Welcome back to the daily grind where the coffee is hot and the grids are demanding. Every seasoned solver knows that the magic of a cryptic crossword clue lies in its ability to hide the answer in plain sight, using a blend of literal definitions and sneaky wordplay. Today, we are looking at a particularly elegant example that has been making the rounds:
“Pack animal left by Buddhist priest (5).”
If you are stuck on this specific crossword clue, don’t worry—you are in good company. This five-letter teaser is a classic example of a “charade” clue. In the world of cryptic puzzles, a charade works exactly like the parlor game; you take two or more distinct parts, set them side-by-side, and they combine to form the final answer.
To solve this crossword clue, we first have to identify which part of the phrase is the definition and which part is the wordplay. In this case, the definition is sitting right at the front: “Pack animal.” This tells us that our target is a creature known for carrying loads, likely in a mountainous or rugged terrain.
Now, let’s dissect the wordplay. The phrase “left by Buddhist priest” provides the building blocks. In the shorthand of the crossword world, the word “left” is almost always represented by a single letter—a standard abbreviation used in everything from driving directions to political alignments. When you see “left” in a cryptic crossword clue, your mind should immediately jump to that one specific letter.
The second part of the wordplay is “Buddhist priest.” If you’ve spent any time tackling a New York Times or Guardian grid, you know that certain words appear more frequently than others. A four-letter term for a Tibetan or Buddhist monk is a staple of the genre. It’s a word that evokes high altitudes and spiritual devotion, and it fits perfectly into the remaining slots of our five-letter word.
When you take that single letter representing “left” and place it “by” (or next to) the four-letter word for the “Buddhist priest,” the resulting five-letter word perfectly matches the definition of a “pack animal.”
Deciphering a crossword clue like this requires a bit of lateral thinking. Beginners often get tripped up trying to read the clue as a literal sentence. If you try to imagine a priest actually leaving a pack animal behind in a temple, you’ll be searching for a story rather than a solution. Instead, think of the clue as a mathematical equation: A + B = C.
The elegance of this specific crossword clue is its economy. There isn’t a single wasted letter. It’s smooth, it’s fair, and it rewards the solver for knowing their standard abbreviations and common crossword synonyms.
As you hover your pen over those five empty boxes, think about the creatures that roam the Andes or the high plateaus. Think about how that one-letter abbreviation for “left” slides right into place in front of that spiritual title. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
How are you finding the rest of today’s grid? Does this pack animal help you bridge the gap in the north-west corner, or are you still hunting for the intersecting downs? The beauty of the crossword clue is that once one piece falls into place, the surrounding mystery usually begins to unravel. Keep your eyes peeled for those abbreviations, and happy solving!
Available Answers:
LLAMA.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Thursday, 1 January 2026