False image in which water finally appears!?(6) Minute Cryptic Crossword Clue
Searching for the answer to False image in which water finally appears!? (6) in today’s Minute Cryptic Crossword? Look no further! We’ve provided the solution to help you finish the puzzle and make the most of your crossword-solving experience.
Hints
This clue's indicators are 'False', 'in which... appears', and 'finally'. One of these is an anagram indicator guiding us to mix up some neighbouring letters. Another is a selection indicator, identifying which letter or letters we need to select from an adjacent word. And a third is a containing indicator flagging that some fodder will appear inside other fodder.
This clue's fodder is 'image' and 'water'. We'll use these letters (or some of them) to construct our answer, as guided by our indicator(s).
This clue is an &lit, which means the whole clue is the definition and the whole clue is the wordplay. We've typically flagged our &lits using the !? punctuation, but we might drop that designation soon (see video). In this clue, our answer is a kind of false image in which water finally appears.
The answer to False image in which water finally appears!? (6) is MIRAGE.
In cryptic crosswords, the clue often consists of two parts: a definition and a wordplay component. In this case, "False image" is the definition part, which suggests something that appears to be real but isn’t, fitting the definition of a mirage, an optical illusion of water or a reflective surface, often seen in deserts.
The wordplay component breaks down as follows: "in which water finally appears." The phrase "water finally" indicates the last letter of the word "water," which is "R." This letter "R" is added to the word "image" to form "MIRAGE."
The clue ends with an exclamation mark, perhaps hinting at the surprising or illusory nature of a mirage, where water seems to appear but is not actually there.
Thus, the solution is "MIRAGE," fitting the 6-letter requirement and matching the cryptic construction of the clue.
Minute Cryptic
A Minute Cryptic is a type of crossword puzzle that focuses on very short, often tricky clues that require quick and sharp thinking. These puzzles typically feature concise clues that challenge solvers to think outside the box and consider alternative meanings, wordplay, or indirect references.
Unlike traditional cryptic clues, which may have more detailed explanations, Minute Cryptics are designed to be solved in a very short amount of time, often making them ideal for quick bursts of mental exercise. They tend to require both a good understanding of wordplay and a high level of familiarity with common crossword conventions, but their brevity makes them a fun and engaging challenge for puzzle enthusiasts.
