uses such a vivid word, the solver’s mind is instantly primed for something unusual, perhaps even a bit unpleasant, in the answer.
Then we have “Henry’s extremities.” Ah, the glorious ambiguity of the possessive ‘s’! Is Henry a person, an actual individual whose limbs or digits are in question? Or is “Henry” simply a sequence of letters, and its ‘extremities’ are merely its first and last characters, or perhaps even its start and end points in a larger phrase? Crossword setters delight in this kind of linguistic gymnastics. And ‘extremities’ themselves are a classic crossword trope – often pointing to the outer letters of a word or phrase, the ‘ends’ of something. It’s a common trick to look for first and last letters when ‘extremities’ or ‘ends’ are hinted at within a cryptic
crossword clue
.
And “Lift out”? This is where the action happens. Is it a removal? A rearrangement? An instruction to extract something from within something else? In cryptic crossword clues, verbs are potent. “Lift out” could suggest an anagram, a container-and-contents type of clue where something is ‘lifted’ or ‘extracted’ from within another word, or even a reversal, where parts are ‘lifted’ and turned around. The mind races through the possibilities, each interpretation opening a new pathway to explore this complex
crossword clue
.
Navigating such a complex crossword clue involves dissecting each word, each punctuation mark, for its potential cryptic meaning. The beauty of a well-crafted crossword clue lies in its ability to simultaneously mislead and illuminate. Here, the challenge is to separate the vivid imagery from the precise cryptic instructions. Is the ‘disgusting’ part a literal definition, or is it a misdirection, designed to send you down a rabbit hole of unpleasant ideas while the true wordplay unfolds elsewhere?
Many a crossword clue provides a single defining element and then elaborate wordplay. Here, the definition itself could be “disgusting,” leaving “Lift out Henry’s extremities” as the elaborate mechanism. Or, could it be that “disgusting” is merely a vivid adjective describing the
result
of the wordplay, with the true definition hiding elsewhere within the phrase? This is where the magic of a cryptic crossword clue truly shines, forcing solvers to consider every angle.
The solver’s journey begins with identifying the likely definition part of the clue. With a word like “disgusting,” it feels like a strong contender for the definition, perhaps hinting at a six-letter word that directly means something repulsive. Then, the rest of the clue – “Lift out Henry’s extremities” – must function as the wordplay, leading to that precise six-letter solution. This requires a systematic approach: listing possible anagrams, checking for hidden words, or trying various combinations of letters from ‘Henry’ and other source material implied by ‘lift out’ and ‘extremities’. The length indicator “(6)” is, of course, the final arbiter, confirming the exact number of letters required.
It’s these kinds of clues, where the mundane meets the grotesque in a linguistic dance, that make cryptic crosswords so endlessly fascinating. They push the boundaries of language and logic, rewarding patience and a keen eye for subtle misdirection. What was your immediate thought when you first read this particular crossword clue? How would you approach breaking down its layers to reveal the hidden answer?
Available Answers:
FILTHY.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: –Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Sunday, 14 September 2025
Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Friday, 6 June 2025