Deletion clues

A deletion clue starts with a longer word and knocks a letter or two off it, from the front, the back or the middle, to leave the answer. The indicator tells you which letters to drop.

How a deletion clue works

The wordplay points to a longer word, often through a synonym, and an indicator says which part to remove. Its wording tells you where: drop the first letter, the last letter or the middle. What is left is the answer, so it is always a little shorter than the word you started from.

Signals to look for

Signals endless, almost, headless, curtailed, without, endlessly, nearly, beheaded, topless, docked, cut short, clipped, heartless, gutted, unfinished, mostly

A worked example

Gaze endlessly to find a celebrity (4) → STAR

• a celebrity is the definition.
• Gaze gives STARE.
• endlessly says to drop the last letter: STAR(E) becomes STAR. The (4) confirms it. ✓

More examples

The indicator always tells you which end to trim, so read it before you decide what to drop.

A flash, beheaded, becomes a green space (4) → PARK

A green space is the definition. SPARK (a flash) loses its first letter, since beheaded drops the head, leaving PARK. ✓

Magnificent, almost, is grandma (4) → GRAN

Grandma is the definition. GRAND (magnificent) loses its last letter, since almost means stop just short, leaving GRAN. ✓

Common pitfalls

• The indicator tells you which end. "Headless", "beheaded" and "topless" drop the first letter; "endless", "curtailed" and "docked" drop the last; "heartless" and "gutted" drop the middle; "almost", "nearly" and "mostly" drop just the last letter.
• The starting word is usually a synonym you have to find first, not a word printed in the clue.
• Only one or two letters go. If you have removed a big chunk, you have probably misread the indicator.

Stuck on a clue in Decryptic? Tap ? Hint and it will tell you when you are looking at a deletion and which letters to drop, so you can see the pattern for yourself.