Playing piano after American season of pipe organs? (9) Minute Cryptic Crossword Clue
Searching for the answer to “Playing piano after American season of pipe organs? (9)” 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
'Playing' and 'after' are our indicators — one tells us to anagram some letters, and the other tells us how to position one chunk relative to another.
Our fodder is 'piano' and 'American season'. We'll use the letters of one and pair them with a substitute for the other, arranging them as the indicators direct.
The definition is 'of pipe organs?', and our question mark is flagging that we need to apply some stretch to this definition and think outside the (musical) box.
The answer to "Playing piano after American season of pipe organs? (9)" is FALLOPIAN.
This cryptic clue works by wordplay and definition combined. The definition is "pipe organs", which cleverly refers not to musical organs, but to the Fallopian tubes, part of the female reproductive system. For the wordplay: "Playing" indicates an anagram. The fodder is PIANO + FALL (American season). In the US, "fall" means "autumn," so "American season" = FALL. Putting FALL with PIANO gives the letters for FALLOPIAN. Thus, "Playing piano after American season" = anagram of FALL + PIANO = FALLOPIAN. The whole clue misdirects toward music but resolves neatly to the anatomical answer.
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.
