Some crossword clues just hit differently, don’t they? They’re not just about knowing words; they’re about decoding a miniature puzzle wrapped in seemingly innocent language. You stare at them, a cup of lukewarm coffee beside you, the morning quiet, and suddenly, one particular
crossword clue
jumps out, demanding your full attention. It’s that perfect blend of straightforward and fiendishly clever, the kind that makes you audibly grunt in frustration before a triumphant ‘A-ha!’ escapes your lips.
Today, we’re diving into precisely that kind of
crossword clue
. The one that sent a little shiver of delightful challenge down my spine recently: “Partisan reformed by candidate (8)“.
Now, if you’re a seasoned cryptic crossword solver, your eyes probably immediately locked onto a few key words there. If you’re newer to the game, welcome! Let’s break down why this particular eight-letter
crossword clue
is such a superb example of wordplay.
First, let’s talk about the word “reformed.” In the intricate world of cryptic crosswords, certain words are practically neon signs pointing to a specific type of wordplay. “Reformed” is a classic anagram indicator. Other culprits in this category include “broken,” “mixed,” “arranged,” “unstable,” “mad,” “new,” or “reorganised.” When you see a word like “reformed,” your brain should immediately switch into anagramming mode. It tells you that the letters of another word in the clue need to be jumbled up to form the answer.
So, what letters are we “reforming” here? The word right before our anagram indicator: “Partisan.” This word, consisting of eight letters (P-A-R-T-I-S-A-N), conveniently matches the eight-letter length of our target answer. This is a common and helpful convention in cryptic puzzles. If the anagram fodder’s length matches the answer’s, you know you’re dealing with a direct rearrangement. This makes “Partisan” our fodder, the raw material from which we’ll construct our solution to this engaging
crossword clue
.
Now, for the really clever part – the definition, which comes at the end: “by candidate.” This is where the magic of a good
crossword clue
truly shines. We have our anagram fodder (“Partisan”) and our indicator (“reformed”). We know the result is an eight-letter word. This eight-letter word must somehow be defined by, or related to, “candidate.” Is it someone who
is
a candidate? Someone who
supports
a candidate? Or something else entirely? The beauty lies in the elegant misdirection and the precision required to link the jumbled letters of “Partisan” to something that fits the descriptor “candidate.”
This requires a mental leap. You might start by scrawling the letters P, A, R, T, I, S, A, N on a piece of scratch paper, circling them, and then trying various combinations. It’s like a mini-game of Scrabble in your head. As you shuffle and reshuffle those letters, you’re constantly holding the definition “by candidate” in your mind, waiting for a word to emerge that fits both the jumbled letters and the meaning. The satisfaction when the letters click into place, revealing a word that perfectly embodies the definition, is what makes solving a challenging
crossword clue
so incredibly rewarding. It’s a moment of pure, unadulterated intellectual triumph.
This
crossword clue
is a perfect example of how the best puzzles combine clear wordplay mechanics with artful, often witty, definitions. It’s not just about finding
a
word, but finding
the
word that fits all the cleverly laid traps.
What were your initial thoughts when you first encountered this particular
crossword clue
? Did “reformed” immediately scream “anagram” to you? Or did you find yourself pondering other interpretations of “Partisan” or “candidate” before the pieces clicked? Share your solving process for this type of
crossword clue
in the comments below!
Available Answers:
ASPIRANT.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Thursday, 21 August 2025