There’s a certain thrill that rushes through the veins of any avid solver when the daily grid lands, promising a fresh batch of linguistic conundrums. Today, however, one particular
crossword clue
leaped off the page, a five-letter enigma wrapped in deceptively simple prose, truly setting the stage for some delightful head-scratching. It’s the kind of
crossword clue
that perfectly encapsulates the charm and challenge of cryptic puzzles, inviting you to dance with ambiguity and wrestle with double meanings.
The clue in question? “Swiftly father is taken in by one (5)“.
Upon first reading, your brain might do a curious little wobble. “Swiftly father” sounds almost like the opening line of a fable, doesn’t it? A narrative snippet that lulls you into a false sense of security before the true cryptic genius reveals itself. Then comes the seemingly innocuous continuation: “…is taken in by one.” And just like that, the innocent narrative dissolves, replaced by the tell-tale glint of a setter’s cunning. This isn’t just any phrase; it’s a meticulously crafted instruction, a coded message demanding an entirely different kind of lateral thought. It’s a classic example of how a brilliant
crossword clue
can disguise its true purpose so elegantly.
Let’s gently poke at the individual elements, shall we? Consider ‘swiftly’. Is this our definition, pointing us towards a word meaning ‘rapidly’ or ‘quickly’? Or is it, in fact, an indicator, perhaps subtly hinting at an anagram, or even a different kind of wordplay entirely? The beauty, and often the initial frustration, of a cryptic
crossword clue
lies in these multiple interpretations. Then there’s ‘father’. Ah, ‘father’! A perennial favourite in the cryptic world, often abbreviated, sometimes synonymised, but always holding a special place in the setter’s toolkit for misdirection. Is it a common two-letter abbreviation, or perhaps something more obscure, designed to send you down a rabbit hole?
And finally, the heart of the wordplay, ‘is taken in by one’. This phrase alone is a masterclass in ambiguity. Does ‘taken in’ suggest inclusion – that one part of the answer is literally
inside
another? Or could it mean ‘deceived’, hinting at a word that means fooled? And ‘one’ – a single letter, a Roman numeral, a synonym for unity? The possibilities spiral. Each potential interpretation of ‘is taken in by one’ could lead to a completely different type of cryptic mechanism: a hidden word, a charade, an anagram component, or a full-blown insertion. It’s the kind of complex layering that makes solving a truly great
crossword clue
such a deeply satisfying intellectual exercise.
This particular
crossword clue
is a fantastic illustration of the mental journey we all embark on. You read it, you pause, you re-read it, perhaps even muttering the words aloud, searching for that elusive spark of recognition. You might visualise the letters, try out common patterns for five-letter words, and cycle through the typical cryptic frameworks. It’s that moment, often after several minutes of polite contemplation (or frantic scribbling), when the pieces suddenly, gloriously, click into place. The entire phrase, which once seemed nonsensical, suddenly sings with clarity, revealing its elegant construction. That ‘aha!’ moment, when the penny drops and the setter’s genius is fully appreciated, is precisely why we adore the challenge of a cryptic
crossword clue
.
So, before we delve into the full, detailed breakdown of how this particular beauty works, take a moment to savour the delightful puzzle presented by “Swiftly father is taken in by one (5)“. What was your immediate thought process? Did you spot the subtle cues, or did you, like me, initially find yourself gently nudged down a few delightful dead ends? Because understanding the journey to the solution is often as illuminating as the solution itself.
Available Answers:
APACE.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Sunday, 13 July 2025