Cluedo Clues

Among the games invoked often by setters in cryptic crosswords, the board game of Cluedo is not too far behind cricket and bridge. There have been a number of clues and whole puzzles themed around Cluedo in the last few months.

For those who aren't familiar with Cluedo, a quick guide to help you answer clues based on the game.

Suspects, Weapons, Rooms

Cluedo is a murder mystery-solving game. The winner is the player who correctly deduces who killed the victim, in which room, with what weapon.

There are 6 suspects, 6 weapons and 9 rooms in the game. Each suspect is represented using a coloured playing piece. Cryptic clues use the names of suspects and victim most frequently, and you can see why when you look at their wordplay-friendly names:

Suspects	Victim	Weapons	Rooms
Miss Scarlett Colonel Mustard Mrs. White Reverend Green Mrs. Peacock Professor Plum	Mr. Black	Candlestick Dagger Lead Pipe Revolver Rope Spanner	Ballroom Billiard Room Conservatory Dining Room Hall Kitchen Library Lounge Study

Examples:

Sunday Times 4387: Colonel sometimes suspected condiment (7) MUSTARD
Double definition; the first definition "Colonel sometimes suspected" is Colonel Mustard of Cluedo.

Times Jumbo 906: Loudly accuse Mrs Peacock? (3,4,6) CRY BLUE MURDER
Cryptic definition; Mrs. Peacock, the blue-coloured murder suspect from Cluedo.

FT 13788 (Redshank): Professor on board with bishop? Exactly (5)
PLUM (Professor on the Cluedo board) B (bishop)

Solve These

Times 24245: Dealt with murder suspect, and went swiftly to bed? (9) P________
Telegraph Toughie (Elgar): Push forward suspicions of Plum and Library, having got weapon (6) P_____
Guardian 24662 (Puck): What you have here is no party game (4) C___

Related Posts:

• Cryptic Crosswords and the Game of Bridge
• Cricket and Cryptic Crosswords: Part I
• Cricket and Cryptic Crosswords – Part II
• Cricket and Cryptic Crosswords – Part III

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