There are some days when the grid just sings, and other days when a single crossword clue stands defiant, a true brain-teaser that demands every ounce of your linguistic cunning. Today, we’re diving into one such gem that certainly gave me a delightful run for my money: “Sorceress didn’t start having restless desire (4).”
This isn’t just any old crossword clue; it’s a beautifully crafted piece of cryptic genius that epitomizes why we love these puzzles. At first glance, the imagery of a ‘sorceress’ might whisk you away to realms of magic and ancient spells. But as any seasoned solver knows, in the world of cryptic crosswords, words often wear disguises, and the most evocative imagery can be a cunning misdirection, or a subtle pointer to a specific part of the wordplay. The journey to deciphering a challenging crossword clue is often as rewarding as the solution itself.
The beauty of a good cryptic crossword clue lies in its dual nature. You typically have the definition, which hints at the answer’s meaning, and then you have the wordplay, which guides you to construct the answer from other words or parts of words within the clue. For “Sorceress didn’t start having restless desire (4),” our first task is to thoughtfully separate these two components to unlock the path forward.
Looking at “restless desire,” this phrase immediately feels like a strong candidate for the definition. A feeling of longing, an urge that won’t settle – it’s a powerful description, isn’t it? The (4) in brackets confirms we’re looking for a four-letter word that encapsulates this particular feeling. This numerical indicator is often the anchor point in approaching any challenging crossword clue, giving us a concrete target for our wordplay. Pinpointing the definition is a crucial step in dissecting any complex crossword clue.
Now, let’s turn our attention to the fascinating first part: “Sorceress didn’t start.” This is where the magic (pun intended!) of the cryptic truly unfurls. The phrase “didn’t start” is a classic indicator in crossword clue parsing. It typically tells us that we need to take a word, likely hinted at by “Sorceress,” and remove its initial letter. But which word does “Sorceress” point to? Is it a direct synonym for a magical practitioner? Is it something more oblique, a role or a characteristic associated with a sorceress? This is the tantalizing question that keeps you circling the crossword clue, exploring various avenues of thought and lexical connections.
The brilliance of this particular crossword clue is how elegantly it intertwines the descriptive elements with the transformative instruction. You’re asked to think about what a ‘sorceress’ might be called, or what she represents, and then apply a specific linguistic transformation. The challenge is in finding that perfect match, that specific word which, when its first letter is removed according to the “didn’t start” rule, perfectly aligns with the definition of “restless desire.” This process is what makes every new crossword clue a fresh adventure.
This isn’t a crossword clue you’ll solve by simply plugging in the first synonym that comes to mind. It requires a deeper dive into the nuances of language, a willingness to consider different angles for both the definition and the wordplay. It’s a reminder that every single word in a cryptic crossword clue is there for a reason, a piece of a larger linguistic puzzle waiting to be assembled.
So, take a moment with this one. Ponder the implications of “Sorceress,” the instruction of “didn’t start,” and the evocative “restless desire.” The answer, when it clicks, is incredibly satisfying, a testament to the elegant construction of the clue itself. It’s these kinds of challenges that make solving a daily crossword clue such an engaging and rewarding intellectual pursuit. Keep at it, and you’ll find the elegant solution hidden within this cryptic gem. Every well-crafted crossword clue offers a moment of pure brain-sparking delight.
Available Answers:
ITCH.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Sunday, 14 September 2025