Ever found yourself staring at a crossword clue, convinced it’s speaking a foreign language? You’re not alone. Some clues are designed to twist your brain into delightful knots, offering a challenge that’s as frustrating as it is rewarding. This week, we’re diving into a particularly clever example that left many solvers pondering its layers of meaning: ‘Tom’s mare injured primate (8).’
At first glance, this crossword clue paints a vivid, if slightly alarming, picture. A mare belonging to someone named Tom, and something about an injury, all leading to a primate? It reads like a mini-narrative, designed to send your thoughts galloping down a very specific path. And that, dear solvers, is precisely where the genius of cryptic crossword clues lies – in their ability to create a compelling surface reading while hiding a completely different meaning underneath.
Let’s unpack the core components of this intriguing crossword clue. We have the length indicator, a solid ‘(8)’, telling us our answer will be an eight-letter word. Then there’s ‘primate’, which clearly points to the definition of our target word. So far, so good for anyone familiar with the anatomy of a cryptic crossword clue. The real puzzle, as always, comes with the remaining elements: ‘Tom’s mare injured’.
The word ‘injured’ often acts as a potent signal in the world of cryptic crosswords. It’s a classic indicator, nudging solvers towards a specific type of wordplay. When you encounter a word like ‘injured’, ‘broken’, ‘damaged’, or ‘shaken’ within a crossword clue, it’s usually an invitation to rearrange letters – to perform an anagram. This is a fundamental technique for cracking many a cryptic crossword clue, and spotting these indicators is a crucial skill.
But what exactly is being ‘injured’ here? Is it the mare? Is it Tom himself? Or is it something more abstract? The beauty of this particular crossword clue is in how it plays with our expectations. The phrase ‘Tom’s mare’ seems innocuous enough, a possessive referring to a specific animal. However, experienced solvers know that every single word, every apostrophe, every letter in a cryptic crossword clue is there for a reason, a potential piece of the puzzle. Sometimes, what looks like a simple descriptive phrase can actually be the very fodder for the wordplay itself.
The task then becomes to see past the immediate story and identify the precise string of letters that need to be reordered. Is ‘Tom’s mare’ taken literally as two separate words? Does the ‘s’ after Tom signify possession, or is it a letter to be included in the jumble? These are the kinds of nuanced questions that make solving a crossword clue such an engaging mental exercise.
This ‘Tom’s mare injured primate’ crossword clue is a masterful example of how setters can craft a clue that is both misleading and entirely fair. It challenges you to strip away the narrative layer, identify the definition, pinpoint the wordplay indicator, and then meticulously execute the instruction. It’s a journey from a picturesque scene involving a horse to the precise, logical construction of an eight-letter word that names a primate.
So, how do we piece together “Tom’s mare,” “injured,” and “primate (8)” to reveal the elusive answer? What creative rearrangement of letters will unlock this particular crossword clue? Stay with us as we delve deeper into the mechanics of this brilliant puzzle, breaking down each component to arrive at its clever solution. Get ready to flex those crossword-solving muscles – this one’s a real treat for anyone who appreciates the art of the cryptic crossword clue!
Available Answers:
MARMOSET.
Last seen on the crossword puzzle: Metro Cryptic Crossword Clues Tuesday, 25 November 2025