Container clues

In a container clue (sometimes called an insertion) one group of letters is tucked inside another. Once the two pieces are placed, one within the other, they spell the answer straight out.

How a container clue works

The wordplay gives you two pieces and an indicator telling you that one goes inside the other. Both pieces are usually short synonyms or abbreviations rather than words printed in full. The indicator also tells you the direction: "A in B" and "A held by B" both put A inside B, while "B around A" and "B holding A" put A inside B as well. Read it carefully to see which piece is the container and which is the content.

Signals to look for

Container indicators are words that suggest one thing holding, wrapping or swallowing another. A few to watch for:

Signals in, around, holding, inside, containing, embracing, surrounding, swallowing, gripping, wrapping, housing, enclosing, trapping, eating, about

The trick is spotting that an ordinary-looking word (eating, about, housing) is really an instruction to nest one set of letters inside another.

A worked example

Sailor trapped in a sling is a bird (8) → S(TAR)LING = STARLING

• a bird is the definition.
• Sailor gives TAR (a common synonym for a sailor).
• trapped in tells you TAR goes inside SLING (a sling).

Insert TAR into SLING: S(TAR)LING = STARLING. The (8) confirms it. ✓

More examples

The content can be as short as a single letter or a two-letter abbreviation, so look for a small piece slotted into a longer one.

One tucked in bed needs this jacket (4) → CO(A)T = COAT

This jacket is the definition. Put A (one) inside COT (bed) and you get COAT. ✓

Doctor in a lair is an evil spirit (5) → DE(MO)N = DEMON

An evil spirit is the definition. Put MO (a doctor) inside DEN (a lair) and you get DEMON. ✓

Common pitfalls

• Getting the nesting backwards. Work out which piece is the container and which is the content. The indicator decides it, and swapping them gives nonsense.
• Looking for a printed word. The inserted piece is usually a short synonym or abbreviation (sailor = TAR or AB, doctor = DR or MO, and so on), not a word printed in the clue.
• Missing a nested device. Containers often combine with other devices, so the piece being inserted may itself be an anagram or a reversal.

Stuck on a clue in Decryptic? Tap ? Help and it will tell you when you are looking at a container and which piece goes inside the other, so you can see the pattern for yourself.